using tangible Easter objects to teach intangible truth Archives

How Can the Tangible Traditions of Easter be Used to Teach the Intangible Truths of Easter

April 4, 2020April 4, 2020 by Sheilah

Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, is our most important Christian holiday. Because it comes at springtime, some of our traditions at Easter are actually a part of the pagan springtime celebration. The name Easter is from Eostre, an Anglo Saxon goddess of Spring. The resurrection of Jesus coincided with the springtime celebration for this goddess. Through the years Christians began to incorporate the pagan springtime traditions with their celebration of the Resurrection.

But that was ok, according to Pope Gregory in AD 695, as long as they gave new meaning to the pagan traditions. The Pope wrote a letter to Saint Mellitus as Mellitus was on his way to England to conduct missionary work among the pagan Anglo-Saxons. Pope Gregory suggested that converting heathens would go easier if they were allowed to retain the outward forms of their traditional pagan practices and traditions, while reinterpreting those traditions spiritually towards the Christian God instead of to their pagan “devils”.

So let’s heed Pope Gregory’s suggestion. Use the tangible, familiar Easter traditions to teach the intangible truths about Jesus to our children:

Easter basket – Middle Eastern cultures had spring traditions of celebrating the first seedlings of their new crops. They brought them in baskets to their temples for sacrifices so that their gods would continue to bless the crops for the rest of the year. But Easter gives us the assurance that God will continue to bless us because of the once and for all sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ.

Here are some suggestions for relating the Easter basket to Jesus:

Easter basket is woven together like the crown of thorns
Easter grass is like hay in the manger for baby Jesus
Bag of gold or silver covered chocolate coins represent the betrayal of Jesus by Judas
Chocolate rooster is a reminder of Peter’s three denials of Jesus
One empty hollow plastic egg to represent the empty tomb
Marshmallow chicks, bunnies remind us of new life and new birth
And always put a cross in the basket. It can be a chocolate one or possibly one you have made together.

Bunnies – In the 13th century hares and rabbits were symbols of fertility because they reproduce so rapidly. Rabbits were the sacred animal of Eostre, the goddess of Spring and fertility. A possible reason for the link between the rabbit and the egg comes from the Pagans associating the rabbit with the moon and the egg with the sun. Easter comes during the spring equinox when day and night are the same length, thus the rabbit and the egg are together.

The bunny can be a reminder of the Resurrection. The bunny stays underground much of the winter and comes out in spring. Jesus was in the tomb 3 days and then came out of the tomb alive!

Colored Eggs – The Bible tells us in Revelation 21:5 that Jesus makes all things new. The eggs remind of us of new life. Jesus gives us new life when we become a Christian.

The coloring reminds us of how beautiful the world is as it comes back to life after the winter. This is a reminder of Jesus coming back to life on Easter morning over 2000 years ago.

Each color can be used to talk about Jesus:

Red is for the blood Jesus shed on the cross for us
Green is for the grass and trees He made
Blue is for the sky and water He made
Yellow is for the sun that shines brightly
Orange and pink are for the flowers that are blooming
White is for His cleansing us from all our sins by His taking the punishment for us on the cross
Purple is a color for kings and Jesus is the King of kings

Hiding Eggs – The history of hiding eggs goes back to possibly when the Pagans used eggs in their Spring celebrations. After early Christian influence, the Pagans hid their eggs to avoid persecution. Another possible reason for hiding eggs is because they were forbidden during Lent, so symbolically they were hidden and found at the end of Lent.

Before you hide the eggs this year, share with your children that the true meaning of the holiday gets hidden in the activities of the season and we need to hunt for the true meaning – that Jesus died for us and is risen from the dead.

Put Bible verses in some of the eggs you hide and then gather together to read them all after they are found. Some suggested verses are:

Revelation 21:5 Jesus makes all things new.
Galatians 2:20 Jesus Christ lives.
Matthew 28:6 Jesus is risen.
Song of Solomon 2:12 The flowers appear on the earth.
Song of Solomon 2:12 The time of the singing of birds has come
Ecclesiastes 3:1 God made everything beautiful
Psalm 103:5 God satisfies my mouth with good things.

Make one egg empty like the tomb and give a prize for the one who finds that egg which represents the true message of Easter, that Jesus is alive!

Have a happy Easter with your children, enjoying the traditional Easter activities and relating them to the greatest event in history – the sacrificial death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!

For more information and resources for celebrating Easter with your children, just search ‘Easter’ on this site.

Use Tangible Easter Objects to Emphasize Intangible Truths

March 18, 2016 by Sheilah

Easter comes at springtime and some of our traditions at Easter are actually a part of the pagan springtime celebration. But that’s ok . . . we can use tangible things (bunnies, chicks, eggs) to help children understand intangible ideas.

The bunny stays in a rabbit hole in the ground all winter. When spring comes, the bunny comes out of his hole. We can relate this to Jesus being in the tomb for three days, but on Easter morning, He came out and is alive today.

Eggs remind us of new life. Coloring them reminds us of how beautiful our world is as the earth comes back to life again with new flowers and new leaves and grass. Relate this to Jesus coming back to life.

New chicks, bunnies, lambs, and ducks are also reminders of new life. Jesus gives us new life by what He did on the Cross for us.

One way to bring in the true meaning is to put Bible verses on the eggs you hide and then gather together to read them all. Some suggested verses are:

Revelation 21:5 Jesus makes all things new.
Galatians 2:20 Jesus Christ lives.
Matthew 28:6 Jesus is risen.
Song of Solomon 2:12 The flowers appear on the earth.

