Friday, March 27, 2015

A whole Easter Season

IMG_5957We’re really trying to make a big deal over Easter this season.  After this long winter we need the joy and hope that Eater brings (since spring won’t be here for a while!).  Ugg.

Now, by big deal I don’t mean lots of bunnies and chocolates, but lots of Jesus.  For a while we’ve done a pretty good job at celebrating Holy Week with so many good ideas from here and here.

But this year my friend Heidi and I decided that Easter needs more than a week.  It needs a whole season.  And since the world doesn’t go as commercial crazy for Easter like it does for Christmas we decided that we could take it over pretty easily and help our season to really have Jesus at it’s center.   

We came up with an Easter month plan mostly to use with our own families, but also to share with friends and members of our church congregation.  It starts three weeks before Easter and extends one week past Easter.   Here at our house we’ve been trying to do a daily devotional in place of our regular scripture study to have time to talk about Jesus, his teachings, his life, his miracles.  We’re trying to really help the kids connect with these stories, to see his miracles and teachings come alive in our lives. 

And we’re watching a lot of the LDS bible videos to help the kids really get a better feel for how real Jesus is and was.  They’re not perfect, and sometimes I cringe a little at the way they’re produced, but for the most part they’re great.  And I know we all feel the spirit as we watch them. 

This new shift and focus on Christ has changed the feeling in our home.  Sure we’re still fighting and tattling and pushing buttons.  But not as much.  There is a distinctly different tone in our home.  And I know Jesus is rattling around in the kids heads more because they’re talking about him and asking questions about him and trying to figure him out.  Hazel and Charlie are grappling with hard questions about Jesus:  Did he get mad?  Is he bragging when he talks about who he is and what he’s here to do? What would he do in a certain situation?  Emmeline and Peter are hungry to hear his stories and asking real questions, like what did he eat?  Where did he live?  Where did he go after he was resurrected. 

My dad always says that the strongest families he knows are the ones who have Christ at their center.  Sure, it’s good to make family your center, or the church your center, or service or education or healthy living.  But Christ is where the real power is.   I want, more than anything, for my kids to know how to tap into that power.  And it begins with really knowing who he is and how he lived.

We haven’t done it all right.  I had planned to wake early and read the scripture passages I wanted to share alone first to come up with questions and feel out what my kids most needed to hear, but instead I’m usually winging these devotionals, and lots of times we’re tired at the end of the day and things don’t go as planned. We aren’t doing all the activities (there are way too many for to pull off while still remaining calm), so we’re picking and choosing and doing what we can.  And somehow, in spite of our sometimes week efforts, through the magic of the sprit and the power that comes when you think about Christ, it’s working.  The gaps are filled up.   We are abiding more in Christ.  And he is abiding in us. 

I meant to get this doc up here before now, but at least its in time for Holy Week next week.  And of course you can continue your Easter season after Easter too.  Maybe Easter is just the kick off?  I think we’re going to continue.  We’ve just barely scratched the surface. 

Enjoy, and Happy Easter Season!

Click here for the doc. 

 

(Two more things)

I love this new video produced by our church.  Powerful. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?t=11&v=BZqTRSVA1YA

And I just discovered a great online Easter week source here.  You’ve got to scroll down to the Easter week part.  I’m excited to have so much info all in one place – quick access is essential around here!

13 comments:

  1. Lent is 40 days.

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    1. Yes! Thanks for that reminder KMS. I do love how Catholics start thinking about Easter 40 days before hand. Maybe we'll start our season on Ash Wednesday next year. And I also love the idea of giving something up for lent. I've done that in the past, but my kids never have. I think a little daily sacrifice of something you're normally stuck to is a great reminder and a good way for kids to feel connected with the season.

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    2. It's not always giving up something like chocolate. Sometimes it doing something. More simple meals and donate the rest you would have spent to operation rice bowl. Daily mass or scripture readings out of the ordinary. Maybe it's doing a good deed a day. Like taking a siblings chore for the whole of lent.

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    3. I love those ideas! Thanks. Maybe I'll encourage my kids to pick something at least until Easter, or until the week after. Thanks for the nudge!

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  2. Your great suggestions are certainly making our season more meaningful! Thanks for the heads-up! Easter should perhaps be even more important than Christmas as we celebrate the most important event in the history of the world! Love it!

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  3. This is wonderful! We began celebrating Easter in a more meaningful (to us) way 2 years ago and I think it just might be my favorite time of the year now! Here's a look at our Christ Centered Easter and Holy Week: http://fromthemrs.blogspot.com/2015/03/christ-centered-easter-and-holy-week.html

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  4. I see kms beat me to it by mentioning that a "month of Easter" was invented a long time ago as Lent - a season of preparation for Easter. Lent isn't just for Catholics - I'm a born and bred UK Methodist and we have always observed Lent. In the UK (not sure about the rest of the world) Many Christians have recently used Lent as a time to take something on rather than give something up eg www.40acts.org.uk/

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    1. Forgot to say - according to the lectionary Easter starts on Easter Sunday and lasts 8 weeks until Pentecost

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    2. Yes the easter season doesn't end at lent. I just didn't know if they can relate to Pentecost? I know LDS believe there was another appearance of Christ in the new world after the resurrection as well. Wasn't sure the time table and didn't want to be disrespectful to that. Eastern Orthodox christians also have lent. They are a bit more hard core with the sacrifice compared to Roman Catholics. It isn't just for Catholics and Methodists. So much happen during Holy Week. Easter is a big deal, we all agree. We are more similar than we realize. I do like that we have a liturgical schedule. No matter what day it is the calendar is the same around the world to what scriptures are proclaimed. All denominations are in unison on easter.

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    3. Yes, duh, I'm sorry. We don't talk too much about Lent as Mormons, so I'm happy to get a better understanding of it! Thank you. That 40 acts link is awesome! And KMS, I love your point about how we're all in unison on Easter. And I think on Christmas too. And on a whole bunch of things really. Thanks for your comments.

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  5. Thank you for being so candid with the efforts you ate making and with the struggles of getting kids to join in. I think I'll try this this week. I've never done something like it, but I do love those bible videos, and would love for my kids to want to know the character of Christ. What dedication I see in you. Thanks for the ideas to spark some action.

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  6. Wow! The document you and your friend created is amazing!! I love the ideas, they are perfect for younger children. I am so excited! I just started writing up the scriptures coinciding with the days of Holy Week yesterday for our family to study today. Then I found this!! Really, thank you for these ideas!! It will be a beautiful week!

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  7. I love this! Thank you!

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