Holy Week is coming up.  There are many services, each with texts in the lectionary, and the typical churchgoer never hears them all.  In preparation this week, select one or more of the texts that you hardly ever get to hear and study it.  I have added a few notes along the way.

Liturgy of the Palms

• Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
• Mark 11:1-11

Liturgy of the Passion

• Isaiah 50:4-9a – This is from the third of the “servant songs” in the book of Isaiah, which Christians interpret as referring to Jesus.  The others are Isaiah 42:1-4, Isaiah 49:1-6, and Isaiah 52:13-53:12.
• Psalm 31:9-16
• Philippians 2:5-11 – This is the famous “Christ Hymn.”  Scholars agree that Paul is quoting here, from a poem that has existed since the very earliest days of Christianity.
• Mark 14:1-15:47

Maundy Thursday

• Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14
• Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
• 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 – This depiction of the Last Supper was written around the year 53, just over twenty years after the events it describes.
• John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Good Friday

• Isaiah 52:13-53:12
• Psalm 22
• Hebrews 10:16-25
• John 18:1-19:42