I’m Going Dark For Holy Week And So Should You

I’m going dark during Holy Week and you should, too.

If I saw this post floating around the inter webs, I would probably feel a degree of annoyance and a smidge of eye-rolling at the holier-than-thou-ness implied.

Let’s get two things straight out of the gate.

1. I am writing this post because last Easter season, on Good Friday we watched Parks and Rec in our bed before going to sleep and I felt super weird and guilty about it.
2. I need Jesus. I’m not celebrating Holy Week because I’m so perfect but precisely because I am not so perfect. I forget to read my Bible, neglect to pray, am heavy with worries and self-absorption and addicted to people pleasing. I. Need. Jesus.

There is a tremendous gift that the church calendar imparts to us. As we phase in and out of waiting and celebrating, we are forced to stop and remember in a way that we would not do, were we left to our Netflix-watching, carpooling, Facebook-scrolling selves.

While this is certainly a personal conviction and not a mandate, here is what I mean by “go dark.”

• From Palm Sunday evening to the Monday after Easter, no social media.
• Limit email checking to once morning and evening. Because I am an actual nerd and get an embarrassing amount of gratification from checking my email.
• No show before bed. My hubby and I have a sweet nightly tradition (I wrote about here) and we will give that up this week and instead read or be quiet or twitch in withdrawal. TBD.

Additionally, this year we will keep the lights off on Good Friday. This is a tangible reminder for our whole family of the darkness of the day. I’ve also heard you can leave the lights off from Good Friday until Easter morning when you turn them on in celebration!

If you are looking for more ways to celebrate what matters as a family, I’d be remiss not to mention the incredible resource I’ve worked so hard on.

See also Easter post on Celebrating Lent As A Family.

How do you celebrate Holy Week?

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