Nurturing faith at Easter

Let's focus on Rituals and Traditions

Rituals can be every-day things - like the way we 'always' start the day, share meals, do chores, pray at bedtime.

Traditions can be every-year things - like the way we 'always' observe Easter. Repeating some of these practices, year after year, can give your children a wonderful store of memories, experiences that bond your family together and a framework for understanding their faith.

Need some inspiration?

Here are some ideas:

• Camping.
• Hunting for Easter eggs.
• Eating too much chocolate!
• Worshipping together.
• Attending Good Friday worship services.
• Rising in the dark and watching the sun rise during an Easter dawn worship service.
• Visiting a cemetery. Putting living flowers on the grave of a loved one in recognition of the eternal life won for us by Jesus at Easter.
• Have an Easter Tree as the focus of your Easter celebration. On Good Friday search for an interesting small dead tree branch. Bring it home and put it in a bucket of sand (like a Christmas tree). Hang decorations on the tree such as coloured and decorated eggs, chickens and butterflies.
• On Easter Saturday you can make Easter nests and place them under the tree, along with your favourite Easter story books.
• On Easter morning the family gathers around the Easter tree, where children find eggs in their baskets and read the true story of Easter.
• On Easter Sunday morning, greet one another with the traditional Easter greeting 'Christ is risen!' and replying 'He is risen indeed!

While there are some great ideas above, the most important thing is that you try. Today is the best day for your family to create memories and share life and faith together.