You’d think Easter would be a bigger deal.
Easter is the precise moment when a promise God made centuries earlier was fulfilled. When any and all doubts about Jesus were answered by an empty tomb. When death literally died.
So why—for many of us—does Easter feel sort of… ho hum?
Yes, we celebrate, but Easter doesn’t get nearly the hoopla and fanfare we give Christmas. Not at church … not at home … and not in our hearts. Apart from a basket of chocolate and a few stray eggs that roll under the couch, it usually slips by with a shrug.
Maybe it’s that Easter involves death, and Christmas is all about life? That and it’s far easier to snuggle up to baby Jesus than hanging-on-the-cross Jesus.
But here’s the thing: The Apostle Paul tells us Jesus asked us to remember and celebrate His death (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Not once does Jesus suggest we throw Him an annual birthday bash.
So, let’s approach Easter differently this year. Instead of giving Easter a respectful nod, let’s pause, see it clearly, and embrace it fully. Let’s let it drill down through our busy-ness and traditions and truly connect with Easter.
Do that, and you won’t mind someone else nibbling the ears off your chocolate bunny.
Let’s approach Easter differently this year. Instead of giving it a respectful nod, let’s pause, see it clearly, and embrace it fully.
Ideas for Approaching Easter
Visit a Cemetery
Some years ago, I took my young children to our local cemetery early on Easter morning. Tombstones there date back to the late 1800’s which, to my kids, was ancient history. I told them I’d give the first child who found Jesus’ headstone a dollar, so off they tore on a desperate hunt.
Half an hour later, they returned with the news they couldn’t find it … which gave me the perfect opportunity to tell them they’d never find it because Jesus wasn’t dead. He’s alive!
You may or may not have young kids in your care, but a thoughtful stroll through a cemetery will remind you too: He’s alive. Jesus is alive.
Launch a Gratitude Journal
More than one study has found that writing down what prompts gratitude in your life is good for your mental health … and it is.
But it’s also good for your spiritual health.
Find a fresh piece of paper and a pen and write “Easter” at the top of the page. Then consider: Is Easter something for which you’re truly grateful? If not, why not? If so, why? What does Jesus rising from the dead mean in your life?
Write and keep writing.
Create a Sacred Space
Whether it’s for a day or an hour, find time to unplug. Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb.” Ignore emails and texts. Turn off your computer.
Sit in a comfortable chair, read Luke 23-24:7, and ask God why what you just read matters. Then—listen. You’ll be stunned by what the Holy Spirit will whisper to you when you’re listening.
Read Luke 23-24:7 Aloud
Too often we mentally skip through familiar passages. We’ve heard it before and know what’s coming, so we don’t really focus.
But when you read aloud you slow down, you can see and taste each word. Stuff sinks in.
Let Luke help you experience Easter in a new way.
Respond to Easter
Write a poem or piece of music. Paint or sketch. Dance. Sing. Sculpt something. Create a collage.
However you express yourself, turn your attention to Easter and respond to what Jesus did. Don’t worry if your clay sculpture looks like a second-grade art project. This is between God and you, and God works with cracked vessels and imperfect pots all day long.
Your response is worship; God will receive and honor it.
And you’ll experience Easter in a deeper way.
Seek Out a Passion Play
Since the 1600’s the townspeople in Oberammergau, Germany, have put on a play telling the story of Jesus and Easter. It’s only staged every decade, tickets sell out years in advance, and it’s in Germany—so that play probably won’t work out. But local churches sometimes stage less grandiose versions of the passion play. And seeing a bunch of kids in borrowed bathrobes share the story can bring you to tears.
Do whatever you can to let Easter touch your emotions as well as your thoughts—and cute kids in a play can do the trick.
Experience Easter in a deeper way.
Do Lent—Even If You Don’t Do Lent
Lent is a tradition that isn’t universally practiced—but that doesn’t have to stop you.
The purpose of the 40-day Lenten season is to ready Christians to meet Easter through repentance, prayer, and a degree of self-discipline. It begins with Ash Wednesday.
I find all three either intimidating or challenging, so last Easter I decided to organize my own Lent … and it was powerful. I added specific, regular prayer to my schedule. And I stopped to consider who I’d wronged and reached out to a few people to ask their forgiveness and if my wrongs had hurt them. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, but the asking brought us closer.
And I fasted. Not for 40 days, thank you, but for two … and that was enough. My mind cleared, and I could look at Easter through eyes that appreciated Jesus’ suffering—and victory.
Watch the JESUS movie
You’ll find this account of Jesus’ life online and on TV during the Easter season. It includes what happens at Easter in the larger context of Jesus’ life on earth.
This is a powerful film, so no fast-forwarding.
Watch prayerfully. Before the film starts, ask God to help you see Him in what’s coming, to help you lean into responding to His love shown on the cross.
Craft a Cross Out of Found Objects
There’s no Easter without the cross, so make one to hang on your door. Sticks, twine, recycled plastic straws, and rubber bands—they all work.
Walk your neighborhood looking for supplies. Invite Jesus to walk with you and have a chat with Him as you go. Pray for the people who live in the houses you pass. Tell Him why you need Him. Ask for forgiveness.
Then, once you’ve gathered supplies, make the cross as you consider what it was like for Jesus on the one He dragged to the Place of the Skull.
Let that break your heart. It will let Easter in.
Find a Rock That Speaks to You
We know, we know: Rocks don’t talk. But in the same way there’s no Easter without a cross, there’s no Easter without a stone rolled away from a tomb.
Put your rock where you’ll see it all through the Easter season. When you see it, thank God for Easter the life you find in the shadow of that empty tomb.
Mikal Keefer is a children’s ministry volunteer in Loveland, Colorado, the author of the bestselling Notes From Jesus, and should you be filling his Easter basket he wants you to know he hates jelly beans.
For more ideas this Easter, check out the articles here.
The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages
The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages
