A Walk WithJesus

an at-home experience to prepare for easter

Our hope is that the ten scriptures, prayers and multi sensory actions will engage each person in the message of Easter in an unforgettable and personal

way. From the Royal Welcome to the Resurrection, these interactive prompts will lead you through the final week of Christ’s life on Earth.

Individuals and families are encouraged to go through the experiences at their own pace. Any supplies needed for the actions should available around your

house and are intended to deepen the impact of the experience.

A Note of Preparation: Each experience will take anywhere from 15-45 minutes and include a

scripture passage, discussion, action and prayer response.

There are 10 stops on our Walk With Jesus: The Royal Welcome - Teaching in Jerusalem - Foot Washing

The Passover - Nighttime Prayer - Betrayal + Denial Before the Courts - The Crucifixion - The Burial - The Resurrection.

You are encouraged to go through this experience in a way that suits the needs of your family. You could do several parts each day through the week OR you could set up all the experiences around your home and do an actual walk all in one day. However you choose to engage in the experience, we’re

praying that Jesus will meet you in new and powerful ways.

A Walk WithJesus

an at-home experience to prepare for easter

To assist you in being prepared for each action, here is a list of supplies needed:

The Royal Welcome ….. a leaf or palm branch (1 for each person) Teaching in Jerusalem ….. small rock or sone (1 for each person) Foot Washing ….. a basin, water, a towel, a way to listen to music *while we encourage you to walk through each step at your own pace, this step is highly encouraged for Thursday evening as it is our community’s tradition to participate in this event the Thursday before Easter. The Passover ….. bread (a roll, bun, or slice is fine), juice or wine Nighttime Prayer ….. pillow and bible (1 for each person) Betrayal + Denial ….. salt & pepper, spoon, glass jar or cup Before the Courts ….. a belt The Crucifixion ….. paper, pen and 1 nail each, hammer, wood Burial of Jesus ….. box or container, piece of cloth, rock Resurrection ….. party decor or confetti (can be cut from paper strips)

Parents, you can gather all supplies in advance or involve your children in collecting them as a way to get hem excited about the actions to come.

We pray you will choose to engage in the actions that are meaningful to you and that you will find purpose in ‘walking’ with Jesus.

We also pray that as you do this, you will experience a sense of community with those of us doing the same. May our individual experiences, together, form a

collective worship experience that glorifies the Lord.

The Royal Welcome

Luke 19:32-38 Zechariah 9:9

In this scripture, many people were singing, shouting and praising Jesus as He entered into Jerusalem. In doing so, they were declaring to everyone that He was their King and the Messiah

they had been waiting for. People of all ages were welcoming Him and celebrating by laying down garments and palm branches as a way to show their King honor. There were some people,

however, who chose not to see Jesus as a mighty King. Their voices were loud in opposition to Jesus. But this didn't’ stop Jesus. He loved hearing the voices praise God for all the miracles they

had seen.

As follower of Jesus we should do the same by spending time every day praising Him and declaring out loud that He is good. We should surrender to Him daily, showing honor to Him as

King of our lives.

Eighth-century martyr Andrew of Crete wrote, “Let us say to Christ: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel. Let us wave before him like palm branches the words inscribed above Him on the cross. Let us show him honor, not with olive branches, but with the splendor of merciful deeds to one another. Let us spread the thoughts and desires of our hearts under his feet like garments, so that he may draw the whole of our being into himself and place

the whole of his in us.”

Will you choose to praise Him today? What praise-worthy things has Jesus done in your life? What miracles or answered prayers have you seen in your family or friends? What do you need

to lay down and surrender today in order to raise your hands in praise?

Lay down palm branch, a leaf or another item that has value to you, as a symbol of honor and surrender. As you do, open your heart to hear from Him.

Jesus, you are the most powerful and loving King. You have done great works in my life and I praise you and thank you for that. Prepare my heart to walk with You. I want to know You deeper

and understand your love and sacrifice in a new way. Give me strength to lay down anything that may get in the way of my relationship with you. Amen

Discussion

Action

Response

Scripture

Luke 19:47-48, Luke 20:1-26 Psalm 118:22-24, 1 Peter 3:15

Teaching In Jerusalem

When Jesus traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover, He spent His days teaching in the Temple. Many people were interested in what He was saying and they hung on His every word. As a part of their learning, people often asked Jesus many questions. The things Jesus said and the way he

lived was so different from anything they had known. A holy interruption.

