Celebrating Easter with Faith, Food, and Fun

When most people think about Easter, they think of fancy dresses, bunnies, and chocolate eggs. As Christians, we know it’s a celebration of so much more, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Holy week is a time to prepare our hearts to rejoice in this epic story of triumph.

Here are just a handful of ways we do this is in our family.

Faith

We attend church. I come from a less traditional church background but many of my friends’ churches hold special services during Holy Week for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, or Good Friday. It is such a pleasure for my family to experience the holiday in a new way by attending some of these services. It gives us an appreciation for the way different Christian churches worship this time of year.

We read books and watch DVDs. In the weeks leading up to Easter we read pictures books, Bible passages, and watch videos that tell the story of the cross.

Food

We host a Seder. Two years ago, our family hosted it’s first Passover Seder. Traditionally held by Jewish families, Passover commemorates God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. As believers in Christ, we recount the story of the Exodus but also take communion, acknowledging the new covenant, recognizing that Jesus stepped into the role of the final Passover lamb for us.

We make Easter cookies. Each component of the recipe represents of a part of the Easter story. Corresponding scriptures enhance the experience as we touch, taste and smell the ingredients. Once complete the cookies are placed in the oven to set over night. In the morning, we enjoy tasty treats that are hollow inside… just like Jesus’ tomb.

Fun

We hunt for Easter Eggs. Every year my kids have so much fun hunting for treats on Easter morning. Last year we replaced the dyed eggs we typically hide with Resurrection Eggs. These are twelve colored plastic eggs that contain a small object, each one symbolic of Christ’s journey to the cross and beyond.

To make the experience more memorable we read books that reinforce lesson of the eggs. One of them is Benjamin’s Box. It is the story of a young boy who lives in Palestine during Bible times. Throughout the week leading up to Jesus’ death, he collects treasures in a small wooden box that later will be a precious reminder of the Messiah’s death and resurrection.

Lily’s Easter Party is about little girl who invites her friends over to her house for a ‘special’ egg hunt. After all the eggs are found, Lily’s parents share with the children how each object found inside of the egg tells the story of the Easter.

The attention our culture gives to stuffed rabbits and colorful candy can dilute the reason we are participate in this special day.

As a parent we can prevent this by teaching our children why Easter is such an important holiday to observe. We can do this by simply sharing our faith, enjoying good food and having fun together.

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Your Turn

What are your traditions for celebrating Easter with your family? Come join the conversation on our blog!