Celebrate Easter!

Christ the Lord is risen; he is risen indeed!

There are many ways you can celebrate Easter with your family. Make this "holiday" special in any way you can. After all, Easter is the pinnacle of what Christ did when he came to earth for us in the first place! Without it, we wouldn't be able to commune with our heavenly father; all of us are sinful and none of us can fulfill the law. But Christ DID fulfill the law, died to take our punishment, rose again to triumph over sin and death, and his righteousness is imputed to the those who believe in him. Here's a short list of ways you can enrich your family's understanding of this important holiday:

1. Resurrection Eggs: There is a set you can purchase from Family Life. You can also make your own if you have older children (middle elementary or older). The concept is simple and is a great way to make some of the Easter story a little more tangible for little minds: write a Scripture reference on the outside of a plastic egg. Inside it, put a tangible object that represents part of that Bible verse (a nail for the cross, a thorn for the crown of thorns, a scrap of cloth for the robe, ...). You can either hide these, look at an egg a day as you move through the events of Holy Week, or open them all in order on Easter Sunday.

2. Resurrection Cookies: This recipe comes through a link from Family Life as well. These are another fun to way to reinforce the real meaning of Easter!

3. Special Meal: We make a big deal of our Christmas Day dinner. Do the same for Easter and communicate that Easter is a special day. For instance, we always have Pistachio Cake for dessert on Easter. It's a family recipe, and the icing is a lovely, light green color--perfect for Easter decorations.

4. New Clothes: This is not just another Southern tradition; our new clothes symbolize new life in Christ. So, make this point with your children as you get new white shoes, pretty dresses, little suits, etc.

5. Holy Week Worship Services: Attend a Holy Week service with your family. If your church doesn't offer one, look for one that does. These are frequently beautiful reminders of the Last Supper (Maundy Thursday) and the crucifixion (Good Friday). Look for one that focuses on Scripture and Easter music.

These are just a few of the many ways we can point our children to the real meaning behind Easter. Don't let it get lost in jelly beans, Easter egg hunts, Easter baskets, and Easter bunnies!