We are coming into Holy Week, the climax of Lent in the Western churches. In the Orthodox world, Great Lent ended on Friday; today is Lazarus Saturday, the commemoration of the raising of Lazarus and another fast day; then comes Palm Sunday and Holy Week, which are also fast days. It’s complicated, but the bottom line is it’s a fast period all the way to Easter (except Palm Sunday if you’re in one of the Western churches). Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday tomorrow, marks an especially intense series of events leading up to the crucifixion and burial of Jesus.

My Lenten Practices

Particularly when I have been in churches that didn’t pay much attention to the church year (like the PCA church I currently attend), I have felt disconnected from the events commemorated by Holy Week, including the Crucifixion. Since Lent is traditionally a period of preparation for Holy Week and Easter, I decided this year that I would devote this Lent to disciplines that would help me remember in a deeper way Christ’s passion and death.

What I decided to do was to follow a modified form of the traditional Lenten fast, meaning that I would eat one meal a day except on Sundays, but I would not go vegan. To avoid getting legalistic, I was not absolutely strict about this—there were days when I would have lunch with my wife, for example, but on the overwhelming majority of days I’d follow the fast.

Along with this, I incorporated some of the Penitential Psalms into my prayer time. I started with Psalm 130. After a week or two, I decided to move to Psalm 51, but since I didn’t want to forget Psalm 130, I ended up doing both. These were accompanied by prayer to the Holy Spirit to guide me in self-examination and confession.

After still more weeks, I realized that my focus was becoming completely negative: I was programming myself to look entirely inward and see only what’s wrong, so I added a third Penitential Psalms, Psalm 32, which focuses on grace and forgiveness.

The Results

The effect of this combination of disciplines was profound. I discovered areas in me that I had not known about that needed to be brought to light, confessed, and healed. It feels like a life transforming experience, but it was accompanied by a fear that it would be transitory—which was something I was also able to pray through. There was a whole sequence of these insights and areas of confession and healing that progressed through much of the season of Lent.

A Disclaimer and Lessons Learned

Please understand: I am simply reporting what worked for me. This is not intended as a prescription for anyone else. But it is an illustration of how powerful a commitment to spiritual disciplines can be. An intense period like this—lasting weeks rather than a weekend—can lead to real spiritual growth, but at the end of the season, follow up will be needed.

On a personal level, I will need to figure out what that will look like after Easter, but I am sure it will involve a commitment to some spiritual disciplines that I have either not practiced or that I used to do but have fallen by the wayside.

One point we tend to overlook: I think some kind of fasting is an important discipline barring health issues. If you’re interested in a general introduction to fasting, click here.

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Scriptures for Holy Week

For those of you interested in doing something for Holy Week who do not have anything planned, it’s not too late to get started. Here are the events of each day and the associated Scriptures. I’ll also be posting videos during the week talking in more detail about some of the days.

Lazarus Saturday: The raising of Lazarus and his anointing at Bethany, John 11:1-12:8; cf. Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9

Palm Sunday: The Triumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19

Monday: Jesus cleanses the temple, curses a barren fig tree, Matthew 21:12-17, 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48

Tuesday: Jesus teaches, debates, and delivers the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 21:20-25:46; Mark 11:20-13:37; Luke 20:1-21:36; John 12:20-36

Wednesday: Judas agrees to betray Jesus, Matthew 21:20-25:46; Mark 11:20-13:37; Luke 20:1-21:36; John 12:20-36

Maundy Thursday: The Last Supper, Gethsemane, Betrayal, Matthew 26:17-56; Mark 14:12-53; Luke 22:7-54; John 13:1-18:12

Good Friday: Jesus’ Trials, Crucifixion, and Burial, Matthew 26:57-27:61; Mark 14:53-15:47; Luke 22:54-23:56; John 18:13-19:42

Holy Saturday: Jesus’ body rests in the tomb; the Harrowing of Hell, Matthew 27:62-66; Luke 23:56b; John 19:40-42; 1 Peter 3:18-20