Holy Week Family Conversations

Easter 2026 - A Week in the Garden

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Family Conversation Guide

These Family Conversations are designed to help you create moments to talk about God and faith in your family. We want to encourage you to carve out a moment each day this week to read and discuss each Family Conversation. This could be over the dinner table, before bedtime, or whenever works best for your family. In each Family Conversation, you will find 4 parts.

• Scripture: Read the passage out loud, or encourage a family member to read.
• Devotion: Read this to your family.
• Conversation: Pick and choose what questions are best for your family to discuss.
• Prayer: Pray for together as a family, or encourage a family member to pray.

Just as a heads-up, things probably won’t go as planned with your Family Conversations. Your family may interrupt, someone probably won’t pay attention, and there may not be any grand spiritual moments. What matters most is that you are seeking God as a family. Faith in your family is more often caught than taught. Your family will most likely forget these devotions, but they will remember the intentionality and time together. That will set the stage for you to model faith and continue building a spiritual legacy in your family.

Monday - The Garden

Scripture
When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. John 18:1 (NIV)

Devotion
The whole story of creation started in a garden, and a huge part of God's rescue plan happened in another garden! Let's talk about the two main gardens: Eden and Gethsemane.
1. The Garden of Eden (The Garden of Disobedience)
  A long, long time ago, God created the first man, Adam, and put him in a beautiful place called the Garden of Eden. God gave Adam just one rule: don't eat the fruit from one special tree.
  Adam had a choice: obey God or disobey God. Sadly, Adam chose to disobey. That one bad choice was like letting a big sickness called "sin" into the world. It messed up everything and separated people from God.
2. The Garden of Gethsemane (The Garden of Obedience)
  Fast forward many years to the night before Jesus died on the cross. Jesus went to a garden- really an olive grove- called Gethsemane to pray. The name Gethsemane means "oil press." Have you ever seen an olive crushed to make olive oil? In this garden, Jesus knew He was about to be "crushed" by suffering to take the punishment for all of our sins—the punishment we got from Adam's first bad choice! Jesus was scared and sad, and He prayed, "Please take this suffering away from me." But then, He made the most important choice: He told God, "Not what I want, but what you want."
Where Adam said “No” to God in Eden, Jesus said a brave, loving “Yes” to God in Gethsemane. Jesus's perfect choice of obedience fixed the problem Adam created. It brought us the chance for a new, wonderful life with God!

Conversation
What does it mean to be obedient? Can you give me an example of a time when it was hard to obey, but you chose to do it anyway?
Adam made the wrong choice in the Garden of Eden. Jesus made the right choice in the Garden of Gethsemane. What was the biggest difference between their choices?
Gethsemane means “oil press,” where Jesus was “pressed” by His suffering. What does it mean to you that Jesus willingly suffered for you?
What challenge or struggle is our family facing right now? How can remembering Jesus’ obedience help us walk through it?
What is one specific way our family can try to be more obedient to God’s will this week?

Prayer
Together as a family, thank Jesus for his willingness to be obedient even when it was difficult. Ask for God’s help, through the Holy Spirit, to follow Jesus’ example and choose to submit to His will even when it’s hard.

Tuesday - The Kiss

Scripture
And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss. Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. Matthew 26:47-50 (NLT)

Devotion
Have you ever had a friend hurt your feelings or betray you in some way? It can be painful having someone you are close with and trust turn against you. Judas had been Jesus’ friend and follower for three years. He walked with Jesus, heard His amazing teachings, and watched Him perform incredible miracles. But on the night Jesus was arrested, Judas did something terrible: he betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
In those days, a kiss wasn't just a friendly greeting. It was a special sign of affection and devotion, especially from a student to their teacher, or "Rabbi." When Judas kissed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, it was a signal to the soldiers: "This is the man! Take Him!" Judas used a sign of love and loyalty to commit the ultimate act of betrayal.
Judas’s choice hurt Jesus deeply. But even in this betrayal, Jesus remained in control. He allowed the soldiers to arrest Him because He was perfectly obeying God’s plan to go to the cross for us.

Conversation
What does betrayal mean? Can you give an example from a book, movie or real life where someone was betrayed?
Have you ever had a friend or someone you trusted hurt your feelings? How did you feel?
Jesus still called Judas, “my friend” even as Judas was betraying him. How can we show love and kindness to people who are mean or unkind to us?

Prayer
Together as a family, thank Jesus for his willingness to stay obedient in the midst of betrayal. Ask for God’s help to remain loyal friends and family members. When we may be tempted to choose selfish things at the expense of others, may the Holy Spirit gently guide back to obedience. 

