Holy Week is easily one of the most significant weeks in the history of mankind. On Good Friday God-incarnate is killed and then the following Sunday he is raised in power and in glory! Friday is a funeral, Sunday is a wedding. Just like how we like to create traditions with our family during the Advent season, we like to create traditions with our family during Lent, especially with Holy Week.

Here are some ideas for you to choose from and begin a new tradition in your family.

• come to our Good Friday Service wearing black (as if attending a funeral)
• choose something to fast from during Holy Week (TV, video games, sweets, fictional reading, social media, etc.)
• have a family devotional or discussion to reflect on the passion story
• Plant a quick growing flower seed on Good Friday and watch it come to life over the next few weeks as an illustration of Jesus' resurrection
• observe a designated time of silence on Saturday for individual prayer and devotions

Feel free to use this as a template to lead your family in Good Friday devotions:

Read: Luke 23:32-47

Ask:

• Was Jesus powerful enough to fight back and free himself from the cross? Why do you think he didn't? Jesus was powerful enough to free himself, but he didn't because he wasn't worried about protecting himself; he was acting to save his people by sacrificing himself. Though innocent, he didn't fight against his death because it was part of the mission he came to accomplish.
• What did the Roman soldier who saw Jesus's death think afterward? Based on what Jesus said and did as he was crucified, the soldier thought that Jesus must have been innocent [righteous]. Righteous means that you do everything right. The Roman soldier might not have realized it, but what he said about Jesus was true - the one person in the world who did everything right was crucified for all the wrong things we have done.

Pray: Thank God for dying the cross in our place so that we could be brought back to him.

[question and answers taken from "Mission Accomplished" by Scott James, New Growth Press]