Celebrating the Right thing on Easter

Oh Easter is almost here!

There are so many things that I love about this Easter time.

1) It is finally starting to look like Spring! Although as I wright this it is rainy outside...
2) I love all the fun pastel girly colors
3)Summer is right around the corner!
4)Easter break means I only have 2 more weeks of school...Then I'm done!
5)Shedding all the big winter layers and pulling out the fun summery dresses
6)Time spent with Family
7)Making cute Easter baskets and Easter egg hunts
8)Making cute and yummy Easter and Spring desserts

I love all this about the Easter/Spring time...but you know what? This is not the meaning of Easter we should be focusing on. I get so wrapped up in the cute decorations and fun things going on that I forget why we celebrate.

No, I do not think having an Easter egg hunt is bad. The same way I do not think that having a Christmas tree is bad. But when they take the place of knowing the real reason for the celebration then they become bad.

Easter's real meaning seems to get lost much more than Christmas's real meaning. We so often forget that it's not all about the Easter bunny and finding eggs.

It's actually about Christ and his death and resurrection.

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened. Luke 42:1-12

It's a great idea to go around as a family and read the Easter story together so that we do not forget why we are celebrating. We are not mourning Christ's death but celebrating new life!
Parts of the Easter story can be found in:

• Matthew 28:1-20
• Mark 16:1-19
• Luke 24:1-53
• John 20:1 – 22:25

Have you read these as a family lately? I know that we haven't. As we look forward to having children we have been thinking about and discussing ways to share Jesus with them and to incorporate meaningful family traditions. A great idea would be every day for the rest of the week reading one of these passages aloud as a family maybe over the dinner table. Sharing with our children the real meaning will {along with the Holy Spirit} write these things on their heart. And we can always do with reading more Scripture ourselves.

I am praying that you have a very Intentional Easter this year full of joy and celebration at what the Lord has done for us. As well as careful study of HIS Scripture.

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