If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile… I Cor. 15:17

If there is one Christian holiday that should occupy a place of prominence in our celebrations and teaching it is Easter—and I don’t mean the Easter Bunny. We tend to make much more of Christmas than we do Easter, with both holidays be subjected to cultural misrepresentations. Yet Easter is what Christmas is all about. It ought to demand our deepest worship and the highest place in our family and church traditions. So how do we do that?

Some churches still hold Sunrise Easter services to celebrate our Lord’s resurrection. These were powerful images and impressions upon me as a child. If your church holds a Sunrise Service, I would encourage you to include it in your family traditions if possible.

My good friend and colleague, Lillian Penner, has shared an excellent way to elevate the purpose of Easter in her blog, Grandparenting with a Purpose. She shows you how to use the traditional Easter egg hunt to teach children the story of Easter. Here is a link to her blog with all the details.

Let me give you a couple more ideas you might consider as well:

Idea #1: When you color eggs with your grandchildren, make sure to leave one pure white. Explain that this is the Resurrection Egg representing Christ, whose voluntary sacrifice on the Cross makes it possible for our sins to be washed away as white as snow (or an egg).

Idea #2: It’s Springtime, so cut a flowering branch from a bush or tree and place it in a prominent place in your home. Invite the grandkids to come to your house to make special Easter eggs (or ask them to do it at their house if they are far away).

Punch a small hole in each end of the raw eggs and blow out the contents. Then paint and decorate the eggs and place them as decorations in the flowering branch.

Let it serve as a reminder that Jesus came, in fulfillment of prophecy, from the branch of David, the rose of Sharon, to be our Savior and King. The branch reminds us that His resurrection is why we can experience new life in Christ. You have a visual expression of our adoration and thanksgiving for His sacrifice on our behalf.

Whatever you choose to do, make it a day of worship and awe at the amazing grace God has lavished on us through Christ Jesus, our Lord. In our feasting and family gatherings, let us not forget why we celebrate and who is being celebrated. Let’s cultivate a view of Easter that rises far above the silliness of an Easter bunny.

Share your comments: What are some of the Easter traditions your family uses to keep the focus of Easter on the resurrection and making much of Christ’s amazing gift of life to us? Share your ideas for others to use as well.