How Does one Prepare Their Heart for Easter?
A few years ago I had an encounter with my children that I’ll not soon forget.
It was a teachable moment that came out of an everyday life experience.
Ever have one of those?
As I share this story, my prayer is that it will inspire you to spend some time thinking of ways that you and your family can better prepare your heart for Easter too.
The Encounter that Forever Changed the Way We Approach Easter
Shortly before Easter Sunday, while perusing the bookshelf for something to read, my ten year old daughter randomly pulled out The Passion Picture Book from the shelf, and began to flip through it’s pages.
If you’re not familiar with this book, it is based off of the movie directed by Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ.
The book, not unlike the movie, is graphic in nature. It was compiled of scenes from the film depicting the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Graphic scenes. Bloody scenes.Horrific scenes.
My daughter soon began asking me a series of questions revolving around the death of Jesus. Why was He beaten? Why were people so mean to Him? Why did He have to die the way He did?
Overhearing our discussion from the other room, my three youngest children gathered in close – listening intently.
Overall, it was a valuable teaching moment. I did my best to answer their honest, albeit difficult, questions. But as I was finishing my explanation, I suddenly became very aware of how quiet the room had become.
When I looked up from the book to catch their reaction to all of this, I was surprised to see my son’s jaw opened wide in astonishment, and silent tears streaming down the cheeks of my daughter’s face.
I pondered this.
I’ll admit, their reaction caught me by surprise. My children were not unfamiliar with the Easter message. They had each been taught from an early age about the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice, and each child had a good understanding of what that entailed.
So why the heightened emotions all of the sudden?
I suspect my children’s reaction was a direct result from connecting the images that assaulted their eyes, to the truth of what Jesus endured.
The knowledge of Jesus’ sacrifice suddenly transferred from their head to their heart.
And It made me think of how numb we adults can become over the years, regarding the redemption message. It’s easy to forget the magnitude of what Jesus did for us.
Personally speaking, I know that if I don’t take the time to really meditate on the depth of His sacrifice, Easter tends to be just another holiday. But oh, it is so much more!
Why DO We Celebrate Easter?
As christian’s, we celebrate Easter to remind us of the awesome sacrifice rendered for the sake of our sins. There was nothing quick or easy, clean or small, about Jesus’ death.
It was slow, and agonizing, and bloody, and humiliating, and messy, and horrendous, and excruciating. He was mocked, spit on, whipped, beaten, shamed, starved, betrayed, rejected, scorned, and crucified!
For you.
For me.
For the world.
Every year, in preparation for Easter, my family traditionally watches the movie, The Passion of Christ, to serve as a reminder of why we acknowledge this special holiday.
Prior to that year, we had always made a point to watch it well after our kids were asleep, believing that it was too much for little eyes to take in.
However, that specific year, we decided to allow our children to stay and watch with us. Gasp!
I know that not everyone will agree with our decision. But there’s a reason behind our madness. We don’t want our children to become desensitized to the sacrifice of Christ, on our behalf.
In fact, WE don’t want to, ourselves, become desensitized. Because it is important.
We believe that it is crucial for our children to know and understand the depth of Christ’s love for us- that He would willingly go to the cross, and die a horrible death- for our sake!
Who would do that??
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7)
Jesus would do that. That’s who.
The Importance of Teaching Our Children the Easter Message
My husband and I want our children to understand that, YES, our sins carried Jesus to the cross, but it was His love that kept Him there.
And He would do it again. Because He believes that we are worth it.Because He loves us that much!
That night, as our family snuggled together on the couch, we made a point to forewarn our children of the detailed nature of the film we were about to watch. They understood that if at any point, it became too much for them, they were free to leave the room.
About midway through the whipping scene, my daughter excused herself.
My son, while remaining present, continued to watch through his fingers.
Isn’t this the way it ought to be with us? Shouldn’t the thought of Jesus’ sacrifice, FOR US, make us cringe too??
Christ is Risen Victorious!
Yes, we know that in the end, Christ wins.
While the serpent managed to successfully bruise the heel of Jesus, He ultimately crushed the head of the serpent- securing our salvation once and for all.
We know that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, and continues to reign at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us all.
We celebrate Easter because it’s the day when Jesus victoriously conquered death. And yet… that doesn’t take away from the fact that He first had to suffer and die!
So, how do we make the knowledge of Jesus’ sacrifice sink from our head to our heart?
This year, as you prepare your heart for Easter, I propose that we take some time to meditate on the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice, in order to give us a greater appreciation of the cost of redemption.
Here are a few of my favorite ideas that I have found to be helpful when you want to prepare your heart for Easter.
5 Ways to Prepare Your Heart for Easter
1. Meditate on Scripture
Following a daily devotion that focuses on Easter, or simply reading God’s Word in the days leading up to this special holiday, are both great ways to prepare our heart’s for the redemption message.
Being in the Word daily is of great importance anytime, not just during Easter, as it keeps us connected to the Vine.
2. Fast and Pray
Many people observe Lent by fasting and praying, in the days leading up to Easter Sunday.
I have found that fasting and praying (don’t forget the prayer equation) happens to be the most beneficial way to increase our intimacy with God. In fact, there are many benefits! It heightens are spiritual awareness, gives us a greater perspective, draws us closer to God, and brings us spiritual breakthrough!
3. Attend a Service
There are several church services that one can attend during the week of Easter- Palm Sunday service, Good Friday service, Sunrise service, and you can even attend a Jewish Seder to observe Passover.
Find a local church that participates in any one of these traditions, to enrich your Easter experience.
4. Discuss and Reflect
Having open conversations as a family, allows room for heartfelt discussions and growth.
It also provides us with ample opportunities for teachable moments, like the one our family experienced above, and helps us to reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection, while forming a special bond with one another. Win! Win!
5. Serve Others
One of the things that helps to draw me closer to the Lord is the simple act of serving others- whether that be inviting a family into our home for dinner, or giving of our service or money to a particular need, or dishing up food at the homeless shelter- there are many ways that we can get involved.
When I reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice for me, it gives me the desire to want to sacrifice of my time, money, friendship or resources for others.
How About You?
I would love to hear some of the ways that you and your family prepare your heart for Easter Sunday. Would you share them in the comments below?
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Thank you for that timely reminder, it’s only my husband & I living at home now, as all our girls are adults living their own lives with our 10 grandchildren.
But we try to live the Easter story each day, our Savior’s sacrifice & resurrection is life to our lives. For without that we would not have this life but one without hope.
You are most welcome to drop by with your favorite beverage & tasty treat for a time of reflection.
Jennifer
I love that, Jennifer- living the Easter story each day! That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?! 🙂
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You made me tear up just thinking about the look on your little one’s faces. What a beautiful reminder.
Aww, thank you! It was a good reminder for ME too! 🙂
Thank God that He helped you to respond to that teachable moment with your children! This sentence touched my heart with so much truth: “We celebrate Easter because it’s the day when Jesus victoriously conquered death. And yet… that doesn’t take away from the fact that He first had to suffer and die!” It is so important that we give our children a chance to understand the real meaning of why we celebrate Easter. May you be blessed this week!
Yes, I agree Bettie! Thanks for the encouragement. 🙂
Beautiful article. Thanks for the reminder not to allow ourselves to become desensitized to the full extent of Christ’s sacrifice for us. It’s a very easy thing to happen and warrants being careful to guard against it. I appreciated this article and the advice you shared. God bless you!
Thanks for your words of encouragement Juanita! Glad you visited today. 🙂
Rachel, neighbors again (Jaime’s today). The Passion, book, is on our coffee table RIGHT NOW. Thank You, for the cross, Lord. xo
Awesome Susan! We used to keep ours on the coffee table too…until we added more littles. 😉
I liked your list of ways to prepare for Easter. I didn’t grow up with Lent but have learned to appreciate it as a way to prepare for Easter (since my family did celebrate Advent to prepare for Christmas growing up). Thanks for sharing! Your neighbor #47 on Holley’s linkup.
Thanks Bethany! I didn’t grow up acknowledging Lent either. It’s something I’ve adopted more recently. Thanks for stopping in! 😉
Such a reminder! It has been many years since I’ve seen the Passion of the Christ, and so I believe it is time to watch it again!
Thank you! It’s a hard one to watch. Don’t think I could do it more than once a year. 😉
How difficult but also how beautiful that moment must have been that you shared with your children. I can imagine them listen intently as you spoke. I always tell my children…it is the greatest story of all time…and it is TRUE.
YES it is!!! Love that, Angel! <3
What a great post! Absolutely, we should never become desensitized or so familiar with the passion story that we forget it’s meaning, or the what Jesus paid to redeem us.
Thank you Sharla. Glad you visited today!
