How Can I Teach My Child That Easter Means More Than the Easter Bunny and Baskets of Candy?
It's certainly true that cultural traditions in the celebration of Easter can quickly overshadow family celebrations of the Lord's resurrection if we let them.
So should we throw out all those "secular traditions" and start over? Should we just ignore them and start some of our own? The best solution may be to keep a balance. Remember that Easter, with its Easter baskets, egg-dyeing, and new clothes, is a joyful, fun time for children! And that's not all bad. Easter is a time to celebrate! Is there any way a family can enjoy our culture's secular traditions and still focus on the meaning and joy of the empty tomb? I think there is.
Learn from earlier Christian parents.
The early church chose to celebrate the resurrection at the same time as the ancient pagan festival of Oestre, the goddess of spring. Believing families faced our same dilemma. They apparently decided not to ignore this celebration of spring but to transform its traditions and symbols. Perhaps they knew how effectively children learn from object lessons, so they used the symbols already familiar to their children to point directly to Jesus.
For centuries before the resurrection, eggs were a symbol of new life. Even the Hebrews include a "paschal egg" in the Passover celebration. If your children dye eggs, tell them how they symbolize the new life Christ gives and decorate them with Christian symbols, such as a cross or a tomb with the stone rolled away.
If you buy new clothes for your children at Easter, this can symbolize the new righteousness ("right-ness") we can havewith God because of the resurrection. We can "put on" this new "right-ness" because of the Lord's victory over sin and death, just as we put on new clothes.
If you object to this tradition because of the commercialism, use the money saved to help the poor, or give it to missions. Giving to the needy is one of the oldest Christian traditions associated with Easter. Establish a family project during Lent to raise money for the needy. That helps shift the focus of Easter away from just "What's in my Easter basket?" to "What can I do to honor Jesus?"
Start some traditions of your own.
Early Christians greeted each other on Easter morning with, "The Lord is risen" and the reply, "He is risen indeed!" Your children will enjoy introducing this tradition to everyone they see Easter morning.
Many families may not observe the season of Lent, but observing Holy Week can be a powerful way to help your children enter into the joys and sorrows of the season.
Read the Scripture narrative about Palm Sunday. Let your children imagine (or act out) the cheering of the crowds. Explain the reason for their excitement. On Thursday, get out a towel and bowl of water so each can wash another family member's feet. Explain how Jesus came as a servant and to give His life. This is a good time to talk again about why He had to die and help your children understand the need for repentance.
On Friday, have your children experience the sadness of Jesus' disciples as you read the crucifixion narrative. Then, on Sunday, get up early to watch the sun rise so you can get to the tomb early (as the women did). Read the gospel narrative and let the children act out peeking in the tomb, seeing the angel, and being surprised with joy at the good news. Many families establish advent traditions and observances to help their children prepare for the joy of Christmas. Observing Lent prepares them to enter into the true meaning of Easter.
But what about the Easter Bunny? I admit he's more of a challenge to turn to a spiritual use! The best approach is to treat him with a kind of benign neglect. Make it clear to your children that this rabbit is just a part of the fun pretending that some children (and adults) enjoy at this season. Give him no more than the minor attention due such a character. Major in the risen Lord. Your children will get your message.
It takes careful thought and resourcefulness, but as we use Easter traditions, our children will grasp spiritual truths in the way they learn best—through familiar symbols explained within the context of the family. At the same time, these spiritual truths are planted deep in a child's heart and guarded well by warm childhood memories of family fun and celebrations. This approach follows the example of Christ, who did not come to judge the world but to transform and redeem it. Centuries of Christian parents understood this, and worked to reclaim and redeem its Easter traditions.
Traditions and symbols are part of the common language of the world we live in. Using this common language to teach children the meaning of the resurrection of Christ equips them to share this good news with their friends in language both understand. Surely that, too, is the true meaning of Easter and honoring to its risen Lord!
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