Adding Meaning to Your Easter Celebration
Making Jesus the center of
your family’s celebration can present a challenge when
images of the Easter Bunny are so prevalent. Parents must
take special measures to help kids understand that Jesus is
the giver of Easter gifts—His love, His sacrificial death,
the salvation we have through Him—not a big rabbit who hands
out candy and colored eggs. Here are some ideas for putting
the spiritual significance back into your Easter
celebration.
* Put a spiritual twist on the tradition of decorating
Easter eggs. Before dying the hard-boiled eggs, use crayons
to write an Easter message on each egg. Because the crayon
wax keeps the dye from adhering in those spots, your "Jesus
is Risen" and "Jesus Died for You" messages will show
through clearly.
* If your church does not celebrate Holy Week, attend Holy
Week services at a church that does. Or celebrate each day
as a family by reading passages of scripture that recount
what each special day commemorates.
* Attend an Easter cantata presented by a church other than
the one your family normally attends. This allows family
members to experience a celebration of Easter that is
different than that to which they are accustomed.
* As a family, choose a few craft projects that emphasis the
meaning of Easter. Do an Internet search or check out books
from the library for ideas. Use your completed projects to
decorate your home for your family celebration.
* Celebrate the Resurrection of Christ by doing the kinds of
things Jesus came to earth to do. Extend God’s love to
others by visiting the elderly and sick, gathering up
clothing to take to a homeless shelter, or making and
delivering food baskets to families in need.
* If you don’t usually do so, attend a sunrise service so
your family can experience a little of what Jesus’ followers
must have felt the morning they found the empty tomb.
Afterwards, enjoy a big family breakfast in celebration of
the Risen Lord.
* Do some research on how the Resurrection is celebrated in
other cultures. Turn the Easter celebration into a learning
experience by enjoying traditional Easter foods and
activities from another country.
* Many churches make Easter crosses by attaching real
flowers in some fashion to a wooden cross to symbolize the
new life brought to us through Jesus’ death. Make your own
family Easter cross by cutting out a large cross from brown
construction paper. Let the children use construction paper,
markers, crayons and paint to create flowers to decorate it.
Nancy Twigg
BYLINE: Nancy Twigg is a Christian speaker and author who loves inspiring others to live more simply. Adapted from Nancy’s book, Celebrate Simply: Your Guide to Simpler, More Meaningful Holidays and Special Occasions. For more ideas for simplifying Easter and other celebrations, visit Nancy online at www.celebratesimply.com