Preparing for Easter
April 18th, 2022 “Hosanna! Hosanna!” Lincoln sang as he walked out of the children’s service. He was so excited after hearing the Palm Sunday message. His enthusiasm prompted me to think about how we were going to do something different this year during Holy Week. I wanted the celebration to be more hands-on, both for us and the children, and to take place over several days so we could prepare our hearts for the message. On Palm Sunday evening, we hosted our bi-weekly Life Group and finished a two-part Easter series. The kids are usually watching a movie or playing upstairs during our Life Group, but they know it’s a part of our weekends and look forward to it. Sometimes our friends’ children will come over to play or watch a movie with them and the kids join us following the discussion for dinner and dessert. We have a Children’s Bible Story Book that my grandmother gave my brother’s and I when we were children. The large book has the best vivid imagery and the stories are much in-depth. The Easter story from Palm Sunday through Resurrection, for example, is over 40 pages. We picked stories throughout the week to focus on each night. After putting the kids to bed on Tuesday, Drew and I watched Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. I hadn’t see the movie in several years and it was Drew’s first time. It is hard to watch of course but it was so powerful to get a glimpse into how Jesus suffered for us. To know that He suffered so greatly to save us, to save me, is a fact I need to remind myself of regularly. My acts alone do nothing to earn God’s favor and without Him, nothing is worth earning. On Wednesday, our church held a time and space for reflection. It was self-paced and over four stations, we were encouraged to clear our minds of today’s worries, lift up our prayers to the Lord, receive His message, and receive his forgiveness. As Drew was leaving out of town for an overnight work trip, we attended separately. The church was quiet and only one other person was present during each of our visits. I know I need to create that quiet time of prayer in the morning, before anyone else awakes in the house. It’s life-giving and I admire my girlfriends and spiritual mentors who already do this daily. On Thursday night, before Drew returned from his trip, I sat with the kids and read over the stories of Jesus washing his Disciples feet and then we took turns washing each other’s. Then, we read the story of Last Summer, and broke some naan together and drank sparkling grape juice. The kids wanted to repeat the Last Supper a few times that night! On Good Friday, we read and talked about Jesus’ crucifixion. That night, Drew and I attended a Good Friday service while the kids were with some close family friends. Drew and I also fasted that day. Having grown up Catholic, I used to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday avoid meat on Fridays through lent. It was the first time I fasted in years and it is a practice I intend to do more regularly to honor the Lord and prioritize Him over my expected routines. On Saturday, we watched a few Christian Easter videos that were recommended by a friend and went over the Easter message from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. The video included an Easter Egg Hunt with plastics eggs containing toys that functioned as symbols from the Easter story, such as a palm and large rock. Abby’s Kindergarten class had a similar activity at their Easter Party a few days earlier and was excited to tell the story behind each symbol.
When Easter finally arrived, they were of course excited about their baskets, candy and eggs, but also there was no doubt they knew the real message through and through. It did not take long at all to prepare or participate in the events throughout the week, but it took some mental preparation and space that we had to set apart from our daily lives. It is one of the reasons I am looking forward to homeschooling – to have the energy and time to delve into any celebration or topic of our choosing. As Lincoln walked out of church on Easter morning saying, “Mommy! Jesus was buried but now He’s alive! He rose from the dead!”, I knew this was an Easter to remember.