5 Creative Ways to Celebrate Easter

Have you ever tried to solve a mystery? I bet your kids 8 and older are intrigued by mysteries.

Some of the most fascinating detective stories are full of twists and turns that leave readers surprised and hungry for more. Did you know that God’s story in the Bible is actually a series of clues? It’s true! And the clues reveal one of the most mind-boggling mysteries of all time.

You see, with God nothing is random. Every detail is ordered with purpose. So His clues which lead us to uncover His mysterious plan aren’t haphazard or left behind accidentally. They are purposeful and perfectly orchestrated.

How can we be sure God is in control, though, when the details unfolding in our lives, in the world around us, in our children, don’t always feel good?

The Messiah who was born on Christmas Day then died and rose again on Easter Sunday is why we can know God cares … why we can believe God is true … and why we can hope in God today and forever.

Does your family know about this mysterious Messiah? Have your children learned to discover Him?

From the first pages of Genesis, to Jesus’ death on a cross for our salvation, to the visions of heaven in the last pages of Revelation, God is revealing Himself and His mysteries to us.

Easter is the perfect time to learn more about who this great Messiah is.

It’s the best time to teach your children about His wonderful, unfathomable love and sacrifice.

As parents we long to influence our children toward truth and to connect with them in meaningful ways. When we teach them about Jesus we are taking our children’s hands and helping them touch the transcendent mysterious unseen. Bringing the reality of the eternal to our homes knits our hearts together because family relationships matter most.

But HOW? Sometimes that feels like the biggest mystery of all.

I remember well how busy I was a mom of six.  During those very full years, I also remember longing for ways to give my children healthy doses of biblical truth at Easter that went beyond answering their normal child-focused questions about God. They needed to meet God in His word and learn to know Him and find Him there just as I did.

Meaningful moments with my children didn’t often happen spontaneously.  As a parent, I had to be intentional and proactive. I had to create those moments and have some kind of plan: to choose to pray daily, to choose to read Bible stories or the Bible itself daily, and to choose to interact about important truths during holidays.

Christians are at a disadvantage in celebrating Easter because schools and businesses don’t close as they do for Christmas.  All our efforts to prepare and make Easter special have to be sandwiched in between regular life, duties, and responsibilities.

The entire world celebrates Christmas but only Christians make much of Easter.

Easter is an annual opportunity to be used by God to help your children to grow in their faith.

What a privilege that is!

5 Ways to Celebrate the Mysteries and Miracles of Easter

Behold the Lamb

This beautiful banner comes with a brass clip to help your children count down the days to Easter Sunday just like most families do for Christmas. Anticipation is a very important element in our faith. Anticipation is also important in solving mysteries which is why God gives us glimpses, clues, of our future with Him. He wants us to eagerly look forward to a life with no more pain or tears or sorrow.

In the same way, anticipating Easter and a grand celebration of Christ’s resurrection signals to your children that this day, this moment in history, this gathering of our family is really important!

The flip calendar that accompanies the banner gives you a very short story to read once a week with a verse and a question or two for each of the following days. Each of these stories contain clues God gives to help His people recognize His Messiah. The time commitment is small but the benefits and rewards are significant because you are showing your children who God is and why His story is transformational for everyone who hears and believes.

The Easter Advent Calendar stories begin in Genesis and walk your family through the important clues in the Old Testament predicting who God’s chosen Messiah would be. Each week’s story takes you closer and closer to the pinnacle moment of history, Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday

Palm Sunday & Holy Week

The Easter Advent Banner and calendar walk families from Ash Wednesday to Easter morning and include the 40 days plus six Sundays of Lent, Good Friday, Silent Saturday and Easter Sunday.

But if you want something shorter, maybe your kids are teens and not into counting down the days anymore, or you are empty nesters, then try the Holy Week Advent cards. These beautiful cards include 8 short devotions to read each day of Holy Week to help you and your family prepare for the stunning life-changing events to come.

The content of these 8 cards is identical to the last week of the Easter Advent Calendar. You don’t need both.

Good Friday

If your church has Good Friday services, be sure to attend. It’s a wonderful tradition to repeat year after year with your family. The somber mood of the day is a reminder of the cost Jesus paid to deliver us from hell.

Another idea is to watch the Jesus film as a family on Good Friday or perhaps on Saturday. Good friends of ours always do communion together as a family after they watch the movie.

Another friend drapes black fabric over lamps to symbolize that the light of the world was extinguished on the cross on Good Friday. Then on Easter morning, she removes them all to represent the resurrection’s rebirth of the Light of the World!

Set a Special Table

Another very important and fairly easy way to make Easter special and meaningful is to set an all-white table to symbolize the purity of Christ’s life and the white linen we will all wear in heaven one day.

 

He is Risen placemats are a wonderful way to elevate your table to extra special this year. Each white placemat with gold ink declares exclamations of Christ’s victory. Placemats come in sets of 4.

Or use a white tablecloth, which is easy to find at flea markets if you don’t have one. Or you can use a white sheet to dress your table. Use lots of white candles (link to free download printable candle wraps) and use all white napkins, too, even if they are paper.   

Add white tulips or roses, weave ivy across the table among the candles, and maybe give everyone a small dish of gold confetti to throw in the air as everyone collectively announces, “CHRIST IS RISEN!!!”

Resurrection Day Devotions

Sadly we are all too familiar with the story of the cross. So to help one and all remember what that experience must have been like, read Resurrection Day Devotions at your Easter celebration meal!

These 8 beautiful cards with vintage pen and ink drawings will walk your family and guests through the experiences of the disciples. Even in these last days of Jesus’ life are beautiful clues to discover revealing more facets of God’s amazing love and grace.

The stories on these cards will take you to the Last Supper; the breaking of bread and drinking of wine, symbols of Jesus body and blood. You will stand in the temple and feel the business as usual sacrifices happening on Good Friday. Still, in the temple in the afternoon you will hear the sound of the curtain torn in two.

As you listen to these stories being read around your table you will wonder and be in awe as you see glimpses of the stupendous act of love accomplished by Jesus as He hung on the cross.

These devotions are short and easy to read at your Easter brunch or dinner. Reading them out loud will guide your family and friends nearer to the miracles of those days.

Your heart will be drawn to Jesus.

Your heart will long to worship and adore Him.

That is what Easter is all about.

He Makes All Things New

As Lent begins and Easter approaches, take the time to teach your family about the God who came to our planet because of His great love for us. 

Share with them how, because of this Messiah, when everything seems wrong, we can remember that God knows what He is doing.

The story of Jesus being nailed to a cross should remind us He makes no mistakes.  Good Friday teaches us that even the darkest days can and will be turned to right.

Remind your children and yourself that because of the cross and the victory Jesus won that day we can know that His promise to return for us and “make all things new” is a promise we can confidently know will come true.

Blessings,

Barbara