Holy Saturday

All during Holy Week I've felt compelled to write about the events leading up to Easter.

And, wouldn't you know it?  This was one of the busiest weeks of the entire year!  Literally, Mike left town on business, Dallas became the tornado capital on Tuesday, I chaperoned a full-day play rehearsal on Wednesday, and Thursday we attended Grandparent's Day, including lunch afterward for nine guests, including cake for birthday boy, Grandpa Lee, who turned three, if you believe candles.

So, much too late, I found myself waking on Good Friday, wanting to get back the hours so I could properly prepare my heart for Sunday.

Spurred on by my darling neighbor Thursday night, who had brought up the subject of Easter in carpool that day and had asked some basic questions about Easter that neither of our sons could answer, we attended service on Good Friday.  And, on the way to church, we talked about all the events of Holy Week.

And, even though this week has been wrought with distractions, leading up to this week my heart had already purposefully steered the ship of the world view of Easter far off its normal course.

We didn't buy new outfits to wear to church, though that is a long-held tradition on my side of the family.  This year, we'll press what we have and look nice, just not "new" nice.

I'm not buying tons of candy.  I'm not spending gobs of money on Easter basket contents.  Instead, my kids will get some good, quiet time activities.  I will include scripture verses with each of the gifts, so they understand there is MEANING behind what they are receiving.

I've placed each of the kind Easter greetings we've received front-and-center, displaying them like Christmas cards.  This year, those greetings have so much more meaning to me than in years past.  Spurred on by them, I plan to add Easter cards to the list of important things I send every year to all the people who have blessed us through the year.  Truly, if there is a time to celebrate every year, isn't it Easter?

And, finally, I'm going to make sure to review Holy Week with the kids again.  They are too young to watch "The Passion of the Christ" but they need to understand, as best they can, the agony of our Lord and the importance of His gift.

Christ didn't take a fun walk in the park on the way to the cross.  It was a burden.  It was a sacrifice.  It has true MEANING.

Below, I've included a lesson I wrote on Holy Week.  There is more to it than what's below, but this is a good start for talking with your family about the events prior to and on Sunday.

(My task, from here, it is to piece together the weeks AFTER Easter, so my family can start to understand the important and miraculous events that occurred after Christ's resurrection.  Hopefully, Lord willing, I'll be able to share this with you in the days and weeks to come.)

Peace to you this Holy Saturday.  Though we await our Lord, we are blessed to know, in a few short hours, He will rise again.

Hallelujah!

A Summary of Holy (Easter) Week

(As remembered in the Anglican church)

 

Palm Sunday (last Sunday)

What happened that day?  Christ rode into Jerusalem.

How was Christ received?  The people welcomed him as a King, throwing palm fronds on the ground ahead of him.

What do we do in church in remembrance?  We are given palm crosses.

Monday

What happened that day?  Jesus went to the Temple and became angry with the money-changers who were there.

How did the people react?  The High Priests became very angry with him and started to plot against him.

Tuesday

What happened that day?  Jesus told the Parable of the Vineyard.

What does this story mean?  We are branches, all connected to Christ, who is the major vine connecting us all.  As long as we stay connected to Christ, we are doing His will and are connected to other Christians.

Wednesday

What happened that day?  Jesus spent quiet time with his twelve best friends, the Apostles.

Thursday (Maundy Thursday)

What happened that day?  1.  Jesus commanded the Apostles to love one another and ordered that they continue the tradition of the last supper (communion).

2.  Jesus was betrayed by Judas, who turned took the High Priests to the place where Jesus was staying for a few silver coins.

What do we do in church in remembrance?  We take communion and strip the altar afterward.  We also do twelve hours of prayer, from 8pm to 8am.

Friday (Good Friday)

What happened that day?  This is the day Christ died on the cross.

What do we do in church in remembrance?  We hold church services which focus on the last seven words of Christ before He died.

Saturday (Holy Saturday)

What happened that day?  Christ’s body was in the tomb and the Apostles were mourning his death.

What do we do in church in remembrance?  Our clergy is available for confessions of sin from members of the church.  This allows everyone to “cleanse” themselves of sin in preparation for Easter Day.

Sunday (Easter)

What happened that day?  Jesus was resurrected from the dead!

What does the church do in remembrance?  We celebrate Easter by flowering the cross, a symbol of our joy for the sacrifice Jesus made so our sins could be forgiven.