Another way is to make a cross out of twigs or craft sticks and keep it in a prominent place during the Easter season. Point out that it is empty because Jesus didn’t stay on the cross or in the tomb . . . He is alive!!

A great book to teach the real meaning of Easter is Easter Bunny, Are You For Real?

A song that children really love about the empty tomb is Hooray from Maranatha Music’s “Every Song a Bible Story”. It sums up the important message of the resurrection. Sing it often together during this season.

Make Easter a family time of worshiping together and thinking about the risen Lord. Read the Easter story together from the Gospels.

Keeping Jesus in Easter – Coloring Eggs

April 15, 2014April 15, 2014 by Sheilah

Jesus makes all things new.
Revelation 21:5

(Easter is the time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but this message can get lost in the traditional Easter activities or the coming of Spring. We can use these tangible things to help children understand intangible ideas.)

Eggs have been recognized in most ages and cultures as a symbol of new life. This caused ancient Rome, Egypt, and Persia to use eggs in celebration of Spring when new life appears on the earth.

Another reason for eggs being special at Spring is because after a long winter food was scare and a fresh egg was a treat. A reason for boiling the eggs could be because in Medieval Europe, eggs were not eaten during Lent and fresh eggs were boiled or preserved in some manor until it was permissible to eat them.

Christians in the Middle East and in Greece painted eggs bright red to symbolize the blood of Christ. King Edward I of England had eggs gold leafed or colored as Easter gifts. In Armenia, hollow eggs were created by piercing the ends with a pin and blowing out the egg. They were then decorated with pictures of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The most elaborate decorating was in Poland and Ukraine. This is where the writing on the egg with a wax crayon before coloring it began. It is called pysanky.

Share with your children these possible reasons behind the coloring of eggs. Relate it all to the Bible verse above – Jesus makes all things new.

The eggs remind of us of new life like new chicks, birds, and ducks that come from eggs. Talk about the new life we have when we become a Christian. Point out that before coloring, all the eggs look the same, but after coloring, the eggs are all different and unique just like our lives are with Jesus.

The coloring reminds us of how beautiful the world is as it comes back to life after the winter as new flowers, leaves, and grass appear on the earth. You can talk of how this is a reminder of Jesus coming back to life on that historical Easter morning over 2000 years ago.

Each color can be used to talk about Jesus:

Red is for the blood Jesus shed on the cross for us
Green is for the grass and trees He made
Blue is for the sky and water He made
Yellow is for the sun that shines brightly
Orange and pink are for the flowers that are blooming
White is for His cleansing us from all our sins by His taking the punishment for us on the cross
Purple is a color for kings and Jesus is the King of kings

Make coloring eggs a family time. Don’t worry about the mess; allow everyone to be creative as you relate this activity to the new life we have in Christ!!!

Keeping Jesus in Easter – History of Easter

April 14, 2014April 15, 2014 by Sheilah

Easter is the time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but this usually gets pushed aside by traditional Easter activities such as the Easter Bunny, coloring eggs, egg hunts, etc. Easter comes at springtime and some of our traditions at Easter are actually a part of the pagan Spring celebration. But that’s ok . . . we can use these tangible things to help children understand intangible ideas .

The name Easter is from Eostre, an Anglo Saxon goddess of Spring. The resurrection of Jesus coincided with the springtime celebration for this goddess. Through the years Christians began to incorporate the pagan springtime traditions with their celebration of the Resurrection . An old English historical writing contains a letter from Pope Gregory to Saint Mellitus, who was then on his way to England to conduct missionary work among the pagan Anglo-Saxons. Pope Gregory suggested that converting heathens would go easier if they were allowed to retain the outward forms of their traditional pagan practices and traditions, while reinterpreting those traditions spiritually towards the Christian God instead of to their pagan “devils”: “to the end that, whilst some gratifications are outwardly permitted them, they may the more easily consent to the inward consolations of the grace of God”.

So use the secular traditions of Easter to help your children understand what Jesus did on the Cross. Search for ‘Easter’ or the specific tradition at www.trainupthechild.org for ideas on how to keep Jesus in your Easter activities.

Watch these fun Easter history facts

Use Tangible Easter Objects to Teach Intangible Truths

April 1, 2012April 2, 2012 by Sheilah

Easter is the time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but this usually gets pushed aside by traditional Easter activities such as the Easter Bunny, colored eggs, and new clothes. Easter comes at springtime and some of our traditions at Easter are actually a part of the pagan springtime celebration. But that’s ok . . . we can use these tangible things to help children understand intangible ideas.

New chicks, bunnies, lambs, and ducks are also reminders of new life. Jesus gives us new life by what He did on the Cross for us.

Put Bible verses on the eggs you hide and then gather together to read them all. Some suggested verses are:

Revelation 21:5 Jesus makes all things new.
Galatians 2:20 Jesus Christ lives.
Matthew 28:6 Jesus is risen.
Song of Solomon 2:12 The flowers appear on the earth.

Make a cross out of twigs or craft sticks and keep it in a prominent place during the Easter season. Point out that it is empty because Jesus didn’t stay on the cross or in the tomb . . . He is alive!!

A great book to teach the real meaning of Easter is Easter Bunny, Are You For Real?

10-hooray This is a song that children really love about the empty tomb . It is from Every Song a Bible Story from Maranatha Music.

Make Easter a family time of worshiping together and thinking about the risen Lord. Read the Easter story together from Matthew 27-28, Mark 15 – 16, or Luke 23-24.