The Week That Changed Everything

It begins with a donkey.

Not a chariot or a street procession. Not a war horse or a golden carriage. Just a borrowed donkey and a carpet of cloaks and palm branches. Holy Week begins with purposeful steps toward a cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem knowing what lies ahead—betrayal, agony, rejection, and death. And He walks forward anyway.

This week—the most sacred in the Christian calendar—is not just a history lesson or a religious tradition. It is an invitation. Holy Week invites us to slow our hurried pace, to linger in the moments leading to the cross, and to reflect on the love that led our Saviour from the crowd’s cheers to the silence of a sealed tomb.

As Salvationists, we are a people of the cross and of the open tomb. We wear our uniforms with the blood and fire stitched into our very identity. Holy Week invites us to sit in the story that has secured our salvation and guaranteed eternity.

Palm Sunday invites us to ask: What kind of king are we hoping for?
Maundy Thursday reminds us: Jesus knelt before the very feet that would run away.
Good Friday dares us to witness: Grace displayed in bruises, nails, and blood.
Holy Saturday whispers: Even in the waiting, God is at work.
And Easter morning proclaims: He is risen—and nothing will ever be the same.

So how can we grow through this week?

1. Pause and Reflect

Set aside space each day to read the Scriptures that follow Jesus’ final week. Don’t rush. Read slowly. Let the words settle in your spirit. Allow the cross to stir your heart. Join in with Holy Week programme events at your Corps.

2. Examine Your Heart

Like Peter, we’ve made promises. And like Peter, we’ve denied Him in our own ways. Holy Week is the perfect time to let the Lord search our hearts. Is there unforgiveness lingering? A pride we’re protecting? A burden we’re too ashamed to name? Bring it to the foot of the cross.

3. Serve with Humility

Jesus washed feet. The King of Heaven knelt with a towel. Let’s look for ways this week to serve others, not for applause, but because love stoops. Maybe it’s a visit to someone who’s lonely, or kindness to someone who’s wounded. Love in action becomes a living sermon.

4. Receive the Gift Again

Sometimes we grow so familiar with the story, we forget the wonder. Let Holy Week rekindle your gratitude. You were bought with a price—Jesus thought you were worth dying for. Let that truth grip and settle your soul.

As The Salvation Army, we carry this message of the cross into streets, shelters, hospitals, homes, and hearts. But before we preach it, we must behold it again. Holy Week is a road … and we’re invited to walk it with the One who walked it first—for us.

So this week, let’s follow the road He walked.
Let’s walk slowly.
Let’s let Calvary speak.

And when Sunday dawns, may the resurrection rise not only in our theology—but in our hearts, our Corps, and our calling.

He is risen. And because of that, we live too!