About the Author

Anna works full-time for DaySpring from Minnesota, where she lives with her husband and four kids. Anna is the author of A Moment of Christmas and Pumpkin Spice for Your Soul, and she shares the good stuff of the regular, encouraging you to see the ordinary glory in your everyday.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. Anna,
    Maybe it’s not a bad thing to not have a lot of Easter “traditions”. Traditions are great, but they can distract us from the real meaning of what is happening. Jesus being brutally beaten and suffocating on a cross does not draw warm and fuzzy feelings. He suffered terribly because He couldn’t imagine eternity without us. He went through the one and only separation from His beloved Heavenly Father, felt forsaken, and withstood it all because of His great love for us. How do you make cookies that speak of that? When my kids were little we did have Easter egg hunts because Easter is about joy….extreme JOY because Jesus put resurrection power on display and overcame the grave. There is SO much worth celebrating. If there was ever a day that deserved a parade, it would be Easter. But, maybe holding it loosely, seeing where the Spirit takes us, and really focusing on what happened and what we are celebrating is the best observance of Easter. Great thoughts to ponder. Have a blessed Easter!
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

    • amen
      I truly cannot distract my family and the lost world watching by conforming with all the easter bunny lies. As true Christians who have a genuine heartfelt understanding of the sacrifice and pain Jesus had gone through to win us back into His family on that Good Friday and then the victory over eternal death that Easter morning, how can we not help but fall to our knees and worship and thank Jesus? Following the world’s man made idea of Easter is an insult and dispect to our Savior and the opportunity to share the Gospel is lost if we do not stay true to telling others why we celebrate Easter. Using the excuse that painting and hunting eggs and eating chocolate bunnies and putting fluffy chick ornaments into baskets is all about new life is so lame and I wonder if those who do this ever get to explaining the Gospel with these “props” to others.. I ask you…what’s wrong with passionately and lovingly speak out the truth about our suffering and then victorious Savior??

  2. It’s true there is the warm cozy feeling at Christmas that doesn’t lend itself to Easter. I sometimes think we romanticize Christmas too much. Mary and Joseph probably left their home to travel to Bethlehem under scrutiny and judgment. Mary getting pregnant before marriage and the guys thinking Joseph had been tricked. The trip had to be difficult and Mary was probably in labor a lot of the time. Tired and exhausted they ended up staying in a cave for animals and Jesus was placed in a feeding trough. This was not a romantic, or even cozy, setting at all. Coming to live with humans was a sacrifice. I don’t think we appreciate the sacrifice of Christmas or Good Friday. Meanwhile, Easter is a joyful day. Jesus is back with the Father and our salvation is secure. Yet, I sense more excitement at the Christmas Eve service than Easter. Honestly, that is true in my home too. So Joyful Easter to all. Let’s appreciate the sacrifice and the victory!

  3. I agree, Anna, that Easter is one challenging holiday. Getting a big holiday dinner onto the table with all the extra hoopla on Easter Sunday (for years we did our cantata on Easter Sunday!!??) is hard enough without the added pressure of Easter Bunny duty and straightening everyone’s Easter bonnets.
    We’ve always enjoyed our “pagan” Easter traditions on the Saturday before Easter. The rousing egg hunt and lots of sugar are out of everyone’s systems in time for our more solemn/joyful celebration of resurrection–and the kids enjoy their dinner more.
    We’ve loved collecting “strays” for Easter Sunday, people who don’t have family nearby but don’t mind celebrating a very-much-alive-Jesus in the midst of a bit of chaos.

  4. I love this — And each minute of the day I’ll be giving thanks for a Savior who willingly died, and who didn’t want to be apart from us for more than three days. Ever!
    Thanks for a great reminder this morning.

  5. Anna,
    Thank-you for so beautifully putting the real meaning of Easter into words.
    Blessings to all,
    Penny

  6. Anna, thank you for your words and the sweet pictures of many Easter traditions…each year may look different but isn’t it beautiful that each year, God’s goodness is the same and we get to celebrate?

    Best, Jessie

  7. Over the last few weeks I’ve been rewriting some Lenten prayers (from St. Ehprem of Syria, Thomas a Kempis, Thomas Merton and others) in my own words–just once a week–to bring my attention back to confession, submission, and newness of life in Christ. Praise God he is risen–he is risen INDEED! Because of his sacrifice we enjoy benefit after benefit, blessing after blessing.

  8. Thank you, Anna! This sentence is so spiritual in many ways: “And each minute of the day I’ll be giving thanks for a Savior who willingly died, and who didn’t want to be apart from us for more than three days. Ever.” I will share this and hope to remember it every Easter. God bless you!

  9. Easter or Resurrection Day is like Christmas in that it should be in our hearts every day, not just the traditions. Jesus even said traditions of men could make His word of no effect, He didn’t say not to have any but not to let them overwhelm, the meaning.

  10. Anna,

    I usually go to a sunrise service then on to church. I love watching sun come up over the mountains. Now our little church has it’s own sunrise service & then we all gather for breakfast in our fellowship hall. The regular service begins at 10:50 & then I will go to my pastor’s house for dinner. For the last few year my hubby has worked weekends. Kathy, pastor’s wife, invites all who don’t have family or any place to go for Easter dinner. Our church is also having a Sedar meal March 25 5 pm. We will sample some of the foods & traditions done during the meals. We will have a better appreciation of what they did & how life was back then.

    This world has “paganized” the true meaning of Easter. We need to remember the long journey into Jerusalem, & then on to Pilate & Herod. We should feel the sting of the cat o’ nine tales hitting Him 39 times. Look at the bruised & bleeding Jesus who did it all for us!! Daily we should be thankful for all he’s done.

    Have a blessed Easter everyone!

    Blessings 🙂