HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONAL GUIDE

PURPOSE: The purpose of this devotional is to help center each of us on Christ by considering the events and attitudes that led up to His death and resurrection. FORMAT: Use this guide each day, Palm Sunday (April 1st) through Easter Sunday (April 8th). There are two sections to the devotional: the first part is for adults and teens, and the second part is marked *To use with your kids, grandkids. The childrens section is designed for preschool through early elementary aged kids. For older kids, you may simply read with them the Bible passage noted in the reading section, rather than the text that weve included. Try to schedule 20-30 minutes each day for the devotional. This guide includes meditations, readings, activities, and prayers to encourage praise, repentance, self-examination, thanksgiving, deeds of mercy, and intercession. We pray that you and your family will draw closer to the Lord as you seek Him during this season. *NOTE TO HG LEADERS: Consider using this guide in community whichever day of the week you meet!

Palm Sunday
Prayer: O God, whose very presence causes us to choose whom we will serve, help us to joyfully choose always for You. Let us not be tossed about by conflicting motives but live solely for You. In the power of Christs name. Amen. Scripture Reading: Psalm 56 Reading: Reverence is a gentle virtue; it is also strong. Reverence is a tender virtue; it is also tough. Reverence is a patient virtue; it is also persistent. Reverence bears no ill will toward others; it is able to bear the ill will of others when necessary. Reverence is a virtue that prepares us well to belong to one another; it reaches out to those who have given messages of not wishing to belong. --From Growing Strong at Broken Places by Paula Ripple Reflection: With laptops, smartphones, tablets, ebooks, blogs, and Facebook, we can find ourselves completely submerged in a digital culture. When is the last time you put pen to paper to write a note, a letter, or some simple prose? Take at least 10 minutes and write a personal reflection of your reading of Psalm 56. You might write a prayer or letter to God describing the broad (or specific) ways that knowing God is for me (56:9) brings you hope. If your artistic side takes over, write a poem Prayer: As I go now to face the confusion and allurements of the worlds systems, help me to separate the precious from the worthless, that I may be your worthy disciple. Amen. *To use with your kids, grandkids: Prayer: The Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord. For giving me the things I need: the sun, the rain, the apple seed. The Lord is good to me! Reading: (Luke 19:28-40) The dusty roads leading into Jerusalem were anything but quiet. A buzz of excitement filled the air as people got ready for the Passover party, the biggest holiday of the year. Everyone was trying to get to Jerusalem to celebrate. There were mommies and daddies, grandmas and grandpas, uncles and aunts, boys and girls, and even lots of animals. Most people came into town riding on camels, followed by sheep screaming Baaa! and cows singing Moo! The boys and girls were laughing and singing. When Jesus came close to town, He sent two of His disciples in to find a donkey for Him to ride. He told them to tell anyone who asked that The LORD needs it. The disciples wanted to obey Jesus, so they brought the donkey to Him. As Jesus entered into Jerusalem for the great celebration, He rode on the donkey they had brought to Him. Many of the mommies and daddies, grandmas and grandpas, uncles and aunts, and boys and girls walked in front of Him, spreading out palm tree leaves on the ground. They sang out praises to Jesus and called Him their King! But there were a few people that were not happy about all this. Some of the men in the crowd told Jesus to tell the people to stop shouting and to stop calling Him the King, and to stop worshipping Him. Jesus told them: "If these people were to be quiet and not worship Me as their King, then the rocks would cry out in worship." Jesus and the donkey continued on their way into the city of Jerusalem, as the shouts of the people continued. "HOSANNA! HOSANNA! Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord! BLESSED BE THE KING! HOSANNA!" Reflection: What did you learn? Jesus is the Lord. He is the King over all things and we need to praise and worship Him and give Him thanks. Will you thank God for Jesus? Prayer: Thank you God, for Your Son, Jesus, who came to us as the King. Thank you, Jesus, for being a good King who loves us. Amen.

