Making Easter memorable
Our family makes a conscious effort to emphasize the joy that comes from gathering with the saints on Sunday mornings. From counting down throughout the week to picking out dresses the night before, these simple habits have shaped in them an exciting anticipation for the upcoming Lord’s Day. Prayer time on the way to church? Yes. An awesome Sunday school class? We’re so thankful. Donuts after service? You bet. Candy from Nancy’s purse? Thank you! We want Sunday to be the BEST day of the week for our kids - not because of donuts or dresses but because God is there, our eternal family is there, we worship and fellowship there. Yet those other small things help to create the wonderful experience that is Sunday. And with Sunday being the best day of the week, we really want our kids to recognize Resurrection Sunday as the best day of the year.
April 17th isn’t just any Sunday, dear friends, and the 15th isn’t a normal Friday. In some sense it is like every other day because Jesus isn’t dying on the cross or resurrecting again. In fact, He’ll be in heaven at the right hand of the Father interceding for us like He does every day (Praise His Name!). And for most of the world it is because they are living in darkness and have not seen the Light. But for us, these days symbolize something extraordinary.
May we make every effort to instill in the hearts of our children just how good the Good News of the Gospel really is every day and on special days like Easter weekend. Their souls are worth our every effort. He is worthy of our every effort.
For us, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday represent the reality that God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14)! And though I would absolutely agree that training our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord daily is much more important than intentionally celebrating Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, I want to encourage you to make an extra effort in your planning, preparing, and celebrating the Good News of the Gospel on this designated weekend.
“Why?” you might ask. Because:
God is worthy of our praise (see Colossians 1:13-14 above).
The Good News of the Gospel is worth celebrating.
Family traditions become engraved in a child’s heart and mind for life and can be passed down from generation to generation.
We have the opportunity to redeem a celebration that has been hijacked by a bunny who poops chocolate eggs.
Now please hear what I’m not saying. I’m not encouraging you to plan a super fancy party with prizes and a petting zoo. Though fun, those things can be just as unhelpful as no celebration at all. What I am saying, however, is that with a bit of prayer, brainstorming, and effort you could implement a few family traditions that bring glory to God, joy to your family, and yearly anticipation that could last for generations to come. This could mean preparing a special meal and washing your children’s feet on Thursday while reading about the Last Supper from Scripture. Or maybe you join your church for the Good Friday service even though it’s past your child’s bedtime. This might look like purchasing a couple of special children’s books about the reason for the season and reading them throughout the week. Or maybe you invite a few friends over (or many!) on Resurrection Sunday and celebrate with good food, songs of praise, and laughter. Whatever we do, let’s make it memorable.
May we make every effort to instill in the hearts of our children just how good the Good News of the Gospel really is every day and on special days like Easter weekend. Their souls are worth our every effort. He is worthy of our every effort.
Easter Resources:
The Garden The Curtain and The Cross
Fun Resurrection Sunday Worship Song
Katlynne Mirabal is a pastor’s wife and serves as the children’s ministry director at Seacoast Community Church in Portsmouth, NH. She is also the host of the Miss Teacher Mom podcast, which endeavors to encourage and equip moms to raise their kids with eternity in mind.
