Holy Week Reading Plan & Resources

Today begins what the Church has called Holy Week or Passion Week. The time from Palm Sunday to Easter (Resurrection) Sunday has provided Christians with a week to give special attention to the person and work of Christ. It interrupts our normal rhythms and intentionally puts Jesus before us so we can reflect on the events leading up to and including his sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection. Below is a reading plan for the week, as well as activities and resources to help you leverage this significant week in the Church Calendar.

READING PLAN

The following reading plan consists of daily related readings focused on Jesus and corresponding to the events of Holy Week. Each day includes an OT reading, a Psalm , a passage from Luke, and a Christ-centered text in Hebrews. 

Palm Sunday
OT: Zechariah 9:9-17; Psalm 118:19-29
Luke: 19:28-44
Hebrews: 10:1-18

Holy Monday
OT: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11
Luke: 19:45-48
Hebrews: 10:19-39

Holy Tuesday
OT: Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 110
Luke: 20:1-40
Hebrews: 12:1-13

Spy Wednesday or Holy Wednesday
OT: Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm 70
Luke: 21:1-38
Hebrews: 12:14-29

Maundy Thursday
OT: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1, 10-17
Luke: 22:1-65
Hebrews: 4:14-5:10

Good Friday
OT: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22
Luke: 22:66-23:56
Hebrews: 9:11-28

Holy Saturday
OT: Job 14:1-14; Psalm 31
Luke: 23:56
Hebrews: 4:1-13

Resurrection Sunday
OT: Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Luke: 24:1-52
Hebrews: 8:1-13

ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES

Activities

• “How to Make a Grace Garden for Easter”
• “Christ-centered Easter ideas for families”
• “10 Ways to Teach Kids About Easter”
• Make “easter cookies” or “resurrection cookies“
• Make resurrection rolls
• Watch a movie that conveys themes like redemption, atonement, or resurrection: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Ten Commandments; The Prince of Egypt.
• Plant an Easter lily and talk about ways it pictures resurrection (buried bulbs spring into life; petals look like trumpets announcing victory; colors of white symbolizing purity and new life; etc.).
• Use Spring and the blooming flowers and trees to talk about resurrection and new life that follows winter and death.
• Pinterest: search “Holy Week activities for kids” or “Christ-centered easter activities for kids”

Resources

• Treasuring God in Our Traditionsby Noel Piper (can download for free online). See pages 91-100 for holy week and easter.
• “How to Prepare for Easter with Your Family” blog by Noel Piper
• “Make the Most of Holy Week” blog by David Mathis
• The Village Church “Seasons” guide (pages 95-106). Daily reading plan for Holy Week with some questions and an activity.
• Love to the Uttermost by John Piper (free download)
• Jesus Storybook bible holy week readings
• A Biblical Theology of Resurrection by D.A. Carson (audio interview)
• The Parable of the Lily by Liz Curtis Higgs
• Why Easter? by Barbara Reaoch (Children’s Devotional)
• The Easter Story for Children by Max Lucado
• Meet Jesus in Mark by Matthew Sleeman (not just on holy week but it includes this)
• The Garden, The Curtain, and the Cross by Carl Laferton
• The Donkey Who Carried a King by R.C. Sproul
• Read a book on the resurrection: Lifted by Sam Alberry; Resurrection & Redemption by Richard Gaffin; Living the Resurrection by Eugene Peterson; Raised with Christ by Adrian Warnock.