Journal and Prayer Ideas for the Easter •

In my early years (1-10) my parents didn’t go to church. Easter was about bunnies and baskets. In 1976 when my parents came to know the Lord, I started learning about the real meaning of Easter. But, my protestant upbringing really concentrated on two days. Palm Sunday (the day my parent’s accepted Christ as their Savior) and Easter Sunday. The sermons I’ve heard through the years spoke about the Passion Week. But, it wasn’t until my later years when I had some Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian friends that I started learning more about the entire week and how those religious faiths celebrate each of the different aspects of the Easter (Passion) week in more depth.

This year, I decided to make some special Passion Week journaling pages. Here’s a breakout of the week and notable events.

Palm Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday because it’s the start of the Passion Week. This was when Jesus entered Jerusalem on the donkey and the people placed the palm branches on the street.

Holy Monday – Jesus was in Jerusalem and pent Sunday night in Bethany which was a village at the foot of Mount of Olives (Matthew 21:7) Jesus cleans the temple on Monday

Holy Tuesday – This was when the conspiracy to entrap Jesus was securely planned. Religious leaders had one ultimate goal: Get rid of this Jesus the Nazarene.

Holy Wednesday – On Wednesday, Judas Iscariot is remembered for conspiring with the Sanhedrin court to betray Jesus.

Maundy Thursday – On Thursday, we remember the last meal Jesus had with his disciples. Often referred to as The Last Supper it is followed by the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemene and then the 6 trials, 3 by Jewish leaders and 3 by the Romans.

Good Friday – Jesus was Crucified on Golgotha (the place of the skull. The sky was dark for 3 hours.

Holy Saturday – We remember Jesus alone in the tomb wrapped in linen cloths.

Resurrection Sunday! – He’s Alive! Christ Arose! Hallelujah!

Scriptures for Easter

These are just a few of the many scriptures pertaining to the Biblical Easter story. I invite you to dive into the scriptures and find some for yourself. Read, pray and meditate over them.

Matthew 20:17-19
Mark 8:31
Luke 23:26-31
John 12:23-25
Matthew 27:33-37
Mark 15:29-32
John 19:5-6
Luke 23:44-47
Mark 16:5-7