“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While the were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” Luke 24:1-6 (NIV)

Family Traditions

Easter this year will be a little bit unusual for us. You see, two of our three children are currently out of the country, one in Japan and one in Czechoslovakia, leaving only our youngest (our daughter) at home. Although it is just my husband and I and our teenager here, and we didn’t get around to dying any eggs this year, my daughter has been dropping hints all week about her Easter basket, wanting to make sure that she doesn’t get “shorted” or have that tradition dry up before she, the last child, graduates from high school! Of course, I had it all under control; I had already filled her basket with gift cards, lotion, makeup, and the obligatory chocolate bunny. I couldn’t bear to see the look of disappointment on her face had there been no basket and no brothers on Easter morning!

Easter Baskets and Colored Eggs

Yes, over the years of raising our children we have carried on the family traditions of egg dyeing and easter baskets. We see them as just that…fun family traditions. Even though that has been our custom for many years now, our children, 16, 21, and 27, know what Easter is all about. They know that Jesus Christ is real and that the Easter Bunny isn’t. They know that Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is the central tenant of our Christian faith. They know why we celebrate Easter.

Easter Sunday Worship

This morning, as we do every Sunday, we attended our home church. There we celebrated with our church family the hope and the miracle of the empty tomb. We pondered the fact that Christianity is different than any other religion in the world because…we worship a living God! We heard about the many appearances of the resurrected Jesus to his disciples and followers. We praised Him in song. We celebrated the king of kings!

Because God is a part of our lives all year round, not just at Easter… and because our Christianity is a part of who we are day in and day out, our children have a solid foundation of faith that cannot easily be shaken by participating in a few family Easter traditions. Of course, I am supportive of those who choose not to allow their children to do so, and believe each family should do as they feel led.

So What Does Easter Mean To Me?

Well, simply this:

Because he is risen, I will one day walk with Him in heaven. Because he is risen, my sins are washed away now and forever. Because he is risen, I have an advocate this very day at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Because he is risen, the Bible is true.

I pray that you and your family will have a glorious and meaningful Easter as you, too, celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you do not know Jesus as your Savior but would like to make that decision today, please follow this link to my page that tells how you might do so:  https://heartmatterssite.com/how-to-become-a-christian/ ‎

He is Risen!