A Hallelujah Holiday

When many of us think Easter, egg hunts and chocolate bunnies immediately come to mind. True, many of today’s Easter festivities focus more around the coming of spring than the resurrection of our Savior, but the heart of the holiday will always resound with a Hallelujah – He is Risen! This Easter, here are some fun and easy ways to keep Christ at the center of your family’s celebration.

With only four ingredients, these rolls are an easy and tasty way to remember why we celebrate. Separate pre-made crescent dough into triangles. Place a marshmallow and a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar in the center of each triangle.  Roll dough around the marshmallow starting at the triangle’s widest end. Tuck sides of roll up and press to seal, leaving the marshmallow completely hidden.  Bake as directed on package.  When you bite into these treats fresh from the oven, you’ll discover that that the marshmallow has melted away leaving the roll empty – just like the tomb on Easter morning!

The symbolism in the sunrise Easter service is clear: according to the Gospels, it was dawn when the first believers went to the tomb and found the rock rolled away from the entrance and the body of Jesus gone.  Celebrate the greatest miracle the world has ever known by inviting family and friends to worship while the sun comes up.  Grab some blankets and a wireless speaker and head anywhere with a view.  We’ve assembled an amazing Easter-themed praise playlist based on your suggestions, but any of your favorite worship songs will work.  Sing your heart out and give thanks for a Lord who is Risen like the sun. (Heads up: You don’t need to wait until Easter Sunday to praise the sun up, but if you do, sunrise on Easter Sunday is scheduled for 6:28am this year!)

This centerpiece is a simple and elegant way to keep the meaning of Easter at the center of the holiday – and your table!  Take a shallow bowl and fill halfway with soil or coffee beans.  Bury a cup or small planter on it’s side into the soil or beans, leaving the opening exposed.  Top the cup with more soil and surround the entrance to the tomb with rocks, including a large one that has been rolled away. Top it off with a rustic twig cross.  You can plant grass seed in the soil and water regularly to watch it grow in the days leading up to Easter or, if your thumb isn’t so green, make use of the faux grass lining Easter baskets this time of year.

Based on the diet of the Ancient Isrealites during Jesus’s time, the actual Last Supper menu likely included items like unleavened bread, beans or legumes, fish, olives, and dates.  Have fun putting a modern spin on this menu and interpret it in any creative way that your family will eat.  Prepare a charcuterie board with matzo crackers and dried fruits, grill your favorite fish with olive oil and herbs, or let a hummus sampler be the legumes at your table.  This meal is less about what you eat and more about what it represents.  Take this time to reflect on what Christ did for us, and savor family table fellowship just as He did with His disciples.

Easter is our yearly opportunity to celebrate the defeat of death and the hope of salvation.  When we keep Christ at the center of how we celebrate, the focus remains on Him and the priceless gift of eternal life He overcame death to give us.  He is Risen indeed!