Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter that begins Holy Week. It is the day that we remember and celebrate the day Jesus entered Jerusalem as Savior and King. As Jesus rode a donkey into the town of Jerusalem a large crowd gathered and laid palm branches and their cloaks across the road, giving Jesus royal treatment. The hundreds of people shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"  Hosanna means “save us”. The people were declaring they needed a savior and He was HERE! They were declaring that Jesus was the forever king that had been promised hundreds of years before.
Today, pray and thank God for leaving Heaven, coming to earth and being our Savior! Pray and declare him the King of your life.
Prayer Prompt:
"Hosanna!..." Lord, we need you.  You are the only one who can save us.  We give you praise and honor for your ways are righteous and true. Thank you that your ways are far greater than our ways, your thoughts far deeper than our thoughts. Thank you that you had a plan to redeem us. Thank you that you make all things new. Today, we declare that You are the King of our lives! You are the One who will rule our steps and guide our decisions.  Like the people who threw down palm leaves and coats, we promise to make room for You, Lord Jesus!! Help us to impress upon our children, our neighbors and our friends how amazing You are, and it is only by Your hand we receive salvation!

Holy Monday is the second day of Holy Week right after Palm Sunday. It is the second day that Jesus was in Jerusalem and the Bible records Christ teaching and debating the religious leaders this day.  The religious leaders had THE MESSIAH right in front of them and they didn't see Him.  On this day, Jesus also grew angry because the religious leaders in the temple were making it hard for people to draw near to God.  Jesus expected people who claimed to follow God to act like Him – honest, kind, and loving. Jesus wasn’t afraid to upset the people who were in power on earth because He knew who the Ruler of Heaven is!  
Are we like the Pharisees?  Is God speaking to us, working miracles and we just aren't opening our eyes to see Him? Are we like Jesus – ready to stand up against what isn’t of God? Take time today to pray that God opens your eyes to Him, His will, His hand working in your life. Pray that you can stand when it’s hard!
Prayer Prompt:
Holy Father, please let us be like Moses when he asked You to let him see Your glory. Open our eyes to see You.  Help us to see You in creation, in others and in Your word.  Help us to know that you are still working, still moving, still doing miraculous things. God, please give us courage to stand up against people who would block the way to You.  Help us to be righteously angry when we see sin.  Help us to stand up for what is right.

On Tuesday, Jesus continued to teach. The experts in the law were hoping to trap Jesus with His own words.  They asked Jesus which commandment was the most important.  They had hoped Jesus’ answer would create enemies. The wisdom of Jesus’ answer took everyone by surprise. He chose love – as He always does.  He told them to love God and followed it up with loving others. He would in just a few days lay down His life because He so loved the world. Soon the world would witness His great love. He needed His followers to know that they had to love God more than anyone or anything if they were going to be able to love others well. It’s by knowing the love of God and letting that change us that we can love our families, our friends, strangers and even our enemies.
Today, pray that you truly experience God’s love for you so that you can show that love to others.
Prayer Prompt:
God, we love You.  We know you love us so much that you gave Your one and only Son for us. We do not deserve all that you give.  Thank you for showing us what true love looks like.  Help us to love freely and to love fully.  Help us to love those among us who are hard to love.

Today is Spy Wednesday.  This is the day that Judas went to the priests and made a deal to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. It is amazing that Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him.  Yet, His treatment of Judas never led anyone else to believe that Jesus loved him less. Later when Jesus said that one of the twelve would betray Him, the disciples were confused.  They didn’t automatically suspect Judas.  Jesus loved him.  We, too, have betrayed Jesus by our words or actions.  We don’t deserve his unfailing love, yet He gives it freely.  Our reading today states that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  We, like Judas, betray Jesus.  The beauty is that being baptized into Christ assures us forgiveness each time we fall.
Today, repent of the ways that you sin against Jesus. Thank Him for His forgiveness and love that He extends time after time.
Prayer Prompt:
Thank you, Jesus, for dying for us even when we were still sinners. We repent today of the ways that we acknowledge with our words but deny you with our actions. We do not want to be like Judas.  We want to be like Peter who repented and went on to live His life in service to You. We want to experience Your forgiveness so that we are more willing to forgive those who sin against us.

