Holy Week at Home: A Sensory Spiritual Experience

As we walk with Christ to the cross during Holy Week, we can experience some of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches that Jesus experienced during his last days. Sensory experiences can deepen our understanding of what Jesus experienced and create a meaningful spiritual experience. On each holy day, a common household physical object is listed for the sensory experience. These items should be readily accessible. Purchasing supplies is not necessary, so please improvise if needed. Read the scripture passage, and follow the instructions for the sensory experience. May Christ walk with us this week on our journey to death and resurrection. Amen. ~ Palm Sunday ~ Palm Branches Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Mark 11:1-11

When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’”

They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.

Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Cut leafy branches from your yard or draw paper palm branches. Create your own “palm parade,” by waving the branches and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

During a Palm Sunday online worship service, wave your branches as an act of praise during the worship songs.

Prayer: Blessed One, we wave our branches and lift our voices to praise your holy name. We walk with you to the cross during this holy week. Amen.

~ Holy Monday ~ Anointing Oil The Anointing at Bethany Mark 14:3-9

While Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her.

But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”

Take any scented oil, lotion, or perfume you have at home. Close your eyes and smell it. Imagine how Jesus must have felt when the woman did such a loving act. Put the anointing oil on the back of your hand or your forehead in the sign of a cross. If you are with someone, you may take turns anointing each other, by making a sign of the cross on each other’s hand or forehead with the anointing oil.

Prayer: Anointed One, as the woman so graciously prepared you for burial, prepare us for the hard days ahead. May the scent of this perfumed oil linger with us as we take another step toward the cross. Amen.

~ Holy Tuesday ~ Water Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet John 13:1-5

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.

Fill a large bowl with warm water and rest your feet in it. Or, sit on the edge of the bathtub and soak your feet in the warm water. If you are with someone, you may take turns pouring warm water over each other’s feet. Imagine how refreshing it must have been to have Jesus wash your feet. What an intimate act to show that we are to serve, and not to be served.

Prayer: Servant King, thank you for loving us and washing us clean. We long to know you intimately. Help us to follow your example by serving others especially when it may be a job that we really don’t want to do. Move our hearts to serve anyway. Amen.

~ Holy Wednesday ~ Bread and Cup The Last Supper Mark 14:22-25

While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Take a piece of bread or cracker and dip it into a cup of juice or wine. Remember the love that Jesus has for you. Thank him for his unconditional love. If you are with someone, take turns serving each other. Take a piece of bread and give it to the person. Say, “The body of Christ given for you.” When the person dips the bread into the cup, say, “The blood of Christ given for you.”

Prayer: We thank you, Gracious God, for giving us Jesus Christ, so that we may know unconditional love. Remind us of the somberness the disciples must have felt, knowing this was their last supper with Jesus and that one of them would betray him. Forgive us when we betray Jesus. Amen.

~ Maundy Thursday ~ Nails The Crucifixion of Jesus Mark 15:21-32

They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). They offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”

In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.

If you have a hammer, nails, and an old piece of wood, take a nail and hammer it into the wood. Reflect upon the sins that Jesus reconciled on the cross: the systemic sins of this broken world and the ones within your own heart. If you only have a hammer or nails, feel how heavy the hammer is in your hands. Gently touch the end of the nail to feel its sharpness. Reflect on the heaviness and pain that sins cause yourself and others. If you don’t have a hammer or nails, find anything sharp or heavy like a push pin or a rock. Prayer: Forgiving God, we confess that we miss the mark far too often. More than we want to admit, in fact. Please forgive us and reconcile us back into right relationship with you. Thank you for the gift of forgiveness. Amen.

~ Good Friday ~ Vinegar The Death of Jesus Mark 15:33-39

When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”

Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

Take a cotton ball or Q-tip and dip it into any kind of sour wine like wine vinegar or regular vinegar. Dab the cotton ball or Q-tip on your tongue. Do you think this would have eased Jesus’ suffering if he had tasted it? Think about what you reach for to help ease your suffering. If you don’t have any vinegar at home, take an old towel or piece of fabric and tear it in two from top to bottom. Reflect on the symbolism that there are no longer any obstacles to God’s presence. Prayer: Crucified One, this whole scene leaves a bitter taste in our mouths. Reading about your suffering and death grieves us. Comfort us and ease our suffering as we face our own mortality. Thank you for tearing the curtain, so that all people have access to you. Amen.

~ Holy Saturday ~ Stone The Burial of Jesus Mark 15: 42-47

When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time.

When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.

Find a rock or a stone that you can hold in your hand. Notice the weight or the texture. Sit in darkness for any length of time, and reflect on the stones in your life that mark the pain you have buried. Think about the things that need to die in you, so that you can experience new life. Prayer: Holy One, on this somber day, we remember when darkness filled the earth and the death shroud draped the cross. Our own buried pain seeks you, the light of the world, to release it from its bonds. Roll the stones away, so your light can break through. Amen.

~ Easter Sunday ~ Stone The Resurrection of Jesus Mark 16: 1-8

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”

When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.

Take your stone or rock from yesterday. If other people are nearby, carefully roll it away from you. If you are able, go to a safe place outside and throw your stone away. Say, “He is Risen!” The tomb of your heart is now empty, for the rock has been rolled away. The pain and grief are gone! You are resurrected with Christ! Alleluia!

Prayer: Risen Lord, on this new day, we claim to be Easter people! We rise again into new life, the life you have created us to live. Thank you for walking every step with us on our journey to the cross. Amen.