Wednesday - The Sword

Scripture
Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear. “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” Matthew 26:50-54 (NLT)

Devotion
Have you ever felt like you were doing the right thing, only to find out you were making the situation worse? Peter had several of these moments as he spent time with Jesus.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter reacted with a flash of anger and fear. He pulled out a sword and actually cut off the ear of one of the high priest's servants! Peter was trying to rebel against what was happening. He thought he was defending Jesus, but Jesus immediately stopped him and even healed the servant's ear.
Peter was acting like he knew better than God. Jesus had told his disciples many times that he must be arrested and suffer—it was all part of God’s rescue plan (Matthew 16:21). Peter's actions were a rebellion against God’s perfect plan. He was fighting the wrong battle, with the wrong weapon, and for the wrong purpose. Peter's heart was in a good place—he loved Jesus—but his actions were filled with pride, as if Jesus needed his protection.
Jesus didn't need Peter's sword, and He doesn't need our swords either. When we try to "fight" for God or for ourselves using anger, harsh words, or our own strength, we are just like Peter. We end up hurting people and getting in the way of God's work. Peter learned later that the real battle is spiritual, and the true weapon is the Gospel. He went from using a physical sword to wound people, to using the spiritual "sword of the Spirit" to reach their hearts (Acts 2:14-41).

Conversation
Peter acted out of a rebellious impulse, thinking he knew the best way. Can you share an example of a time you acted quickly without thinking and later realized you were "fighting the wrong enemy" or using the "wrong weapon" (like getting angry instead of talking calmly)?
Jesus didn't need Peter to defend him. What does this teach us about the difference between doing things forGod and trusting God to work through his own power?
Peter later put down his physical sword and used the spiritual sword (God’s Word) to lead people to Jesus. What are some of the “spiritual weapons” (like prayer, kindness, or sharing the Bible) that our family can use in our lives instead of our own strength?
In what area of our lives is our family most tempted to rebel against God’s will right now?

Prayer
Together as a family, thank Jesus for his patient instruction to Peter, and to us, to lay down our rebellion. Ask God, through the Holy Spirit, to help us fight our battles with spiritual weapons, not with our own pride or anger, and to always submit to his perfect will.

Thursday - The Cup

Scripture
But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. John 18:11-12 (NLT)

Devotion
Imagine you are facing something really scary, and you know you have a choice: run away or go through it. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was facing the cross—the most painful thing imaginable—and he called it a "cup." This cup represented all the suffering, all the sin of the world, and even being separated from God the Father for a time.
Just before this moment, Jesus had prayed multiple times, asking his Father if there was any other way (Matthew 26:39). He knew the terrible price he would pay. But look at his response to Peter: “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” This is an act of perfect submission, a choice to obey God's will even when it meant immense pain.
In the Bible, the image of a "cup" often represents suffering, sorrow, or God’s judgment (Jeremiah 25:15–28, Isaiah 51:17). Jesus chose to drink that cup for us.
Even today, we use the word "cup" in different ways: When we say something is “not my cup of tea,” we are saying no to a certain course of action or experience. We give trophies shaped like cups to winners, acknowledging they went through a difficult trial or challenge to achieve victory.
Jesus was willing to take the toughest “cup” so that we could have life and forgiveness. His submission in the garden is what made his sacrifice on the cross possible.

Conversation
What does it mean to "submit" or "obey" a parent or teacher?
Can you think of a time when you had to do something difficult, but you knew it was the right thing to do?
Why was it important for Jesus to choose to drink this cup instead of fighting back or running away?
Jesus submitted to God's will. How can we try to be more submissive to what God wants for us in our lives?

Prayer
Together as a family, thank Jesus for his willingness to submit to God’s perfect plan and endure suffering on our behalf. Ask the Holy Spirit to help us trust God completely, even when things are difficult or scary, and to choose God’s will over our own.

Friday - The Fire

Scripture
Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.” But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed. John 18:25-27 (NLT)

Devotion
After Jesus was arrested, Peter followed the crowd to the high priest's courtyard, trying to stay close but not too close. He sat by a fire to warm himself in the dark. It was here, in the light of the fire, that he faced a huge temptation. A few people, including a servant girl, asked him if he was one of Jesus’ followers. Peter, scared and alone, denied it—not once, but three times. He completely said “No” to Jesus. Earlier that evening, Peter had proudly promised Jesus, "I will never deny you!" (John 13:37-38) Yet, here he was, failing in the moment that mattered most.
But the story doesn't end with failure. Just as Jesus had predicted, a rooster crowed. The sound of that rooster was like a sign from God. It marked the start of a new day and, more importantly, it was an invitation for Peter to repent, to turn back to Jesus. Peter’s denial was painful, but Jesus's love was bigger than Peter's failure. That rooster's crow was the dawning of a new chance, showing Peter and us that even after we fail, God is always ready to forgive and offer a new beginning.

Conversation
What does it mean to deny someone? Can you give an example of a time when you were embarrassed or afraid to say you knew someone?
Peter was sitting by the fire when he denied Jesus. What are some of the "fires" (situations or places) where you feel most tempted to do the wrong thing?
The rooster crowed, and it was a signal for Peter's repentance. What helps you realize you’ve made a mistake and need to say sorry to God or to someone else?
Jesus gave Peter a second chance. How does knowing Jesus forgives our denials and failures make you feel?

Prayer
Together as a family, acknowledge that we sometimes fail and mess up, just like Peter did. Thank God for his willingness to forgive us and ask the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to face temptation and the courage to repent when we make a mistake.