Easter and Family Time

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What is your family planning to do this year for Easter? Hunt for eggs? Visit the Easter Bunny? Go to church and eat a big family meal? What about the week leading up to Easter Sunday? If you are from the south (like me), you might have Spring Break or at least school off on Friday. Americans love to follow traditions on our “holidays.” This article is not about knocking any of our American traditions, but before you plod through the same thing you did last year, let me challenge you to think head and plan activities that help you remember the Person and the events of Easter.

What is Easter about? The simple Sunday school answer is–Jesus! He rode into Jerusalem on Sunday, ate the Passover meal, died on Friday, and rose again on Sunday.

What are some simple ways your family can remember Jesus’ death and resurrection?

Here is one idea for a family of little ones:

Resurrection Eggs: Purchase Here.

Twelve days before Easter, set the Easter Egg Carton on the table for your evening meal (or if you do family devotions at night, have one person hold the carton). Start the first day by opening one egg. Each egg tells a certain part of the Christmas story. The little object inside the egg illustrates that part of the Easter story. For instance, a rock might remind us of the stone that was rolled away. One person opens the egg and tells what the object is inside. Then someone else reads a passage of Scripture that corresponds to that event. As a family, you can discuss why that part of the Easter story is important. Last of all someone can pray and thank God for Jesus faithfulness through that event.

Each night your family can follow the same routine with the exception of how you start. Instead of opening the new egg first, have someone pass out the eggs you have opened on previous days and talk through what each object is and what it stands for. In a sense what you are doing every night is reviewing the previous parts of the Easter story.

Resurrection Eggs are a great way to teach your children what Easter is about story, to worship Jesus as a family, and start a new tradition with meaning!

Of course, you make your own Resurrection Eggs. Here is what you need:

Items you need:

Easter eggs
An Egg Carton
Passage printed on pager
Cool junk to put in the Easter egg.

Egg 1 – Fur – Represent the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem
Egg 2 – Small Toy Cup – Symbolizing the Last Supper
Egg 3 – Cloth – Illustrating the towel Jesus washed His disciples’ feet with
Egg 4 – 3 Dimes – Illustrating 30 pieces of silver Judas received to betray Jesus
Egg 5 – A feather – Illustrating the rooster that crowed when Peter denyed Jesus
Egg 6 – A thorn – Illustrating the crown of thorns that was put on Jesus’ head
Egg 7 – Dice – Illustrating the lots cast for Jesus’ clothing
Egg 8 – Leather – Illustrating the whip that the soldiers used on Jesus
Egg 9 – Piece of Wood or Nail – Illustrating the wood to which Jesus was nailed.
Egg 10 – White Cloth – Illustrating the cloth in which Joseph wrapped Jesus’ body
Egg 11 – A Rock – Illustrating the rock that sealed Jesus’ tomb
Egg 12 – An Empty Egg – The empty egg illustrates the empty tomb.

Here are some more tips:

Find the cool junk as a family. Spend nights 13 and 14 looking around the house for all the objects you will put into the eggs.
Make sure you read the Bible! It is not enough for you to try to remember what you think the Easter story is about. Read the Bible and hear again what God’s Word records.
Have the younger children open the eggs and the older children read the Scripture.
Reward good behavior for the young ones with the privilege to hold the opened eggs and objects. This is a great motivator to stop the squirms and listen to the Bible story.

How is your family going to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection this year?

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