Here are the candles Sam set out for us before church.
My dear friend Jerusha passed along this great idea to mark Holy Week. But you have to prepare early, so I’m sharing it now.
Their family used no electric lights during Holy Week last year. For morning and evening light, they used only candles. I loved this idea, but had no candles in the house last year (and I was not shopping for Holy Week– sort of a consumer-fast) so it couldn’t happen. But candles are on my grocery list for this week. This year, with Easter a good three weeks later than last year– and Daylight Savings having already happened– the difference won’t be as noticeable. But I still think it will be meaningful for us as a family.
Fasting from electric light has so many spiritual applications for us as Christians. It brings to mind all the ways that I look for light from the world instead of from the Light. It makes me cognizant of my own consumption. It connects me to those around the world where there is no electricity. Clearly I’m not going to unplug my refrigerator… but I could turn off the computer for the week. And he TV. And the radio. I’m looking forward to this Holy Week fast.
How will you mark Holy Week?
Learning As We Go 
Long to do this. Some day when I’m old. Holy Week is the busiest week of the year. Long days, collapsing into bed, praying to live all the way through past Easter. Promising the kids that they will have parents again on Easter Monday.
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I love this!! I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since I read it! We bought our candles today. 🙂
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How did it go? No one burned the house down, I hope?
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It went well!! We fasted from most electric lights. I left a bathroom light on at night. But we did teeth by candlelight, and then flipped the light on last thing. I also don’t have a house phone, so the cell phone stayed in use. I should blog about the week…
The boys both agreed to give up their beloved screen time for the week, which was a big deal. Thanks for the great idea!
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Forgot to end the italics tag. Just the word ‘most’ was supposed to be italicized… 🙂
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