Resurrection Day traditions

Some ideas for celebrating that HE IS RISEN!!

Music-to-Wake-the-Family-By

"Christ The Lord Is Risen Today" -- modern version and traditional version

"The Easter Song" by Glad A Capella group

"Beautiful Rescuer" -- by David Walker (thanks, Donna H.!)


Symbolic "Sweets"

1. Easter Story Cookies:  I have loved going through the process of making these cookies with my kids (and nieces and nephews), as each step has something meaningful attached.  The actual cookies themselves were less than impressive, though.  :)  (Maybe we did it wrong?  Meringue is a tricky thing!)

2. Resurrection Rolls:  These are easy, tasty, and have a nice "wow" factor for kids!

3. Empty Tomb Cake:  This could be made in a variety of ways, of course.  It's nice to see an Easter dessert that's not all about bunnies and chicks once in awhile!


Afternoon Activities

If you want to give the kids something to do while you're preparing dinner (or resting after preparing dinner!), here are a few ideas:

1. Egg hunt:  If you haven't already done a neighborhood egg hunt, now might be a good time for whoever is around.  Using "Resurrection Eggs" makes it especially meaningful and useful for teaching.

2. Lego activity:  Tell the kids to make something like this!

3. Coloring pages:  There are some good ones on this site.

Remembering

My dear friend Lisa, celebrated a Seder last night. She and her beautiful family walked very tangibly into the act of remembering. These are her words...

Tonight, we remembered.

We remembered the first Passover.

We heard it, saw it, smelled it, felt and tasted it.

I have learned that is what the seder is all about.

We leaned on pillows to remember we are not slaves but are eating at our leisure . . . free.

We said the traditional blessings, (in English of course) and retold the story of the deliverance from Egypt.

We dipped the bitter herbs in salt water to remember the bitterness and tears of slavery.

We ate a horseradish and chopped apple matzah sandwich  while thinking about the cruelty of 

slavery and the hope of freedom.

We spilled drops of wine/grape juice from our glasses for each plague-emptying some of the joy from our 

glasses.  (Sad for even our enemies who suffered)

We searched for the broken matzah.

We experienced it with all our senses.  

So we can remember it again . . . and again.

Because we have been set free. . . and I need help remembering..

Good Friday Traditions

Observing this Holy Day, both "Good" and somber can draw us ever closer to Christ, reminding us of the great price He paid for us.  Here we have compiled a few suggestions of things we can do as we contemplate and worship:

• In Celebrating the Christian Year, Martha Zimmerman suggests helping the whole family be mindful of the significance of the day by keeping the home completely dark. (The "Light of the World" left this earth for the 3 days.) Keeping the curtains closed and even draping cloth over lights will serve as a good reminder.

• She also suggests placing a 3x5 card at each family member's place at the dinner table, with a person written on it, such as "Mary" or "Pilate" or "a religious person."  Spend time sharing what you think each person's reactions would have been that first Good Friday.

• Another idea would be to keep the home (or wherever you are) completely quiet from 12 pm - 3 pm, turning off all electronics and using the time for focused prayer and reflections.

• Many churches offer services during the day or in the evening, and there is also an online broadcast opportunity this year from 6 pm until midnight through The Secret Church.  (This does cost money and requires registration.)

• If you're looking for a certain, unique food to make, one traditional ones is Hot Cross Buns.  See here for a recipe that I have used and like.  Or, you could try "crown of thorn pancakes," such as these.

• For the younger kids in the home, here is a list of cross-focused crafts they might enjoy.

• On Good Friday, we will come to breakfast to find a black stone in front of each place. The size good for sticking in a pocket and holding on and off through out the next two days. Its a simple reminder of the waiting in darkness. Then, on Easter Sunday, each person will awake to find a white stone and we will read the beautiful verse from Revelation 2:17 "I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it". These stone ideas also came from Ann Voskamp and they've been very meaningful. 

