Friday, February 29, 2008

A Question for All!

As I made my way through Bloggy Land during the Christmas holidays, I noticed how many of us share traditions and ways in which we observe and prepare our homes and hearts for remembering God's greatest gift-JESUS! There seems to be a common thread among Christians during the Advent season. My question is... How are we preparing our hearts for the Easter season?

I would love to know what traditions you have in your home, or use to teach your children about Jesus' sacrifice and love for us.
I have a few family members that are Catholic, and they have been kind enough to share with me the following links in order to understand Ash Wednesday and Lent a little better.I also like this calendar.

I have shared before that my parents were saved/born again back in the 80's-(in the Assembly's of God Church.) I spent most of my childhood there and in the Methodist and Baptist denominations. My home church (Christ United Methodist) has a beautiful tradition that I used to take part in every year. It's called The Walk of the Cross. At noon every year on Good Friday, we would meet at First Methodist to pray and remember the day by carrying a large cross across town to Christ United. The men would start us off by being the first to carry the cross. And it usually took four to five of them to carry it- the cross is so large. Everyone who wanted a turn- helped to carry the cross, while the rest of us would sing hymns and praise songs as we walked along. Once we reached Christ United, the men would place the cross in the ground, between two other crosses. The pastor would hold a short service there outside. Then we would quietly disperse. My family would also observe a fast to remember the day. Growing up, it really helped me to grasp a small insight into the meaning of the cross. It made it more real for me, and I miss being apart of it.
I would love for you to share with me your stories and traditions. Even if you've never left a comment before, please leave one now and feel free to share. Thank you and God Bless!

11 comments:

Kimberly said...

We have a book about Easter that I love to read to my girls. We actually read it for the first time this year just the other night. It is just a simple little board book, but I love the way it tells the girls the story! I would tell you what it is, but it is in Lauren's room and she is asleep! :)
I want to get the girls some of those resurrection eggs for this year, too.
For myself, I will be watching The Passion of the Christ. It is so hard to watch in parts, but I need to see it. I need to see a glimpse of what He suffered for me.
Blessings, sweet Tiffany. I hope you guys are feeling completely better!!!!

Christy said...

What a good idea!!

To be honest we never had true "Easter traditions" other than the usual easter basket, sunrise service, and big lunch.

This has got me thinking about how I can make the day have more meaning for my family...I am excited to read the responses!

Ashley said...

My family has always done Resurrection Eggs. It's a cool way to see the story unfold through "easter eggs!" My mom always sang the Easter hymns with us leading up to the day so we could appreciate it and also learn some of the older songs. And I agree with Kmom3 about Passion of the Christ....for adults, it is life-changing!

Sharon Brumfield said...

Interesting discussion.
I enjoyed hearing about ya'll carrying the cross. What a witness for the town that must have been.
We are in a big Catholic area-and although we are not--we know a lot about lent.
Our family did not celebrate Easter with the easter bunny or baskets. My parents thought that took away from what the season or holiday was all about.
There is a cookie recipe for a cookie that is baked and when it is broken it is hollow. I found it on someones blog last year. All the ingredients stand for a different part of the easter story.
I will see if I can find it and post it sometime soon.

She Rose Up said...

Good stuff, Tiff! You know, I don't have lots of good stuff to add here. I mean we have honored it in a way that fit us, but it would not fit the traditional Christian family.

For one thing, our city has an Easter Parade every Easter Sunday. It is MANDATORY that all the police force work that day. So, the boys and I would go to church together and come home and have the egg hunt & work dinner around hubby's schedule.

The part that matters is that we always would have our nightly devotions around the gospels leading up to and including the crucifixation and resurrection. Lots of opportunity to talk and remember/digest it all.

When I was growing up, (I was raised VERY Catholic) Good Friday was very important to me. I always fasted part of the day. I always held sacred the hours between 12noon and 3:00 pm (bc maybe that was the hours on the cross)...and to this day that has stuck with me...those hours, that day, I do try to keep aside for the Lord. To think on Him in those hours and such.

I love what your hometown did. What a beautiful tradition and witness!

I am looking forward to what others do...I will have grandchildren one day, and I already have ideas of how I would like to help reinforce the theme of the Resurrection for our family then.

Thank you for this post!
Maria

Ashley said...

P.S. Another thing that my mom always did was put only Christ-centered things in our Easter baskets (not secular movies, books, etc.) We used to get some candy, and I remember getting Christian books, music, etc. Especially when we were young, the "Easter Bunny" always "remembered that Jesus was the reason for Easter!" Just a thought!

Susan said...

This event of the cross in your city is wonderful.
Susan

Jessica said...

Thanks for your comment. It is refreshing to know that we are not alone in this crazy world of motherhood. Come back to visit soon! God Bless You and I am glad things are finally starting to turn around for you!

Jess said...

A wonderful idea for a post. I enjoyed reading about your traditions and also by those leaving comments. Our family will usually participate in Lent and also attend our church's annual Easter production. When my girls were younger, I made up Easter baskets with candy and biblically-themed items. Now that they're a little older, I make up little gift bags using the same idea.

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Anonymous said...

Tiffany, that hit home with me! Especially the mention of the meaning of the Cross, great topic. I believe Jesus is showing me and giving me a share in His Cross and suffering in dealing with my dad's death. Wish I could say I've beared it without complaining:)

Preparing for Easter for our family growing up always started with Mass on Ash Wednesday, fasting and prayer. During Lent, we'd add extra devotions during the week such as attending weekly Mass, "Stations"(Stations of the Cross - depicting Christ's Passion, at our parish, or we would pray them at home), Eucharistic Adoration, and reading from the Bible as a family. We'd pray more family Rosaries as well, and many more traditions...

Lent was always a time of repentance. We would sacrifice something we enjoyed for the 40 days, or do more for those in need. Our mom used to take us to nursing homes to make visits or bring something for the residents,etc. as a reminder of what Jesus did for us.

I've carried these traditions/devotions out in my life as an adult and they have a deeper/fuller meaning now. Easter and this entire time of year reminds me of my dad, so it's joyful yet sorrowful at the same time, much as the season itself.

(yikes, edited for spelling, had to delete my first version, can ya tell I'm new at this:) LOL!) So sorry...