Easter

It is here again! That time of the year families are swamped with eggs, bunnies, chicks and chocolate with the odd school Easter Bonnet parade and raffle for obscene amounts of chocolate thrown in.

So how do we tackle all this blatant consumerism burying the real message of Easter with our children?

Don’t despair! The Easter message has prevailed for over 2000 years, no amount of chocolate can cover it up or change it. Easter is the perfect time to talk with your children about where all the chicks and eggs etc. come from. It is not a time to feel threatened about ancient pagan worship rituals that seem to have appropriated our story. In the northern hemisphere it made sense that at the start of spring all sorts of pagan worship would welcome new life and the coming warm growing season that renews the earth. Even the name Easter is derived from Eostra, a pagan goddess of Spring, linked to the return of the sun and lengthening daylight. But as with everything in earth it is just a shadow of heaven. People felt in their spirit the need to recognize and celebrate the new life of Spring which reached its consummation in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Once Jesus rose again the true focus of eternal new life and rebirth was made obvious to the world. This is what our spirits long for and the deep emotion Spring evokes in our hearts.

So don’t be discouraged by all the eggs and chicks and bunnies but explain to your kids that these are the potent reminders of new life and rebirth that Jesus actually demonstrated and made available to all at Easter. This explanation, instead of being a sad Christian appropriation of pagan symbols, is rather the true and proper explanation of what our distant ancestors were waiting for and worshipping, the one, true Lord of All, the opportunity of eternal life.

My advice is to embrace the symbols and point your kids to the real meaning behind them, without trying to bend Christianity to fit. It is a great time to research with your kids the traditions of Easter and where they come from and show them how these all reach their completion in Jesus’ resurrection.

Don’t know quite know where the chocolate fits in though! (That part is straight commercialism; big industry exploiting our sweet tooth I’m afraid). Enjoy the holidays and some quality family time together.