Jesus also asked them questions to help them better understand their own relationship with God’s truths. The religions leaders did not like being questioned and were upset with Jesus for

establishing Himself as a spiritual authority. Their response to the interruption was to stop Him. They saw Jesus as a problem. He was a thorn to be weeded out. Nevertheless, Jesus continued to teach in the Temple, encouraging His disciples with the Truth and teaching them to stand firm in it

and to be prepared to tell others the truth about Him.

How will you respond to the holy interruptions God brings to your life? Will you open yourself to it or will you harden against it? Fortunately, we have Jesus as the cornerstone of our faith. No

matter what others around us are saying, we can trust in Jesus as the Truth. Like the disciples, we can ask Jesus for His guidance and help in understanding who He is. Reading God’s Word and listening in prayer help us to draw ever closer to Him. The more we know Jesus personally, the

more ready we will be to tell others about Him.

Find a small rock or stone as a symbol of Jesus being the cornerstone of your life. Keep it with you as a reminder that He is the source of Truth, and an encouragement to be ready to talk

about Jesus when people around you are seeking the Truth for themselves.

Jesus, again I open my heart to You in surrender, and welcome You into my life. Even when things don’t make sense, I will trust in Your Word and believe in who you are. I trust that you truly are my ultimate source of Truth and believe what your Word says in Psalm 18:2 - “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield,

the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” Open my heart to want to know You more, and help me to be ready to talk about You with

others. Prepare me for these opportunities and give me strength and confidence to speak about Your love, forgiveness, power and protection.

Amen.

Scripture

Discussion

Action

Response

John 13:1-15

Foot Washing

Jesus spent his life serving others. As He was getting ready to leave His disciples, He showed them one final example of how to lead others…through serving. The disciples couldn’t believe what Jesus was doing. How could the man they called “The Messiah” be taking up the lowest

station in the household? And yet, here was Jesus adopting the position of a servant…for them. Even when He knew that deep betrayal was on the horizon, He mercifully served His betrayers. Their actions did not sway His. In this act of humility and service, Jesus revealed the glory of His

grace and mercy all the more.

Jesus was about to change everything and He wanted to be very clear that in HIS Kingdom, the great are only great when they are positioning themselves to mercifully serve those around them.

If it wasn’t too lowly for the Savior of the world to humble Himself for those He loved despite even their sin against Him, then what about you and me? When we participate in this humble act, it is a sign that we, too, want to live a heart-to-heart relationship with others…meeting them as a person and a friend as we live in communion with them. It is a sign that we yearn to be people of forgiveness, to be healed and cleansed and to heal and cleanse others so that we may live more

fully in communion with Jesus.

Will we, like Christ, make serving those around us with humility our goal? In doing so, may we make the gospel visible as a witness to the world around us.

Use the basin filled with water and take turns washing each others feet. Make sure that everyone gets a chance to wash someone else’s feet and a chance to have their feet washed. Let this symbolic act of washing remind you that humility is the the path of those who call themselves

Chris followers. May you also be reminded as your feet are washed that it is through humility that we also receive the precious gift of Christ Jesus as well.

When you are finished, listen to the song “The Servant Song” that was recorded by Dawn Hunn and sent along with this devotional. The lyrics are on the next page.

Jesus, you set the model for me to follow…may I follow it. You humbled yourself for me…may I humble myself for others.

You showered even me with your overwhelming grace and mercy…grow me up to be gracious and merciful to others.

You sacrificed everything you are for my sake…may I live the gift of this life giving it all back to you. May it be for your glory. Amen.

Scripture

Discussion

Action

Response

Foot Washing

Will you let me be your servant Let me be as Christ to you

Pray that I might have the grace To let you be my servant too

We are pilgrims on the journey We are travelers on the road

We are here to help each other Walk the mile and bear the load

I will hold the Christ light for you In the night time of your fear I will hold my hand out to you

Speak the the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping When you laugh, I'll laugh with you

I will share your joy and sorrow Till we've seen this journey through

Will you let me be your servant Let me be as Christ to you

Pray that I might have the grace To let you be my servant too

Song written by David Haas

The Servant Song

Amen

Luke 22:7-20 Exodus 12:1-30 & 13:3-13

The Passover

Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover. It was a time for God’s people to remember how God had delivered them from bondage and rescued them from death. Many years before, the

