Easter Changes

I think we would all agree that the world has turned upside down and it has definitely affected our routines and traditions. As we are all struggling just to keep up with the minute by minute changes to our lives and maybe create a daily routine that maintains sanity and provides for productivity for our families, Easter seems to have snuck up on us. (or at least me.)

This is Holy Week and yesterday was Palm Sunday. My typical Holy Week routine includes:

• a Palm Sunday church service with the kids parading around the sanctuary waving palm branches
• Maundy Thursday service with communion and foot washing
• Good Friday service
• Easter Sunday (sometimes sunrise service and always celebration service at church).

Easter week often also contains :

• Easter Egg Hunt (community and/or family)
• Coloring Eggs
• Easter baskets
• Extended family Easter dinner
• Jellybeans

So, knowing that your typical routine is upended and everything is different this year, what are your plans to celebrate this week?

I know this has forced me to really take a look at my traditions and do some soul searching about why we do what we do. I know things must be different this year, but I think it is an unexpected gift that we get to slow down and look at our traditions and make decisions about what is vital to our celebration and make necessary adaptations and stop what we are doing just because “we’ve always done it that way.”

I am thankful that many churches out there are making adaptations to their Easter services to still provide important Holy Week services in a way that is safe and healthy for the people.

Here are some of the ways we are adapting this week:

• Watched online church service on Palm Sunday and looked at photos of ways friends had adapted (creating paper palm leaves and decorating front door)
• Create own unleavened bread and have immediate family communion on Thursday
• Found Passover recipes to create own passover dinner at home on Thursday
• Use church provided online resources daily during Passion Week
• Hold Good Friday service at home using online resources or family led
• Easter sunrise service on deck (faces East toward the sunrise)
• Online Easter celebration church service
• Family Easter dinner at home
• Easter Baskets
• Possible Easter Egg Coloring and Egg Hunt in backyard

I have actually enjoyed the process of really thinking through these traditions and making decisions about what is important to continue and why as well as making adaptations to keep the important parts. Maybe this will spark a new tradition of serious contemplation before each holiday or special event and make the elements more thought out and meaningful.

How are you adapting your traditions or are you?

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