Resurrection Day

This time of year is my favorite. Spring flowers, warmer weather, deep cleaning and reorganizing, and celebrations. Specifically, Passover and Easter. But it's not just Easter, I like the whole preparatory celebration of Lent and Good Friday leading up to Easter Sunday. I've often wondered why this isnt the greatest holiday of the year compared with Christmas. Yeah we wouldnt have Salvation had Jesus not been born, but remeber in the garden when Jesus was praying? He chose to die in our place and to be the ultimate expression of love. Had he been born and never chosen that, it wouldnt have mattered that he were born at all. So that got me thinking. Why not celebrate just that? I've not been a fan of Easter eggs and the hunts and things like that for a while now just because for me as a kid, that was way more appealing than the somber reflection on death and we want Easter to be a learning experience. That's why we don't do Easter bunnies or Santa claus or even tooth fairies. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with those things or the people that take part in those activities. Hear me. Thats not it at all. We just want to do something different. If you're offended by this post just know that is not our intention. We just want to create a different experience for our family and share that experience with our readers who might be interested in doing the same thing.

Here are some things we have done, are doing, and plan to do in the coming years. Maybe it will inspire you. If there's an interesting and creative activity you do that isn't here, please let us know all about it!

For years we have just avoided the whole egg hunt chocolate bunny Easter basket frenzy and have just had family time and a big Sunday meal. Early on We had taken the oldest to some Easter activities and volunteered at a few community events. They made an impression on me and brought up a lot of childhood memories. And as I hear about my friend's kids missing out, or bringing home a great bounty, I remember why. No, not because I was scarred as a child for not having found many Easter eggs. Nor am I having remorse for having found far more than everyone else. But honestly it's because it taught me nothing about the sacrifice of Christ. Sure, there's lessons in there spinkled with the red jelly bean drops of blood and the peanut butter cross and the empty tomb of the chocolate bunny and the glorified body of the sparkly Peeps. It seems like the possibilities to start new fun and creative traditions are far an wide. And I love some of the ones I've been finding online that are centered more on teaching a lesson. Like these Ressurection Rolls. This is what we're doing this year. And maybe next year we'll make this garland. Last year we had a mini Seder we managed on our own. Although I'd rather take them to a Messianic community Seder in the future. On Sunday morning we'll have a sunrise service at our friend's farm.

Here's some pictures from last year of Zeke and Haddie's first chocolate experience!

And petting a lamb this year. 

And then when all the littles are settled down for the night we'll watch The Passion. Which is a tradition with the oldest. We started by watching the Jesus of Nazareth as a sort of marathon all weekend leading up to Sunday morning. The Gospel of John is another good one to watch during this time. And then follow with Paul the Apostle. I think next year we'll do more hands on in the days prior to the holiday. I'd like to make an Easter garden to have the whole week as an on going activity. One other idea I saw was the Ressurection Eggs. They tell have items inside that tell the story along with scripture. I like that, even if it is eggs. Maybe we could find something else to put the items in. Another of my favorite and perhaps most impacting actives is reading all four of the gospel accounts of His death, burial, and resurrection back to back. Finding new details I never noticed before and reflecting, often with great waves of emotion when I realize what my fate would be like without that sacrifice.