Journey to the Resurrection
Welcome to the month of March, where we’ll be focusing on the JOURNEY TO THE RESURRECTION: WALKING WITH JESUS!
In the month leading to Easter, we will walk with Jesus, getting to know Him more until his death and resurrection.
God is inviting us into a deeper relationship with Him and as we head into Easter is a great time to do that!
Let’s take this journey together!
We’re continuing with our Joy Journals and each week we’ll have a different focus and journal prompt for you!
Need help getting started with a journal? Want to help encourage someone else?
The JoyBus has you covered! Just stop by the Joy99 Studios and pick up a JoyBus Journal Gift!
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TEMPTATION, DEPENDENCE, & TRUST
VERSE: Matthew 4: 1-11 “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”JOURNAL PROMPTS:
Where do you currently feel “in the wilderness” in your life—emotionally, spiritually, or physically?
What temptations most often pull you away from trusting God (control, comfort, approval, distraction)?
Jesus resists temptation by grounding Himself in Scripture. What truths from God’s Word do you need to cling to right now?
When you feel empty or vulnerable, what do you usually turn to for comfort—and what might it look like to turn to God instead?
How is God inviting you to practice dependence rather than self-reliance this season?
What would it look like to trust God even when your circumstances don’t change?
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TURNING AROUND & MAKING THINGS RIGHT
VERSE: Luke 19: 1-10 “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”JOURNAL PROMPTS:
Like Zacchaeus, where might you be hiding—behind success, busyness, or reputation?
What is Jesus inviting you to come down from so you can truly encounter Him?
How do you usually define repentance—as guilt, fear, or freedom?
Are there specific ways God is calling you to make things right with others?
What would real transformation look like in your daily life—not just in intention, but in action?
How does it feel to know that Jesus seeks you out before you ever seek Him?
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GRACE, FORGIVENESS, & COMING HOME
VERSE: Luke 15: 11-32 “Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
“ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ””JOURNAL PROMPTS:
In which ways do you see yourself in the younger son? In the older son?
Where have you tried to find fulfillment apart from God?
What fears or shame make it hard for you to fully “come home” to God?
How do you respond to God’s grace—do you receive it freely or feel you must earn it?
Is there someone in your life you struggle to extend grace to? Why?
What does it mean for you, personally, that God runs toward you in love?
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SACRIFICE & DEVOTION
VERSE: John 12: 1-8 “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.””
JOURNAL PROMPTS:
What does Mary’s act of devotion reveal about her love and trust in Jesus?
What is your most “costly” offering—time, control, reputation, comfort—and how do you hold it?
Where might God be inviting you into deeper, more vulnerable worship?
How do you respond when others don’t understand your expressions of faith?
Are there ways you hold back from God out of fear, practicality, or self-protection?
What would it look like for you to pour out your love for God without restraint?
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HOPE, NEW LIFE, & VICTORY
VERSE: John 20: 1-18 “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.”
JOURNAL PROMPTS:
Where in your life do you feel like something is “dead” or beyond hope?
Mary initially mistakes Jesus for the gardener—where might you be missing God’s work because it looks different than you expect?
What does the resurrection change about how you face fear, loss, or uncertainty?
How has Jesus called you by name in this season?
What new life might God be inviting you into after your Lenten journey?
How can you live as a witness to resurrection hope in your everyday life?
Holy Week, the week leading to Easter, is packed with powerful moments that remind us what Jesus took on to save us from our sins.
We’d love to remind YOU of some of these moments through our Holy Week text club. Throughout each day of Holy Week, we’ll send you reminder texts of what happened to help bring more vivid reminders of the Journey to the Resurrection.
If you’re interested in receiving these reminders, text EASTER to 616.931.9936
LENT
Perhaps you have also heard of Lent. Some celebrate or practice and some do not. However, if you’re interested in learning more, explore the tabs below!
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Lent is the 40 days (not including Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter, also known as Resurrection Sunday. Lent is often described as a time of preparation and an opportunity to go deeper with God. It’s a time for personal reflection that prepares people’s hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter.
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While celebrating Lent originates with the Catholic church, many protestant denominations engage in Lent in a variety of ways.
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Yes! Many!
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. You may have noticed people with a smudged, black cross on their foreheads. Those are ashes from the Ash Wednesday service. The ashes symbolize grief for things done wrong and the resulting separation between God and humans as a result.
Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday. It commemorates the night before Jesus died, when He shared the Passover meal with His closest friends and followers.
Good Friday is the day Christians remember Jesus’ death. The “Good” reflects how Jesus’ death was a sacrifice on behalf of all humanity so you can receive God’s forgiveness for your wrongs, or sins.
Easter Sunday is the joyful celebration of Jesus rising from the dead to give the opportunity of eternal life. While people still die, Jesus made the way for people to have a relationship with God in this life and to spend eternity with Him in heaven.
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The three main things people focus on during Lent are prayer, fasting (abstaining from something to reduce distractions and focus more on God) and giving/charity.
Prayer during Lent focuses on the need for God’s forgiveness. It’s also about repenting (turning away from our sins) and receiving God’s mercy and love.
Fasting, or giving something up, is a very common practice during Lent. The idea is that giving up something that’s a regular part of life, like eating dessert or scrolling social media, can be a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice. That time can also be replaced with more time connecting with God.
Giving money or doing something good for others is a way to respond to God’s grace, generosity and love. For example, some people spend time volunteering or donate money they would normally use to buy something, like their morning coffee.
It’s important to note that doing these things can never earn Jesus’ sacrifice or a relationship with God. People are flawed and will never be good enough for a perfect God. Only Jesus has the power to rescue humanity.
Jesus sacrificed Himself on Good Friday to bear the punishment for all your wrongdoings and offer you forgiveness. He was raised from the dead on Easter Sunday to give you an opportunity to have a relationship with God for eternity.
Spending time during Lent praying, fasting and giving can make Jesus’ sacrifice on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter even more meaningful to you.
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In the Bible, Moses (Exodus 34:28), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8-9) and Jesus (Matthew 4:1-2) all went through intense fasting experiences for 40 days and 40 nights. By the time those experiences ended, they were ready for the next challenge they had to face. Adopting that pattern made sense to early Christians.