• This Good Friday, we will plant another round of goodness into the large garden we share with dear friends/neighbors. What beautiful symbolism. We will also gather around together to pray blessing over all that we've planted. 

6 Holy Week Traditions (other than coloring eggs)

Coloring eggs is nice and all, but there is so much more that you can do on this most Holy of weeks!  Such as...


1. Light candles.  My friend Jamie shared this with us recently:

Thought I would share our Easter tradition. I read it in a book by Noel Piper years ago and I love it. The boys even like it.  Tonight (Palm Sunday) we will light all six candles and read about Jesus's triumphal entry. Each night this week, we will light one less candle and read more if the passion week story until Friday night when we will light only one candle and read of Christ's death and blow out the last candle. Saturday, we don't light any candles or read. BUT Sunday, we light them all and read of Christ's resurrection!


2. Read a short reflection each night from a devotional book.  Our favorite this year is this one by John Piper -- and it's a FREE download.  



3. Have a foot-washing ceremony with your family or friends



4. Celebrate a Christian Passover/Seder: So much symbolism can be found in the Jewish tradition of the Passover meal.  

Here are a few links to inspire you:

A simple description of the meal
Longer description and more background
A 45-minute video by Jews for Jesus
From Ann Voskamp:  "Why A Christian Family May Celebrate Passover"  



5. Consider fasting from something consumeristic -- like electricity, as this family has done. 



6. Make a crown of thorns out of salt dough, play-dough, or even palm branches.




Stay tuned for ideas on how to observe Good Friday soon...

However you choose to mark this week, may it be a time of pondering, remembering, and worship as we draw closer and closer to the Main Event:  Resurrection Day!

BB King and the Crown of Thorns

Welcome to Holy Week!

Maybe like me, the start of Holy Week snuck up. I confess, this 46 day period of Lent felt like it was moving slower than molasses some days. I felt it especially, when I wanted something I had given up and then I'd count to find I had 44 more days to go without. Then I'd ask myself why I decided to do this whole thing anyway. I'd like to say I took every one of those moments of longing, to stop and pray, but that would be less than honest. Sometimes it felt more like a cat fight.

But, here we are. Less than a week away from the biggest celebration in the Christian calendar! We will move through this week with a mix of somber awareness and anticipation. And like Amy mentioned in her last post, hope. That's the best part.

Several years ago, I saw an idea from Ann Voskamp's blog www.aholyexperience.com and we started the practice at our house. We have a wreath and tea stained tooth picks in a bowl beside. During Holy Week, we pay particular attention to our need to confess and each time we do, we stick a toothpick into the wreath. The first year we did this, I was overwhelmed at how quickly this simple wreath turn into a crown of thorns. (I realized that is why the suggestion is to pull this out just for Holy Week and not the whole season of Lent.) This is a tangible reminder that our sin, my sin, nailed Jesus to the cross. As BB King so beautifully sings in the song "When Love Comes to Town" with U2 "I was there when they crucified my Lord, I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword, I threw the dice when they pierced his side, but I've seen love conquer the great divide, when love comes to town..."

This tradition may seem a little morose, but there is a place for that. This week, as we anticipate the celebration to come, it's worth remembering the cost.

Our pastor used this verse in his benediction this morning and it's now on the giant chalkboard in our kitchen for all of us to remember. What a perfect verse for this week. 

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit".

Observing Palm Sunday When You’re Sad

For a few different reasons I woke up sad today.  Then, the thought of joining the throngs singing “Hosanna,” rejoicing over the King made me even sadder.   All those people yelling, “Save now!  Save now” (that’s what Hosanna means)…. but Jesus was not about to save them in the way they were hoping and expecting.  He was about to die.  The road to salvation had a big valley of suffering to go through first.  Using hindsight, that first Palm Sunday has an extra layer of upside-down-ness.