Monday
Prayer: Our Lord Jesus, whose word is always authority, speak to me now, that I may hear your special word for me today. By Christ. Amen. Scripture Reading: Matthew 21 Reading: Do we buy a particular home on the basis of the call of God, or because of the availability of money? Do we buy a new car because we can afford it, or because God instructed us to buy a new car? If money determines what we do or do not do, then money is our boss. If God determines what we do or do not do, then God is our boss. My money may say to me, you have enough to buy that, but my God might say to me, I dont want you to have it. Now, who am I to obey? --From Money, Sex and Power by Richard J. Foster Reflection: What things have you allowed to become boss? Ive heard it said that a look at your checkbook and your datebook will reveal what controls you! Choose something to give up tomorrow (Tuesday) and replace that time/thing with something that points you towards Christ. (Idea: go unplugged for a day: Facebook, Twitter, etc.; dont watch TV for the day; turn off talk radio.) Prayer: May I not be conformed to this world system and its limited thinking. May I think with eternity in mind. Please continue to transform me through the renewing of my mind so that I will know by personal experience all that is in Your will. Amen. *To use with your kids, grandkids: Prayer: God be in my head, And in my understanding. God be in mine eyes, And in my looking. God be in my mouth, And in my speaking. God be in my heart, And in my thinking. Reading: (John 2:13-22) When Jesus had come into Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, He went to the temple (church building). This should have been a special place where Gods people would pray and worship God. But the people were not praying. Instead, Jesus found that people had set up tablesand they were selling animals and making money at the temple. They were trying to get rich off of God and by cheating Gods people. This made Jesus very sad. Jesus went up to their tables and knocked them over. He said to them: take these things away and do not make my Fathers house a place to make money. This was a special place for God. They should not think about their money here. They should think about God and about how God loves all people. Jesus then began teaching people about who God is and what God wants. Some of the people listened and they began to love Jesus and pray to God. Reflection: What did you learn? Jesus did not want people selling God. He wanted them to know God and pray to God. Lets pray to God that we would know Him better.

Tuesday
Prayer: At Your word, O Lord, the worlds were created, and by Your word new life is given. Open now my ears that I may hear Your special word spoken to me today. Amen. Reading: According to Matthew, Mark and Luke, on the Tuesday before He was crucified, Jesus returned to Jerusalem where He was confronted by the Temple leadership for what He did the day before. They questioned His authority. He also taught extensively using parables and other forms. There is the parable of the vineyard (Matthew 21:33-46) and the parable of the wedding banquet (Matthew 22:1). There is also the teaching on paying taxes (Matthew 22:15) and the rebuke of the Sadducees who deny the resurrection (Matthew 22:23). There is also the fearful prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem if the inhabitants do not come to faith in Him. He warned that not one stone would be left on another (Matthew 24). Choose one of these teachings of Jesus and read it thoroughly. Reflection: Jesus was often called Great Teacher, and rightly so, as by His words and deeds He helped us to understand the mysteries of the universe. What is the last new thing that you learned from the words of God in the scriptures? Prayer: And now Jesus, Gods Word in flesh, I hear you knocking and I open the door. Come into my heart and mind, and speak to me from that interior place all the day long. Amen. *To use with your kids, grandkids: Prayer: Two eyes to look to God; two ears to hear His word; two feet to walk in His ways; two lips to sing His praise; two hands to do His will; and one heart to love Him still. Reading: (Matthew 22:34-40) We know from the Bible that God is love, and we sing the song Jesus Loves the Little Children. The Bible also tells us that we should love also. Jesus told people: Love God with all your heart and all of your mind and energy. This is the most important thing you can do. The next most important thing is to love and care for others. Reflection: If they are able, help your children to memorize as much of Matthew 22:37-39 as they can. You may want to write it out in a simple form for younger kids (i.e. Love God and Love People). Sing with your kids Jesus Loves the Little Children or Praise Him all the Little Children (God is Love). Prayer: Pray with thanks that Jesus could teach people about Gods love.