This is a beautifully written article! Such an awesome reminder of how much our Saviour loves us! We need to let our families and children know that Easter isn’t about the bunnies and Easter baskets but for what Christ did for us because of how much He loves us! How my family prepares for Easter is we read everyday scripture up to the death and resurrection of Christ and then we attend Sunrise service at our church and serve the community a breakfast as we celebrate His beautiful and glorious resurrection!
I love that your church serves breakfast to the community! Such a great way to celebrate our King- by serving others.
Thanks for the words of encouragement today! <3
I fully agree on having open/honest conversations with our children about the reality of the Gospel. And i completely agree that we, as adults, can easily become desensitized to the horrific actions that took place that day. My children are still too young, but I will file this away for a day when their little eyes and hearts can fully grasp what the Lord has done for them! Thank you for sharing!
Great thoughts here. It should never get old! I attended a Jewish Seder once, hosted by some friends. It was a fun and educational experience. I hope one day to do it with my kids.
I love the symbolism involved in the Jewish Seder! Rich truth!
Great article… And a nice reminder.
Thank you Sara!
It’s an image we should carry in our minds and hearts always.
Agreed! 🙂
That’s precious thinking about those emotions and how the images could affect our children. Good job following the Spirit to explain to all of them in that moment. We watched the ending of Ben Hur when our kids were young every Easter. I liked that it showed the earthquakes, storm, veil torn, and healing while not really ready yet (probably for my sake!) to show them something very graphic. This has made me think about it now though that they are older. Great post!
Ah yes, I enjoy that movie too! Classic. 😉
Love the reminder to take the numbness away and realize what really went on that day at the cross. My kids (7 and 10) are still very sensitive to any kind of movie, so they usually only watch documentaries or simple cartoons. But I like to read the Bible to them, without making it less tragic or cuter, My older son likes to read the Action Bible that has pictures very realistic sometimes.
Reading the Word with our kids is the best strategy yet! <3
YES! Thank you for the encouragement to enter into a season of preparation.
Thank you, Bailey! 🙂
Seeing the Passion of the Christ gave me a new appreciation for Communion as well as Easter. We do grow “numb” to the story so we do need to work on keeping the wonder and freshness of it real to us, Excellent suggestions you gave us!
Thank you Jerralea! I appreciate your kind words! <3
So true! This is beautiful Rachel! I love how your kids really took in the Message and it went to their hearts. I am praying that people will see this post who need it and it will change their hearts to receive Jesus! ❤
Thank you Donna! I appreciate you! <3
One year we attended what I believe is called a Tenebrae Service for good Friday. Growing up in non-denominational churches, it wasn’t something with which I was familiar at that time. After an appropriate message, there was a lighting of candles and after they were extinguished, everyone was instructed to leave the sanctuary in the semi-darkness without talking. Instead, to reflect on what Christ did for us. I remember it being such a powerful reminder of what happened as Christ suffered and died before being raised again!
That sounds like a wonderful experience, Donna! Such a beautiful way to intentionally reflect on Christ’s sacrifice.<3
Oh, how I needed this post this morning. I had just picked up my bible to read a bit of the Easter story and found myself wanting to head to the “Joyful” parts but not the sacrifice Jesus made for us. It is painful. As I read your post tears ran down my cheeks. Thank you! Thank you for linking up over at Grace and Truth.
Thank you for sharing this, Maree. Your words truly touched my heart.
I think that’s a common theme throughout life, don’t you? We often want to skip over the hard parts, in order to get to the good parts. But the truth is, it’s usually the hard that leads to the good. And in this case, it’s the greatest good the world will ever know!
Thank you for visiting here today. <3
I agree it is usually the hard parts that lead us to the good.
Pinned, subscribed, printed – all the printables. the wreath for my door. the bookmarks for all the ladies in my BS group next Thursday. (: Please pray for my family as we celebrate Easter in SF at our eldest daughter’s – her church is great. I’m bringing alll the Brunch – and she’s inviting friends to church and food. Meals on wheels for 20 somethings who make more money than I’ll ever see. (: Thanks.
Yay! We are subscriber buddies! 😉
Sue, I’ll definitely be praying for you! I think you’re simply amazing, and wish you could come cook for all of us on Easter Sunday!
