More Than an Easter Egg Hunt

by Rachel Brown

Easter is fast approaching and I can’t help but want to share a challenging question and also what is happening in our home that you might want to recreate!

Easter is a big deal and nothing like a man who was raised from the dead and now gives me a pretty amazing life to celebrate, right? So, I get a little excited!  I’m a lover of any and all things related to the Passover (especially a Seder meal) and of course the Resurrection. My house looks like Hobby Lobby dumped its Easter section out in my grate room and that is ok! My precious husband isn’t so sure! I love him!

 

So…in my pursuit of celebration we have always had a huge Jesus-centered Easter party and we pretty much invite everyone we know! It’s so fun….we make ‘tomb biscuits’, we wrap a paper representation of Jesus in toilet paper w all kinds of spices to smell and seal him in an envelope to open Easter morning, we hunt eggs representing our new life only found in Christ, we sing worship songs w motions like we are digging a grave.

If it can be done in two to three hours…we do it!

Our newest tradition is filling our Easter basket with rocks representing our sins for weeks before Easter and then the night before Easter morning covering the basket with a red cloth (representing the blood that HE spilled for us) and then we will replace the rocks with ‘good gifts’ (their Easter goodies) that He desperately wants for all of us!!! Awesome..right? I love love this idea and many thanks to my dear friend Mallory for that amazingness!

All this to say…two weeks ago I was reminded why creating opportunities and environments that my kids look so forward to is  worth the investment!  I heard my dear friend, Terry Willits, teach on creating environments in our home and was awestruck at a question that she asked to the group! Terry teaches on creating environments, has written a book on homemaking and is an amazing mom herself!

She practices what she preaches and her home is like a warm blanket by the fire…you want to linger there! She asked the group, ‘When your children look back on their life in your home, what will they remember most?’  Now, I’m not going to lie…I fear most the negative things they will remember. Now make no mistake I’ve started their counseling and therapy fund (which is probably one the of healthiest things in the world)…and I am highly aware that Satan is always the author and perfecter of lies!

Here’s the point…my kids will remember these traditions…they will remember the empty tomb biscuits and so will their friends who may not have parents who even know what Jesus did for them! One day they will smell something cinnamony and doughy baking in an oven and my prayer is they will remember our home being a place where we loved to celebrate, where their friends were welcomed and loved on, where Jesus was front and center, and where traditions matter because that is who we are and what celebration is all about!

 

Thank you Jesus for the ability to celebrate you…thank you Terry for the reminder of why I fill hundreds of eggs, and why I spend hours making those three hours the best of our spring. Most of all, I am so grateful that HE entrusted these precious little people to me….grateful beyond all belief.

 

What are your Easter traditions?

What will your kids remember about your home?

Is there a group of friends you could invite over and start a tradition this year?

Thank you Rachel! I LOVED this so much. And I just finished an entire chapter on this topic for my new book. However, I thought this challenge was awesome for my own family. There are activities in our home – but the idea of getting together with friends really excited me. Memories in a crowd and traditions are so so fun. So, I’m doing it. And, I’m inviting YOU.

This tree downtown Orlando off of South has captured my heart. Have you seen it? I think we just do this. Meet here. If you’re local, come on. Let’ meet at 4:00 after school on Friday, April 18 for a Jesus-centered Easter celebration. If you are interested, email me at courtneydefeocom(at)gmail(dot)com and I will get you more details. We will do some fun Easter crafts focused on our risen Savior and just have a fun time with our kids. – Courtney