Wednesday
Prayer: Merciful and loving God, I come seeking quiet communion with You. In this place apart from confusion and stress, grant me stillness of heart and quietness in thy presence. Amen. Scripture Reading: Psalm 121 Reading: When you are sad, tired, lonely, and full of suffering, take refuge in the sanctuary of your soul and there you will find your Brother, your Friend, Jesus, who will console you, support you and strengthen you. --From Meditations of a Hermit by Charles de Foucauld The world is the place where we meet God because it is the place where God meets us in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ did not merely inhabit human flesh; he became flesh. He made Himself, as God, to be one with humanity in the concrete, historical realities of human life. Truly, God has entered into the world and it is in the world that Christians must turn to find God. --From Mertons Palace of Nowhere by James Finley Reflection: Put your antennas up. Be actively watching and listening for God at work in the world around you. How might He be speaking to you? How is He working in the lives of those around you? Make notes throughout the day today or tomorrow (use pen and paper, or your favorite app) each time you find yourself more aware of Gods presence. Prayer: (From the Hymn Tell Out, My Soul) Tell out, my soul, the greatness of Gods name! Make known Gods might, who wondrous deeds has done; Gods mercy sure, from age to age the same; Gods holy name, the Lord, the mighty One. *To use with your kids, grandkids: Prayer: Oh God, You are my God, And I will ever praise You. I will seek You in the morning, And I will learn to walk in Your ways. And step by step Youll lead me, And I will follow You all of my days. Reading: (Matthew 26:6-13) It was almost time for the Passover party, and Jesus was spending time with His friends. Simon was there, and so were Peter, and Matthew, and John, and others! Jesus and His friends were sitting on the floor relaxing and talking. While they were talking, a woman came into the room carrying a jar of oil. The oil was worth a lot of money! She poured the oil out onto Jesus head and onto Jesus feet. Jesus friends got upset at the woman. They thought she had wasted the oil. The oil was worth a lot of money! Jesus knew that the woman had poured the oil on Him because she knew He was Gods Son and her Lord. She loved Jesus and wanted to worship Him. Jesus told His friends that the woman had done a good thing. She thought Jesus was worth more than oil and money. Reflection: What did you learn? The woman wanted to show Jesus how much she loved Him. You can show Jesus you love Him, too. Share some ideas of how you can show Jesus you love Him. (You might start by praying and telling Jesus you love Him!)

Thursday
Prayer: God our provider, you feed us with the bread of life and lift for us the cup of salvation, on this night Jesus gave us this holy feast: may all who gather at your table receive a foretaste of the eternal banquet. Scripture Reading: Luke 22:7-39; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28 Reading: I find myself reflecting on the last supper of Jesus. We seldom recognize a final occasion when it is happening. Only in retrospect do we recognize that it was the last. Then we recall every moment, every gesture, and try to draw from it what we will carry with us the rest of our lives. So easily we take for granted the meals of every day. They are so regular and common, so ordinary as long as they continue. But when it is the last one, all of the previous ones are drawn into it and it becomes a singularity, a once and never again. It becomes a rare, precious moment to be treasured forever. --From Gathering the Fragments by Edward J. Farrell Reflection: In a Facebook and Twitter world, people often share their status update. These brief one-liners may reflect their current location, a situation at work, an announcement of joy, or the last meal they ate. As your regular rhythm gives way to the Easter holiday weekend, begin to gather yourself (your emotional, spiritual, and relational position). Take pen to paper and write some various status updates that reveal to yourself and the Lord your emotional, spiritual, and relational condition. Prayer: Lord Jesus, I have heard your knocking at the door of my life. Come in and abide with me. I throw open the door to you, my Lord. Come in! And never leave me. Amen. *To use with your kids, grandkids: Prayer: Please give me what I ask, dear Lord, If Youd be glad about it. But if You think its not for me, Please help me to do without it. Reading: (Luke 22:39-46) After dinner, Jesus and His closest friends (His disciples) went for a walk. Peter was there, and so were James and John. Jesus wanted to find a quiet place to pray. They found a little garden, and Jesus told Peter and James and John to wait by the olive tree while He went alone to pray. Jesus got down on His knees and prayed to God: FatherDaddy, Im very sad right now. Please take away the suffering from me. But do what You want, not what I want. Then Jesus got up and went back to find His friends. Reflection: What did you learn? Jesus is Gods Son. Jesus prayed to God. Jesus wanted to please God. Do you want to please God? What will you do? Lets pray together that we will do what God wants.