You inspire me, friend. <3
Rachel, I just discovered your blog and WOW so thankful to read this. When the movie Passion came out I took my mother in her wheelchair to see Passion. The ticket girl told her she got to attend free and she was delighted. You gave me back a memory of a special time I shared with my mother and I thank you. I so miss her. I immediately went to Amazon and ordered the movie, the Passion book you have plus the book Where Jesus Walked. I am praying the book Passion arrives in time for our next Just Us Girls Neighborhood Coffee Cafe our church sponsors so I can share your blog message and pass the book around for our ladies to see. We meet the 28th and I would appreciate prayers that it all works out so you can touch not only my life but the lives of other women too through this post, How to Prepare Your Heart for Easter.
Teresa! So wonderful to meet you! Glad you found me. I love new friends, (and old). 😉
What a wonderful memory you shared of your mother, and that sweet cashier. I will most certainly add you to my daily prayers, especially as we so quickly approach the holiday. Be sure to write me and let me know how it all turns out!
Thanks so much for visiting me today! Blessings to you. ((hugs))
Great post! I’ve been thinking a lot about Easter recently, too. I’ve often wondered when would be an appropriate age to watch the Passion of the Christ with our kids. (they are 8 and 10) It has so much value, but is so graphic! Not sure they are ready yet, but the book sounds like a good option. Loved your practical suggestions to prepare for Easter too! Thanks!
Thanks Kristin! I think it’s important for everyone to make their own decisions about this sorta thing, based upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the knowledge of your kids’ personalities. My children were 7 and 9 when we allowed them the choice to sit and watch with us. But they had been asking to watch it for a few years prior to that. I don’t believe they were ready then, but their questions and reflections a few years later, told me that they were not only ready to watch, but that they would also have a fuller appreciation for the difficulty of the message. Truth be told, its difficult for me to watch it even now- after I’ve seen it several times. But I think that’s the point.
Praying you find a happy medium! Thanks for visiting! 🙂
A beautiful Easter reminder. Definitely going to start instilling what Easter is with my children. I’m not sure we can do Passion of the Christ yet, but I love the message you have here. Fasting, prayer, discussion, and service all help remind us who God is and what He did to save us. #blessingBloggers
Hi Rachel, this is an amazing post! It’s heartening to read how your family have been impacted by your honest sharing of how Jesus died for us. Would you believe I have yet to see The Passion of the Christ film? Largely because my man thought it would upset me too much, sensitive as I am to violence, blood and gore. But isn’t that the whole point? To stir our hearts and awaken us to what an enormous cost was paid to secure our salvation on the cross. You have stirred me to consider just that and inspired me to seek out the book, if not the DVD. Thank you! I’m blessed to be your neighbour at #graceandtruth link up. 🙂
Joy, how kind of your husband to look out for you in that way. Mine does the same. I think the book would be a good option for you, instead of the movie. It really is hard to watch!
Thank you for sharing, and for your kind words of encouragement!
Blessings to you today! <3
We have that same tradition. There is something about that movie – the depth of character and emotion that really sinks the Truth of what Christ did for us into our minds and hearts. Last week on vacation, we went to the Holy Land Experience in Orlando. Although not the story of the crucifiction, it was other pivotal stories shared with us in the Bible. And it did the very same thing. It brought it to life for each of us in unique ways.
Can’t wait to share this with my readers!
Much love,
Lori
Thanks Lori! It’s a great, albeit HARD, reminder of His sacrifice.
Blessings to you, sweet friend. <3
Thank you, Rachel, for bringing Easter to our attention before it passes right on by. It feels like it’s so early this year, even though I know it’s not. I guess because it’s the first day of April it feels earlier. And, I agree, it should make us cringe. I cringe at an animal being hurt or a fly being swatted (for real..haha), so it feels unbearable to think of Jesus in all His innocence being harmed…for me. :'( Thank you, Jesus.
And thank you, sweet friend, for your gracious words. These timely words bless my heart. Thank you! I’m sorry I’m so late getting by here. I was out of town for a short trip and then we were kind of regrouping and recovering afterward, so I haven’t done a lot online this week. Thank you for your grace and patience with me. And, thank you for your beautiful heart and kind words. They mean so much. God bless you. xoxo
That movie is so hard for me to watch, and I haven’t seen it in a long while, but after reading this, I want to watch it again, especially now, in observance of Easter. I want to remember what Jesus did for me and I don’t ever want to be desensitized. What a beautiful moment you had with your children. Thank you for sharing this at Graca and Truth. I’m one of the hosts and I would love to feature it tomorrow.
Thank you Dawn! I am honored. 🙂
It is so beautiful when children finally get what God endured to make them his own. Lord, may I never forget. Easter blessings!
It truly is a beautiful thing! Thanks for commenting Liz! Have a blessed weekend. <3
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