- Sunday, March 25: John 12:12-19
- Thursday, March 29: John 18:1-11
- Sunday, April 1: John 20:1-18
Centennial Family,
Listed above are the three upcoming Bible texts I will be preaching on as we approach Easter Sunday on April 1st. Obviously, it is quite difficult to cover the entirety of the Passion week in only three sermons. To focus on the triumphal entry of Jesus neglects his teaching in the city (both to the crowds and his disciples). To focus on Jesus’ apprehension in the garden on the night of his betrayal is to neglect his prayer. To focus on Jesus’ resurrection is to neglect his crucifixion.
And yet the events of that historically climactic week are all connected. We cannot read of Jesus’ apprehension by the authorities without remembering his betrayal. We cannot read of Jesus’ resurrection without remembering his crucifixion. And so I would offer a suggestion to us as a church family. Let’s read the events of the Passion week together. Provided below is a simple and accessible reading plan that will help us to recognize the flow of events from Palm Sunday (3/25) through Maundy Thursday (3/29) into Easter Sunday (4/1). My hope is that we might use this in family devotion time, individual private devotion, or for discussion with friends and coworkers. May God bless our reading of Scripture in the coming week! In prayerful preparation, I have selected the Gospel of John to preach from, so I have scheduled our reading from that same book. Blessings,
Jeremiah
- Sunday, March 25: John 12:12-19 (Sunday Sermon)
- Monday, March 26: John 12:20-50
- Tuesday, March 27: John 13:1-38
- Wednesday, March 28: John 14:1-7; John 15:1-11; John 16:16-32*
- Thursday, March 29: John 17:1-26; John 18:1-11 (Maundy Thursday Sermon)
- Friday, March 30: John 18:12-40
- Saturday, March 31: John 19:1-42
- Sunday, April 1: John 20:1-18 (Sunday Sermon)
*God has blessed his people in the Gospel of John with an incredible “Upper Room Discourse” from Jesus to his disciples. What I have listed is a very brief selection that neglects (most obviously) Jesus’ extremely comforting words on the sending of the Holy Spirit. I encourage all of us to read through the entirety of this Upper Room Discourse, but I also understand the responsibilities of the day can leave our time limited. If this proves to be true, I have listed a spattering of verses from that wonderful conversation for us to collectively ponder on.