Friday
Reading: All through the night, Jesus was locked in the dungeon of the high priests house. Early this morning, He was bought before Pilate, who transferred his case to Herod. Herod sent him back to Pilate who, sometime in the mid-morning, bowed to the pressure of the Temple leadership and the crowds, and condemned Jesus to a horrible death by crucifixion. In the late morning, Jesus was taken by the soldiers through the city and up the hillside of Golgotha. By noon He was nailed to the cross where He hung in agony for some three hours. He died around three in the afternoon. He was taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb hastily before sundown.

If you can make time today, come by the Pantego Bible Church campus for a time of silence and communion. Area Pastors will be serving communion in the Worship Center from 11:30 am-1:00 pm on a come-and-go basis.

Join us this evening for our Good Friday Service at 7:00 pm. Well have a meaningful time of corporate worship as we reflect on the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Childcare is available for birth-Pre K.

Saturday
Reading: The body of Jesus was in the tomb, but His soul was among the dead to announce the kingdom. The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will live (John 5:25). Consider what it must have been like for the dead in Sheol to awaken to the voice of Jesus! Meanwhile, the disciples, heartbroken at the death of Jesus, observed the Jewish Sabbath in sorrow. They had forgotten the promise of Jesus that He would rise. We cannot forget His promise. We cannot forget. Consider minimizing your schedule on this day. Allow time for your family and your community to gather as we wait together, anticipating tomorrows celebration of Christs resurrection.

Join us anytime from 10:00 am-2:00 pm for Pantegos Family Easter Festival at The Connection Building. There will be many family-friendly activities indoors and out, including egg hunts and a free lunch.

Easter Celebration Services on Sunday, April 8 at 9:00 & 10:45 am Together we will celebrate the Risen Lord in two joyful services. Childcare is available for birth-Pre K. No other ministry programming is held this Sunday.

Easter Sunday
Prayer: O God, whose Son declared Himself to be the resurrection and the life, give me now a sense of the presence of the One who is alive forevermore. I pray. Amen. Scripture Reading: Psalm 23 Reading: You who read these words already know this inner Life and Light. For by this very Light within you, is your recognition given. In this humanistic age we suppose [we are] the initiator and God is the responder. But the Living Christ within us is the initiator and we are the responders. God the Lover, the accuser, the revealer of light and darkness presses within us. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. And all our apparent initiative is already a response, a testimonial to His secret presence and working within us. --From A Testament of Devotion by Thomas R. Kelly By salvation I mean, not barely, according to the vulgar notion, deliverance from sin; a restoration of the soul to its primitive health, its original purity; a recovery of the divine nature; the renewal of our souls after the image of God True Religion is the loving God with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves; and in that love abstaining from all evil and doing all possible good to all. --John Wesley Prayer: In these moments with you, my Lord, I have heard your call to life. O glorious call that awakens me, I am yours and yours alone. Amen. *To use with your kids, grandkids: Prayer: He is Lord, He is Lord, He is risen from the dead and He is Lord! Every knee shall bow; Every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord. Reading: (Luke 23:44-46; 24:1-10) It was a sad day. Bad men didnt like Jesus. They put Him on a cross to die. It was in the middle of the day (about the time you might eat lunch)but it was very dark outside, like nighttime. The sun had stopped shining. There was a big earthquake (the ground was shaking really hard). Jesus called out in a loud voice: Father, God, I give my life to You. After He said this, he took His last breath. It was a sad day. Some people put Jesus into a big cave and closed the cave with a big rock. Jesus friends went home together. They couldnt see Him and talk to Him anymore. It was a sad day. On Sunday, some of the women who were Jesus friends said: Lets go to the place where they put Jesus. So they went to the cave. When they got to the place where the cave was, they lookedand the big rock had been moved away from the cave. It was open! They went insideand saw a very bright light. It was two very bright lightsand the lights were shining from two men. The men were Gods angels! Then the angels said to the women: Jesus is not here! He died for your sins, but He has risen! He is alive!! It was a happy day! The women were happy. They were excited! They ran to tell Jesus other friends the Good News Jesus had risen! He is alive! It was a happy day. Reflection: What did you learn? Jesus died for our sins. Later, He rose from the dead and was alive again! Jesus died and rose again so that we could be forgiven for our sins and have a real relationship with God. Do you want to have a relationship with God? Lets pray to God that we would know Him better.