Making the Easter Season Holy

Well, hello!

Thought I would wake up this sleepy lil’ blog, because I have a new Holy Week Guide with fresh graphics and a little extra historical context. It’s easier on the eyes, and has some lovely images. Click on the link to print.

Boy, it’s been a long time since I’ve typed a string of word or thought here. I know no one really reads blogs anymore, but I’m going to use this place as a space to resurrect some lost creativity, open up my writing veins again, and process some of the joys and challenges of life. I’m rusty and it will show, but I believe that for the artist inside all of us, reclamation is possible.

With all four twins in high school this year, the girls graduating in May, our boys about to get drivers licenses, and Eliza on an LDS mission, I can feel life shifting, changing, and the need to reinvent myself is beginning to stir.

I’ve been writing a few pages in the mornings, jotting down lines of poetry and images, reading more, and I can feel an old self, a creative one, thawing a bit. The last few years have been a wild run, to be sure. Sparse amounts of time to do much beyond the necessary, and too many ups, downs, hard, good, life events, and daily moments to even summate. But we are still standing and our precious life remains full of miracle, sorrow, laughter, parenting whoops, and I hope (when it’s all distilled and transparent) great and enduring love.

Sometimes I get caught up in the demands of life, and forget this family was the miracle I dreamed of, the prayer that flew off my lips first thing, every morning and night, for years.

As I’ve put together this new Holy Week Guide, I’ve thought about what it means to worship not just on Easter Sunday, but for the whole Easter season.

As part of my own Lenten observations this year, I gave up or whittled down some things that weren’t adding to my health (caffeine, over-spending, eating out) and added in some things I knew would add to the health of my body, mind, and spirit (morning journaling, weight-lifting, deeper scripture study, less social media, and an attempt at less sugar). Not doing too well with the sugar thing, but I have felt better, happier, lighter, on a number of fronts.

Candles for Lent work in the opposite direction of candles for Advent. Rather than adding more light, day by day, the light diminishes each day, until we arrive at one remaining candle, which will be snuffed out on Good Friday, symbolic of Jesus’ death on the cross. As we have extinguished one candle each night, Lent bending the days toward Holy Week, it is ironic to me that I am watching this wick world come joyously alive, a premonition of the third day and Resurrection reality.

The mountain trails have dried out and greened up. Only to be surprised once again by snow.

Thursday, I watched a number of chickadees gather on the mountainside, chattering and dipping their heads for forgotten seeds. The streams offered a welcome rushing sound, old juniper berries wrinkled in the dirt, and I found one lonely tulip parting the snow.

I love Spring and its symbolism of new life, fresh starts, and an incredibly capable Savior who is mighty to save. I rely on Him day after day after day.

Newsflash! I am absolutely delighted to see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encouraging a practice of Easter that lasts an entire season, asking members to build Easter traditions into their communities and families. Check out their #GreaterLove campaign.

Dallin H. Oaks, of The First Presidency of our church, made this statement in February, “As we enter this new year, let us prepare for an Easter celebration of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, culminating in His Resurrection — the most glorious event in history.”

And just this weekend, Gary E. Stevenson gave a second general conference talk on Easter, galvanizing members to move into a “higher and holier” worship during Easter. During the Saturday afternoon session, he made this promise, “I testify that all who accept the invitations from our living prophet and his counselors to more intentionally commemorate the holy events that Easter represents will find that their bond with Jesus Christ grows ever stronger.”

This month will mark 13 years that we’ve been nurturing and adapting our Holy Week traditions within our family. That is most of my children’s growing up years! So I asked them a few days ago:

How have our Holy Week practices/traditions and learning about Holy Week impacted you? What has it done for your relationship with your Savior?

Here are their responses. From Spencer, age 15: “Studying Holy Week and learning more about Christ and His sacrifice has helped me get to know Him better. It has taught me what happened to Him and how much He went through for us. We learn so much about Him at the end of His days and that’s when you see the true character of someone. Christ showed us that even though He knew He was going to die, He didn’t back down from this challenge ahead of Him. This makes me have a greater respect and love for Him.”

From Gordon, age 15: “The things we have done over the years during Holy Week have given me a deeper understanding of Christ’s last days as a mortal on this earth. It has taught me to really appreciate all that Christ suffered. It has definitely strengthened my relationship with our Savior. I now understand all that He went through and once you understand that, it makes it almost impossible to not love Jesus. I have especially loved watching the videos the Church made about Christ’s last days on earth.”

From Ali, age 18: “Holy Week practices over the years have helped establish a base for testimony in my life. It has taught me to seek a personal relationship with my Savior by studying His life and sacrifices. It has allowed me to understand the great and deep love our Savior must have had to do what he did for us and the importance of living our lives in reflection of His. I have loved finding beautiful things in nature that tell the Easter story on our Easter walks.”

From Sami, age 18: “Holy Week has shown me not only how much Christ loves each of us, but how much He is loved. When His earthly life ended, his disciples, apostles, friends, all mourned, and so did the earth. His presence was so magnificent that when it was gone, the world faced storms and disruption. His love was so great that people were drawn to Him even without knowing Him. Learning about Holy Week has also taught me the beauty of finding truth in other religions. My favorite night is passover. Each food we eat is symbolic of a biblical moment or something related to Christ. The entire meal is an incredible reminder of what Christ has done for people throughout time and how He protects and loves His spiritual family, which includes each one of us.”

From Eliza, age 19: “Holy Week has given me a greater appreciation for the life of Jesus Christ. I’ve come to understand how much the resurrection blesses each one of us, as well as Jesus’ suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross. To know that we can overcome sin and death because of Him is everything. Because of our Holy Week traditions, I have a better understanding of middle eastern culture, which is so rich, deep, and ancient. It’s also given me a broader education in the value of other faiths and denominations, especially the Jewish religion, and this has grown my love for all of God’s children. My favorite tradition is sharing the Passover meal.”

These were sweet testimonials for me. Evidence that as parents, we should trust in the process of teaching and trying. For after all these years of trying, when I wasn’t sure what they were absorbing, I can now see glistening wisps of testimony, woven and tethered to my children’s spirits, threads of love and gratitude for their Jesus.

I hope that in the coming years, (if you are reading this, consider yourself invited to join me!) we will lead out in collaborating with other denominations to celebrate Easter. I hope we will unite with other Christians in interfaith activities. One of my favorite services the last few years, has been the Paschal Vigil Liturgy at the Catholic Cathedral of the Madeleine in downtown Salt Lake City on Holy Saturday night.

It is the most holy of liturgies on the Catholic calendar year and the sharing of small flames with your neighbors, the swelling of the organ as the cathedral fills with light, and the ringing bells… it’s an experience I’ve come to cherish every year.

I hope that in our homes, we will tell the stories of Jesus and honor Him in whatever traditions or discussions we have. I began this effort because I wanted so much for my children to know their Jesus on a personal, intimate level. To know how intimately He can assist and aid them. He is our great Redeemer, Messiah-King, Liberator, and Anointed One. The Lamb of God, come to lay down His life for me, for you, for all.

“And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation” (Isaiah 25:9).

xo cath