How Happy is Your Easter?

As a young adult, I will admit Easter was not a favorite holiday. The truth is, I was not even acknowledging it as a Holy Day. As a Christian, I was completely missing the scriptural importance of this holiday.

Once our children were born, we celebrated with the usual Easter basket and dying of eggs, but I knew I needed to introduce more of the doctrinal reasons for Easter. We would make resurrection rolls and talk about their meaning, and then we added resurrection eggs to our traditions. They loved the resurrection eggs, and it was a meaningful way to teach the essential details of Holy Week.

However, this year after reading some articles and books and listening to some podcasts, I have felt I am still not doing enough. I came across a man, N.T. Wright, who made a statement that sums up these convictions rising in my heart.

“This is our greatest festival…Take Christmas away, and in biblical terms, you lose two chapters of the front of Matthew and two chapters at the front of Luke, but nothing else. If you take Easter away, you don’t have a New Testament. You don’t have Christianity. And as Paul says, we are still in our sins.”

N.T. Wright

As a Christian, Easter is what. it. is. all. about! It should be a heartfelt celebration. We need to rejoice! This holiday should be elevated above Christmas.

When the disciples ran to the tomb after Mary Magdalene told them His body had been taken, they still didn’t understand (John 20:1-9). At this point, they thought His ministry was over. They broke up from their group and went their separate ways back to their own homes the Bible tells us (John 20:10). Later that evening the disciples are back together, shut up in a home and huddled in fear of being blamed for taking His body, but then Jesus appears (John 20:19).

When they realized their Master had risen from the dead, do you think they were probably a tiny bit excited? You know they were exuberant! That same excitement should be what we feel on Easter and truly on every day. Our Jesus conquered death! (Revelation 1:18)

I doubt they woke the Monday after Easter Sunday and went back to life as usual. No! Their lives were transformed.

They had a new high calling (Philippians 3:14).

A new great commission to proclaim (Matthew 28: 16-20).

The story of their risen Savior and His free gift was their new goal (Romans 6:23).

What can you do to make Easter more meaningful?

• Start a devotional on Palm Sunday (yesterday) to make each day of Holy Week (also called Passion Week) more meaningful.
• “Go dark” for Holy Week where starting on Palm Sunday you turn social media off, limit checking your email, and turn off the TV at night. This idea comes from this post a friend shared with me last week, the day after I wrote this post which she knew nothing about. She and I are on the same wavelength spiritually!
• Decorate your home with truths of the resurrection. Finding ways to express your faith as part of your home décor is important. For Easter it can be word art such as “He is risen!” (Matthew 28:6) or “Tetelestai – It is finished!” (John 19:30)
• Start the tradition of resurrection eggs with your kids or grandchildren. You can make them yourself or buy them online.
• Read about and meditate on the events of Holy Week each day.
  Here are two timelines that give good details for the week. #1 and #2.
• Other ideas – resurrection rolls for Easter morning, decorating with a lamb motif to remind your family Jesus is the Lamb of God “which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), pray and fast, study and celebrate the Passover and see the Jewish symbols that represent Christianity

A couple of years ago during my Bible reading, I felt like the Lord was speaking to me about celebrating the Passover…and I’m not even Jewish! That is how I responded in my heart anyways. Also, I did not grow up in a church which celebrates Lent, but I did start late in the season doing my own approach and have plans to do more next year. (Lent for me is about preparing my heart and mind to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus.) I am reading about and meditating on the events of Holy Week with the start of Palm Sunday. Next year, I may include a Passover celebration. 😉

I know this challenge is coming late, but I kept going back to it even though I had several other ideas I had been working on to share this week. Yes, most of this is too late to do for this Easter, but make it a point for next year to remember how Jesus’ disciples must have rejoiced and celebrate the resurrection as if you were with them that day. Make your Easter not just happy but worshipful. 💕