Israelites had been slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. They had been trapped in that bondage for so long that they started to wonder if God heard their cries for help at all. But God did. In the fullness of time, God

had told a man named Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go but the Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he refused. God set a plan in motion to free His people through a series of

miraculous plagues. The tenth, and final, plague was that the angel of death would pass over the land and taking the life of the first born son in every family. In His mercy, God provided a way out. The Lord told people that they would be spared by placing the blood of a perfect lamb over their doorways. In

doing so, the angel of death would see the evidence of the sacrifice and “pass over” their homes. Anyone who believed and did what God told them to do would be spared. The blood of the lamb

would be the sign of their belief and signify that they were God’s people. All that God has said would happen came to pass and those who had believed and responded with action were spared. Those who

had not, suffered great loss. It was the final straw for Pharaoh, who himself lost his son. In one great movement, the people of God were both spared and saved. God told them to remember what He had done for them by celebrating with a feast each year and the people were faithful in remembrance for

generations. This “passing over” is the origin of the Jewish feast of the Passover.

Now, as Jesus was preparing His disciples for his own death, He was demonstrating that He Himself would become the final sacrifice for their sin…and for our sin as well. No longer would blood need to

continually be shed and offered as atonement for their sin. Through Jesus’ broken body and shed blood on the cross, we can all find salvation and forgiveness once and for all. In His death and resurrection, Christ became “The New Passover,” because by His blood we are saved from death. Passover is what allowed the Israelites to be delivered from Pharaoh and now the Resurrection allows us to be saved

from death and receive eternal life.

Share a meal together that includes bread and juice or wine. At some point in the meal, pause and receive communion together. Take turns breaking your bread and dipping it in your cup as a visual

reminder of Jesus giving his life for us. Remember all He has done for you, receive His sacrifice, and respond with gratitude and thanksgiving.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving your life for mine. I receive the sacrifice you made for me and I will give thanks to You, for You have heard and answered me and you have become my salvation.

Scripture

Discussion

Action

Response

Luke 22:39-46

Nighttime Prayer

Jesus continued to prepare His disciples for what was to come, as they walked to the Garden of Gethsemane. He encouraged them to stay faithful in the days ahead, knowing that the cross was near. Everything to come was very heavy on His heart and He needed to be with His Father in prayer. Time alone with God was a regular part of Jesus’ life. He knew that the strength He needed would come

from His Father in heaven, and He made the time to meet with Him. He went to the garden, a familiar place, to find the strength He needed. Jesus poured out His heart in honesty, asking for a different path,

but ultimately knew that God’s way could be trusted. Jesus chose to surrender to the Father’s will.

Jesus demonstrated both His humanity and His sovereignty in the garden that night. Ultimately, God’s plan was His priority. Why? Because God’s plan lead directly to His beloved children…to us. You were

Jesus’ priority then and you are still today. Jesus loves you more than He loves even His own life. He chose you.

We have choices too. Every day we are making hundreds of choices, and seeking God first should be the most important one we make. Let us follow Jesus’ example. He showed us that no matter what we

face, we will find the strength that we need for this life when we seek God and rest in His truth. Ask God to help you believe that His way can be trusted and follow the path He marks our for you no matter where it leads. Ask God to help you make a priority of spending daily time with Him, that He would

strengthen you to “Get up and pray”.

Set out a pillow or go to a place in your home where you really enjoy spending your time. Set out your Bible open to Luke 22:46. Sit or kneel down next to it and ask God to give you the strength to choose

Him first, over anything else.

Father God, I praise you for being the One I can trust. I confess that I don’t have the understanding or authority to direct my own steps. Help me to surrender to you daily, choosing to live like You’re in

charge. Cover me with your peace. I pray that I would humble myself under Your mighty power and give all my worries and cares to You, God, for I know you care about me.

Scripture

Discussion

Action

Response

Luke 22:47-62 John 21:15-19

Betrayal + Denial

Both Judas and Peter were disciples of Jesus. They had spent years together, learning from and watching the miracles of Jesus. But when the time came, and they were under pressure, they weren’t able to stand strong. They gave into temptation and turned their backs on Jesus. It had to have hurt

Jesus to see His friends deny Him. Yet Jesus never stopped loving them.

