Bunnies and eggs and candy, oh my. All the Easter fun and it can feel like the Jesus gets lost in the mix. For believers in Christ, that is a tragic thing to consider or for me to even type. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the whole reason to celebrate. So, what if instead of the bunnies and eggs crowding Jesus out, we use them to point us towards Him?
What if, in fact, we saw every holiday as an opportunity to remind our children of our faith and celebrate what our God has done? The fourth of July can be a reminder of our freedom, Memorial Day can remind us to lay down our lives for others, Valentine’s is a chance to remember God’s great love toward us and show that to others. Those holidays aren’t inherently Christian but can be used as an annual reminder on the calendar to reflect on and hold fast to our beliefs. When we do this, we are acting out the charge God gave the newly formed nation of Israel in Exodus. Among all of the new laws for the Israelites, God also strategically set up holidays and celebrations to create opportunities for the people to remember who He was and what He had done and pass that on to their children.
We see that when God tells the people to celebrate Passover annually and specifically tells them that they are doing this so that when their children ask them about the celebration, they can re-count all that God has done and make sure their children always remember God’s goodness toward His people:
Exodus 12:24
“Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ”
We also see this in Joshua, after God miraculously parts the Jordan River so His people can pass over, He tells them each to take a stone from the river as a memorial so that their children can be reminded and believe.
Joshua 4:5-7
Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
So much like the Israelites, we have the opportunity with each holiday to help our children remember the goodness of our God so that they, too may believe. We can take the iconic features of each American holiday and by God’s creative grace, redeem them for good. Bunnies can represent new life, God’s creative goodness and the joy of giving gifts. The bunny can even come to help us celebrate the good news of Jesus! And the eggs, praise God, He has given the creative ideas to so many who have come up with great ways to use Easter eggs to point us to the Savior. Here are a few of my favorites:
Eggs that tell the story:
Easter is a great time to give books that help tell the beautiful story of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Here are some I love:
Books about Easter:
Another Easter holiday favorite are yummy treats. Our family loves resurrection rolls! Here’s how you make those and how it tells the story of the empty tomb:
Resurrection Rolls:
Mama, don’t worry that the candy, eggs and bunnies are a distraction from the true meaning of Easter. Instead, let them point to Jesus and join in on the celebration of truly, the greatest day in human history.
Blessings,
Kate