We made our way to church this morning, and I found myself thankful that Palm Sunday is on a Sunday.  If it was any other day of the week (it wouldn’t be called Palm Sunday, first of all), there would be opportunity for me to wallow in my sadness, to remain isolated from others, to bypass the whole day.  But because it was Sunday we were at church, and even if I didn’t feel like singing, everyone around me did. 

 I wonder if there was anyone on that day long ago that got swept up in the crowds lauding Jesus, even without originally intending to do so?  There is something about hearing others praise, seeing others lift their hands;  it’s a call back to Reality.  It’s not all about me.  It’s not even all about “me and Jesus.”

And then there were the kids.

Every year watching the children parade in with palm branches, I end up in tears.  This year, even with the cheesy paper “branches” and my kids in rumpled clothes and probably mismatched socks, was no exception.  I have wondered before whether this children-waving-palm-branches thing is a modern-church contrivance designed to just make it all so “cute,” but then I read the writings by Egeria, a spunky woman who traveled over 1200 miles back in the 4th century, visiting Biblical sites.  She was the predecessor of the travel blogger, I suppose, because she wrote extensively about the events and spiritual traditions she witnessed.   And, it turns out, children waved palm branches in a procession way back in the 300’s!

I watched my sons waving their branches today, loving their innocent faith and enthusiasm, hailing their King.  And then I thought about a conversation I had with one of them last night about pain.  He is very concerned about pain, worried about the possibilities of future surgeries or injuries.  As I reminded him last night, and myself this morning, pain is always temporary.

Yes, there is a side of sadness to Palm Sunday, because we know suffering comes next.  But the overarching message is hope.  After the suffering came the most glorious day in history.  And after our suffering will come the most glorious existence, beyond what we can imagine.

I am grateful today for those who sang and spoke around me at church—especially the children--  and for those who write truths to remind us all about the power of Palm Sunday.  Like a bystander in the crowd in long ago Jerusalem, I find myself carried along in the joy of the message.

I am also grateful for the plan to celebrate the Christian year.  Once again I am reminded that these days set apart are not about my feelings or my desires, but are intended to show us more about who God is, and who we are in Him.  Today has been a good day for that, for me.

In John Piper’s little book, Love to the Uttermost, he tells us that Palm Sunday is a good day to reflect on Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”  As someone wrestling with fear and distrust, I needed to hear this today.  God’s joy is to give us the kingdom.  The kingdom may be “now and not yet” but eventually it will be all the way now and perfect!  

Seeing just the shadow of that today is enough -- and cause for rejoicing.


“Great is our rejoicing, for you have come to us, righteous and victorious, loving and sovereign.  By the riches of your grace, continue to free us from waterless pits, broken cisterns and worthless idols.  By the power of the gospel, enable us to live as prisoners of hope and agents of redemption until the Day you return to finish making all things new.”  -- Scotty Smith

How to Make An Easter Basket Spiritual

This post comes to us from Jessica Smartt, author of smarttereachday.com.  I always enjoy her perspectives on motherhood and life in general, so am thrilled that she is sharing some of her creativity and wisdom with us on this site today!

Easter baskets...spiritual? Is that a stretch?? Like trying to squeeze Santa in a nativity scene?

Nope, I don't think so!

I'm here to say that you can celebrate the real-ness of Easter with your kiddos, and still let them experience the joy of hunting for, and enjoying their Easter baskets.

How?

Here are a few suggestions:

• It's all in the delivery. If you "hype up" the Easter baskets for weeks, then your kids, too, learn that that's what's important. If you read your Jesus Storybook, and discuss Jesus' death and resurrection, then they understand something different.

• Draw the correlation between hunting for baskets (or eggs!), finding them, being elated, and the women's joy when they discovered Jesus. Now look. I know that can seem like a stretch. I don't think it has to be. We are helping them to pretend, in a small way, what it would be like to search and search, and find something wonderful. When we discuss the Easter baskets, I'll talk about this. When they find them on Easter, I'll say, wow! Can you imagine how excited those women were, when they thought Jesus had died, and they found him and He was ALIVE!!? Isn't that amazing! I'm so glad Jesus was alive.

• Fill it with good stuff. Duh, right? I recently shared 25 Meaningful Easter Basket Ideas. You can browse the list for yourself, but the basic idea is to think like this: How can I fill this basket with things that will LOVE my child, and draw him closer to Jesus? Check out the list, and let me know if you have others!

How to host an Easter Egg Hunt

Here we are having crossed the half-way point of Lent, perhaps feeling the heaviness -- and length -- of the season.  But the good news is Easter is on its way!  And with it comes all kinds of ways to celebrate.

One tradition we have enjoyed several times through the years has been hosting an Easter Egg Hunt in our yard.  Since this takes a little bit of planning, the time to start thinking about it is right about now.

Who doesn't love finding Easter eggs?  This tradition provides a great opportunity to both reach out to neighbors and to remind children about the True Story behind why we celebrate Easter.  

Plus, it's mostly outside, is a relatively short event, has a clear-cut theme, and therefore is one of the simplest parties you can throw!

Here are the basic things to think about:

1. Passing out invitations.  The two best Saturdays for having the event are obviously the two right before Easter. After choosing your date and time, make up some simple invitations to hand out.  We usually just made quarter-page cards like this one:

(If you want me to send you the template I used, I'd be happy to!)

2. Making the eggs.  We plan for about 12 eggs per person, and fill them with something simple like a small piece of candy, a few stickers, or even a penny.  (The younger ones still think that's pretty cool!)  You may want to color-code the eggs -- certain colors for younger ones to find and other colors for older ones.  Or you can later just divide the yard into sections by age instead.

3. Incorporating the resurrection story.  The Resurrection Eggs, of course, are very helpful for telling the story about Jesus, and you can add these to the mix in a few different ways.  One idea is to put a special star or sticker on the outside of those 12 eggs, and after all the eggs have been found, the children who have the special eggs bring them forward to trade them in for a little prize, or just to be part of the story-telling (which they think is pretty fun).  We've found that it's best to let all the kids discover the contents of their eggs and play a little bit before launching into the more serious story-telling time.

If you do not have a set of Resurrection Eggs, they are easy to make on your own.  (Here's one example.)  One year we even had the kids make a smaller version themselves.  We gave them little slips of paper with verses on them, as well as the objects to include in the eggs.  They took their little sets home with them.  (Again, if anyone wants the verses I used or the print-out, just let me know)

4. Decorations and food.  For some people I know this is the best part of event-planning, and for others, it can just be overwhelming!  The beauty of an Easter Egg Hunt is that it can be as low-key or as elaborate as you want... kids have fun either way.  I tend to be more on the "keep it simple" end of the spectrum, so we usually just serve things like muffins, fruit, pretzels, etc. (Here's an easy but festive idea)  Our decorations are usually kept to a minimum as well -- often balloons (the cheap ones look a lot like eggs when blown up!) and/or garlands or streamers.  Depending on the weather that day, things may get blown away anyway!

If you do want some more creative ideas, though, there are some cute ones here, and here.

5. Other activities.  The actual egg hunt is usually over quite quickly;  when there are prizes and candy involved, kids sure can move fast!  So you may want to plan an additional activity or two, as long as you have everyone gathered.  Depending on the ages of the kids, this could be as simple as giving them coloring sheets, or doing a craft, or it could be organizing some games -- such as Egg Olympics!  There are, of course, a myriad of craft and activity options nicely pictured for you on Pinterest, so I'll let you choose.  :)

Two of Deb's kids and one of mine are in this picture --
 from almost a decade ago!

 5. Bonus ideas:  If your kids are getting a little tired of the whole egg hunt thing, here are some suggestions for other types of events and games to play with eggs.  Some of these could still be done as an outreach activity, including neighbors and friends. 

No matter how you organize it, the main thing is to remember that the event can serve as a powerful tool, teaching kids who may not know the real resurrection story.  What a great opportunity to reach out to our neighbors with the truth!