The difference between Judas and Peter is what they did with their sin. Judas remained hardened and it led him to resentment and torment. He let it eat at him until it drove him to his death. For Peter, the look

that Jesus gave him lead him to humility and he moved closer the Lord. All at once He realized the terrible sin he had committed and felt deep regret for the choice he had made. His brokenness led him

to repentance. Fortunately, this wasn’t the end of Peter’s story! We read that after the resurrection, Jesus offered Peter a chance to be restored. From then on, Peter lived boldly, making an eternal impact

on many lives. What will we do with our lives when we realize we have made a mistake? Will will harden our hearts, like Judas or will we allow ourselves to be broken before the Lord in humility and

restored with forgiveness?

No matter how many times we choose self over Jesus, He will never stop loving us. He is always ready to forgive, and restore us. Pause and acknowledge a time when you have acted like you didn’t know

Jesus. Offer it to Him and be restored.

Take a spoonful of black pepper to represent denial and sin. Pour it into a glass or bowl. Confess the moments you’ve denied Jesus in your life and ask for forgiveness. Now take a spoonful of salt, to

represent forgiveness, and pour it over the pepper. Use enough salt to cover the pepper completely and thank God for the way His plan of forgiveness covers all of our sin.

Thank you, Father, for being my complete forgiveness. give me strength to walk in obedience daily, to deny myself and live boldly to for you. Your word calls me to “show others the goodness of God, for

you called me out of the darkness into your wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) Let this be true of me today.

Scripture

Discussion

Action

Response

Jesus was innocent. He had committed no crime and yet the crowd was determined that He should die. They dragged Him before Pilate to be tried for blasphemy - for claiming to be the King of the Jews. They pressured Pilate to order His crucifixion. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, but in the end, he disregarded his own conscience and gave in to them. He released a guilty man, Barabbas, instead of Jesus. He ordered Jesus to be beaten with a

lead-tipped whip, then turned Him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

We have all had time when we knew the right thing to do, yet gave in to the pressure and ended up making a wrong choice. Jesus understands this pressure! He does not

punish us for the mistakes we’ve made, but freely offers forgiveness.

In this moment, we see God granting temporary authority to the powers of the world. We know that Jesus could only be handed over if God allowed it. In the darkest moment, the very thing that seemed like it was bringing an end to all of God’s plans was, in fact,

a part of them all along. The beauty in all of this is that Jesus’ life could never be taken, it could only be given…and Jesus willingly gave His life over and died in order to

accomplish what He had come to do.

Find a belt or something that resembles or can represent a whip. Hold it in your hand and thank Jesus for taking the punishment you deserve. Then ask Him to give you the

strength to do the right thing even when it’s the difficult thing.

Jesus, thank you for taking the punishment of my sins on your body. I’m overwhelmed by your love and and filled with gratitude that there is no condemnation for those who are

in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). Guide me towards obedience out of thankfulness for your sacrifice.

Luke 22:63-67, 23:13-25 Matthew 27:27-31

Before the Courts

Scripture

Discussion

Action

Response

With a crown of thorns on His head, Jesus walked the path to the hill where He would be crucified. Many followed behind, expressing their sadness as they walked the path with

Him. Stakes were driven through Jesus’ wrists and ankles, fastening Him to the cross where the inscription above His head read, “The King of the Jews.” An innocent man willingly crucified between two convicted criminals. One of the criminals was mocking

Jesus and told Him to prove He was the Messiah. The other criminal believed that Jesus was the Messiah and asked to be remembered.

Both men had to decide what they believed about Jesus. So do we. Because he believed, the second criminal was given a promise - one that all of us who believe in Jesus still hold on to: The promise of eternal life. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can receive

forgiveness of sin and the promise of being with Jesus in heaven one day.

In this moment, all of Heaven mourned. In this moment, the whole world groaned and grieved the loss. In this moment may we do the same as we acknowledge that each of us

had a part to play in putting Jesus on the cross. He died for you.

On a small piece of paper write ‘My name is _______ and because of Jesus, I am forgiven!” Lay that piece of paper on a piece of wood and with 1 nail, hammer in our

paper.

Jesus, we are all guilty, but today we come to you so thankful that you show us mercy. Your death on the cross for me is an act of love that I sometimes struggle to receive . I come before you so thankful for forgiveness and confess the sins of my heart. I ask that

you would “search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of

everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:23-24) As I choose to follow you, open my heart to greater understanding of your plan for my life.

