Illuminate Holy Week - Introduction
The goal of Illuminate Holy Week is to walk alongside Christ day by day to the cross and beyond.
Just before I received my cancer diagnosis, I sat quietly with the Lord one morning. In my Bible reading, I ran across a chart that broke out each day of Holy Week with the Scripture events. I was captivated.
In the days following my diagnosis, darkness threatened its presence. However, God’s light burst through and the darkness fled. As we will read this week, a day came where the sun didn’t shine for several hours though it was mid-day. But the light was already preparing to burst forth 3 days later.
“LORD, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.” Psalm 18:28
God illuminated His Word for me just as He promises to do for each of us, and I was transformed.
His timing was perfect as always. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that God led me to write this series before, during, and after my diagnosis. I’ve drawn near to Him and I desire the same for you.
In writing this series, God gave me Himself in the midst of some of the hardest weeks I’ve experienced. He’s proven faithful and true to His Word by keeping me in perfect peace. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4
I’ve had my mind fixed on Jesus for weeks writing this series, and not only have I experienced His peace, but I’ve grown in my love for Him. I’m seeing the world and this life differently. I’m beyond grateful for what Jesus is doing in my life and I deeply desire to share it with you.
What to expect
Each day will include a passage of scripture to read, a verse to meditate on, and a devotion to experience and apply to your life. In addition, at the end of each post, I’ve included harmonizing scriptures to read in the other gospel accounts.
By reading the bonus scriptures, you will see all the events written in scripture that happened on that particular day. I couldn’t possibly write a devotion that shows all that happened each day, and I want you to experience as fully as you can what Jesus experienced on each day.
Try to set aside some time to sit in scripture. Let it wash over you. Contemplate how deeply Jesus loves you.
Why?
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas many of us spend weeks preparing our hearts for the birth of our Savior. But I admit when Easter comes around, I don’t prepare my heart in the same way. Sometimes Easter arrives so quickly, and I spend just the weekend contemplating His sacrifice.
This year I felt the Lord leading me to sit with Him longer and linger over His Word. In preparing my heart for this week, I’ve been in awe of Him.
We need more awe in our lives. We need to marvel and wonder at our Savior. He deserves more than our Good Friday worship and Easter Sunday attendance. Let’s give Him our whole hearts. It’s what He wants more than anything.
You will be changed by the end of this week.
Invite
We all want to be invited. Please invite your friends to join along. Anyone can start at any time.
All subscribers - free and paid will receive the first 3 days, which includes today’s introduction, Day 1 and Day 2. Paid subscribers will receive the complete 9 days ending on Easter Sunday.
Paid subscribers have access to archives, weekly posts, full series posts (such as Illuminate Holy Week), audio/video, soon to come online book and Bible studies, chat, and more personal community connections.
A subscription is $5/month or $50/year. Founding members can subscribe and receive Illuminate - Seeing God by the Light of His Word, a 14 day devotional ebook.
If you subscribe and don’t like it, you can cancel at anytime. Also, you can subscribe for $5 just to have access to Illuminate Holy Week and cancel after the week is over (though I hope you choose to stay).
I’m excited to take this journey with you!
As we prepare for tomorrow, join me in reading from Isaiah 53 prophesying about Jesus approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
“Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:1-12
Dear Lord,
We stand in awe of you. We praise you that from the creation of this world, you had a plan to save us from our sins. Thank you for your Word, which lights our path and illuminates our darkness. Father, we are sobered by what we know is to come this week. We are humbled. Keep our eyes on Jesus this week. Lord, I pray for each person reading today and each day this week to experience you like never before in Your Word. Pour out your blessings on each of us, draw us close to you, hold us tight. Thank you for sending Jesus for each of us. May our hearts understand the sacrifice on deeper levels at the end of this journey.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen