Preparing Our Hearts for Resurrection Sunday
Do you remember what day March 31st 2018 was? It was a Saturday; the Saturday between Good
Friday and Resurrection Sunday, in fact.
And it was a very depressing day.
I’m not sure what your experience has been, but for me, the
Saturday before Easter always feels particularly odd. We “put Christ in the grave” on Friday but He
doesn’t “come out” until Sunday… so what do we do on Saturday? Of course, there’s no reason why we can’t
celebrate Jesus’ resurrection every day, but after the emotional Good Friday
service and before the “big” celebration on Sunday morning, I just didn’t
really know how to feel or what to do.
Can you relate?
Over the past year I’ve done some thinking, reflecting, and
brainstorming, and the result is this post.
What are some things we can do on
the Saturday before Resurrection Sunday?
Or, to broaden the time frame, what
can we do throughout the season to prepare our hearts for the celebration of
Jesus’ resurrection?
Read all 4 gospel accounts of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
Take some time and read what all 4 gospels have to say about
the greatest event in history. Compare
accounts. Which is most thorough? Does one gospel say something key that the
others don’t?
Listen to music.
Here are some suggestions of music I have often listened to
during Easter season and beyond.
I would encourage you to take the time to listen to some
thoughtful, beautiful hymns and meditate specifically on what Christ has done.
Write out hymns.
Last year I wrote out all the lyrics from Mercy Tree in my journal. Because copying it out by hand took me a
little while, I got to spend a lot of time just thinking and pondering the
lyrics. I think we often sing powerful
hymns without stopping to meditate over the words. I would highly encourage you to take a song
that is special to you (one that focuses on Christ’s death/resurrection) and
write out all the lyrics in a journal.
Really focus on the words and the message they are communicating.
Read a Bible plan.
YouVersion has many
fantastic Bible plans that you can pick from, including loads of plans for Lent,
Holy Week, and Resurrection Sunday, with many different lengths.
Start a new tradition.
This can be either an individual
tradition or a family one. Some examples
include: reading through a gospel, preparing ahead a breakfast for your family,
reading your younger siblings the gospel account or doing a special craft
together, spending an hour in prayer, or something to that effect.
One thing I almost never forget
about past holidays are the special traditions associated with them. I believe there is something extraordinary
about traditions that binds us together and helps personalize the celebration.
Additional resource:
8 Ways to Celebrate Easter + Why You Should from More Radiance.
Great post Grace! Another great song is, It's About the Cross by the Ball Brothers. Have you heard it? If not, you should check it out! :D
ReplyDeletePraise the Lord!
DeleteNo, I hadn't heard that song, until you mentioned it! ;) Thank you for the recommendation! I enjoyed listening to it!
Hello, Grace!
ReplyDeleteI liked this post, a lot! I actually just finished reading all the Gospels and Acts a couple of months of ago. It was nice reading the story about the birth of Jesus out of the Christmas season. Why? Because the story is more than just a Christmas story. I learned so many things I never noticed before because I was able to read it with a different mindset. :) I think it would be fun to start traditions, like what you mentioned in your post. Maybe I'll come up with some for my family and I to try!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Hope! Yes, it is definitely important to read Scripture with different "mindsets" and at different times -- good for you! If you start any traditions, I'd love to hear about them! :)
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