Luke 23:26-49

The Crucifixion

Scripture

Discussion

Action

Response

After Jesus died, there were only 2-3 hours of daylight remaining before the beginning of the Sabbath, so the burial needed to be completed quickly. A tomb was prepared where the body of Jesus was laid, and it was sealed. Even through sorrow and confusion, Jesus’ loved ones showed up and served their Master. The worst thing they could imagine had

happened, and they thought their promise of new life with Jesus was gone. But the followers of Jesus, who had nothing to gain and everything to loose, stepped forward

one last time to show their commitment to Jesus and honor their Messiah. As they buried Jesus, they buried with Him the hopes in what they thought was going to happen. This was nothing like what they had dreamed and prayed for. In these moments, they could

not imagine the kind of redemption God had in mind for them. They could not fathom God’s plan.

Even when life feels like it may be falling apart, we can still choose to serve and worship and honor God. If it seems you have nothing left to give, just come to Jesus…a devoted heart is all God really wanted anyway. Could there be something in your life that needs to be laid down and buried so that it will allow you to experience forgiveness and the

true freedom only found in Christ? Are there expectations you need to bury with Christ so that your heart can be ready to receive the life-changing and unfathomable plan that

God has in mind for you?

Take a piece of cloth, wrap it up and lay it inside a small contained or box as a symbol of placing Jesus in the tomb. Write down what you surrender and place it in the

container. Set a heavy item on top so it is “sealed” closed, just as the tomb of Jesus was sealed with a stone. You may also choose to bury it or something from your life that is

keeping you from freedom.

Lord Jesus, your death brings me life an in that I rejoice. AS you gave your life for me, I too will give my life for you. Give me boldness to honor you in all things and strength to live in such a way that my “old self has been crucified with Christ. it is no longer I who

live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Luke 25:50-56

The Burial

Scripture

Discussion

Action

Response

Sarah Phillips writes, “For many, it will be a glorious day of rejoicing in the miraculous, a day where you reflect not only on the event 2,000 years ago, but on the resurrections in

your own life. The day you accepted Christ. The day a long-awaited prayer was answered. The day sickness was healed or sorrow wiped away.

For others, Easter will only serve as a reminder of your cross. You'll feel like you got left at Good Friday, weeping, while the rest of the world moves on to Easter Sunday. You

wish you could celebrate, but you don't know how. You may even apologize to God for your somberness.

Most of life is like this. Happiness, unmixed, is not easy to come by.

So how do we deal with this reality? I think we start with recognizing that the first Easter, the real Easter, was not just one event in time that occurred long ago. Christ's

resurrection spanned the ages and has eternal consequences. It applies to you and me today just as much as it did to Christ's followers on Easter morning.

It also applies to the future. Our hope, no matter where we may be today, is in the transforming truth of Easter.

Second, I think we need to remember that true faith in God does not rely on our emotions. If you cry on Easter morning because life has been wearing you down, God

still accepts you. In fact, he died and rose for you so that he could more closely walk with you through these hard times. He knows, more than anyone, the heaviness of the cross.

Third, I think we need to remember that as awe-struck as Christ's first followers felt after his resurrection, they still didn't know what it fully meant… for humanity or for their

personal lives. While the resurrection brought their beloved Rabbi back to them, he was different now. The resurrection simultaneously healed some wounds while opening a new

can of questions, insecurities, fears, and even pain - at least temporarily.

Luke 24:1-12 Revelation 1:4-8

Resurrection

Scripture

Discussion

Ultimately, all Good Fridays will lead to joyful Easter mornings if we cling to Christ. Whether you are in a season of hardship, rejoicing, or a mix of both, the key is to keep walking in faith one step at a time. Only the risen Christ can guide us through the foggy path of life. And when our final Easter morning arrives, we'll finally see with clarity that

the journey was worth it.”

Jesus’ resurrection is not the end to the story, but just the beginning! He gives us life beyond the grave where we find there is hope even in our despair.

With Jesus, the past do not define the future and we can find much joy in knowing that.

Celebrate the resurrection with a party! Make a great meal, decorate, toss confetti, play worship songs or have a dance party! Whatever you do, find a way to celebrate the

freedom Jesus brings! He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

Oh Jesus, we worship you today as our RISEN KING! We are grateful for the promise of forgiveness and eternal life and believe there is power in your name! We echo the praise

of Psalm 126:2-3 “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord

has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.”

Resurrection

Discussion continued. . .

Action

Response