Today is Maundy Thursday. If you are like me and new to this tradition, you are probably wondering what “Maundy” means.  It comes from the latin word “mandatum” which means “commandment”. This was also the day of the Last Supper when Jesus said to His disciples, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another.”  This is the night that Jesus showed them what a loving leader does – He served them by washing their feet. He also instituted the Lord’s Supper or what we call communion – where we eat the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of Him.  Jesus’ command was to love others.  
In our society today, it may not be socially acceptable to wash someone’s feet literally, but we can do acts of service with the same heart as Jesus did. So today or this week, think of how you can love someone well like Jesus.  Maybe it’s helping someone do a special project or making a meal or simply helping around your own home. Whatever you choose, do it in humility, putting another person above yourself and serving them with the love of Christ.
Prayer Prompt:
Jesus, thank you for leaving Heaven, stepping into this broken world and overcoming sin and death.  You could have come as an Earthly king, with armies and wealth, yet You chose to come as a humble man who loved and served others.  Please, Lord, make us like You.  Help us to love and serve those around us at home, at work, at church, in our neighborhoods and schools. Open our eyes to the needs of others.  Father, I also ask that you make our hearts ready and soft for communion with You each Sunday.  Help us to not let it become routine, but let us know the amazing gift You have given us through Your Son, Jesus.

Today is called Good Friday.  For us on this side of the cross – it is good.  We know that when Jesus allowed himself to be arrested, mocked, beaten and nailed to a tree He did it because He loves us so very much.  However, for the disciples in Jesus’ day this was the most horrible day in history.  They were confused and wrecked with grief. As they witnessed all the brutal things that Jesus allowed men to do to Him on this day, they also witnessed the depth of His unfailing love as He cried, “Father, forgive them.  They don’t know what they are doing.” Jesus bore the punishment that each of us deserved.  He paid the ultimate price. He did this so that we could have a true relationship with God.  This was no accident or a man-made, evil scheme.  It was done according to God’s rescue plan to save us from our sins. He died so we could live.  
Today, meditate on that great love.  Think about how much you are worth to God. Know that Jesus didn’t die to make you feel guilty, but He died to set you free! How can you live today in freedom?  Think of who in your life needs to hear that Jesus died for them? As we talked about last Sunday, who is your “1”? Who are you going to invite into a relationship with God and His Church.  If you haven’t already, reach out to that person (or persons) today.
Prayer Prompt:
God, we love YOU!  You have shown such great love for us and we want You to know that You are the desire of our heart.  Thank you, Jesus, for paying the price for MY sins. I confess those to You now (take time to confess your sins specifically). I am sorry for the ways that I hurt You, but I want to live for You! Give me strength and courage to be bold in my family, in my neighborhood and in my workplace to tell them about Your great love. Give me eyes to see the sin in my life and the courage to remove it. Give me love and mercy for others who have hurt me.

Today is Silent Saturday.  This is the day that the chief priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate and reminded them of Jesus’ promise to rise again. They asked Pilate to place guards at the tomb so that no one would “stage” a resurrection. This was also a day that the disciples grieved and questioned themselves.  Just the night before they ran away and were now hiding in fear, trying to make sense of all that had happened.  Yesterday the Earth itself rebelled and cried out in response to the death of Jesus – the sun went dark, the ground shook, dead people came out of their graves – alive!  Today was as quiet as death itself.  It let the world see how dark and scary it feels if we have no hope. However, we know that Sunday is coming.  Jesus did rise and conquer death and sin to make a way for us to live with Him forever. Today, think of a world with no hope.  Thank God for His beautiful plan of salvation! Thank Him for the hope we have in Jesus.
Prayer Prompt:
Thank You, God for your plan to save us.  Thank You for giving us hope through Your Son, Jesus.  We are so thankful that we can know that this world is not our home.  That this life is temporary and that you have prepared a home for us in Heaven with You! This world can be so dark and sad.  Help us to be carriers of Your hope to the people around us.  

Today is Resurrection Sunday!! Jesus is alive and everything has changed for those who believe in Him.  He conquered death – There is nothing He cannot do!! If you are already a Christian who has given your life to Jesus in baptism – REJOICE TODAY! OUR KING IS ALIVE!  If you haven’t given your life to Jesus, there is no time like today!

Join us at 8:45 and 11 am to celebrate our Risen King!