Keeping Christ In Easter

Nothing has been more enjoyable than watching my nephews grow up hunting for eggs and baskets left behind by the “Easter Bunny” year after year. Even now that they are both over 6 feet tall, it is amusing to see them scrunch down low to look under chairs or stretch up high to look atop bookcases and refrigerators for their sweet treats. And even though my eyes see these lanky teenagers, my heart is blessed to still see them as excited little boys happily scurrying about in search of holiday treasures.

There is always a lot of talk in December about “Keeping Christ in Christmas” and with all the hype surrounding the Easter Bunny and baskets full of eggs and candies, the same should be said about Easter. I have always been concern that the true meaning of Resurrection Sunday would be lost among the Easter grass and candies. I do not recall at what age I made the whole “Jesus is the Reason” connection when it came to our Christian holidays; Jesus was just always there in our household. So when I was sure my nephews were old enough to know whom Jesus is, a new tradition developed for our family.

As mentioned in my earlier blog about Ash Wednesday, part of my personal prayerful journey through the Lenten season is to spend time with the Lord. Almost a decade ago, the Lord put an idea in my heart to use the talent He gave me to help my family focus on what this Holiest of Holy Days truly means.

After some quick research of historic detail and religious iconography, I sketched a scene of the Resurrected Christ. Transferring the sketch to an 11 x 14 paint board, and using acrylic paint, my vision of what the Resurrection might have looked like began to take shape.

 The painting was completed in one week, but the project was not finished. I created a digital image of the painting and took that file to the photo center at a nearby Wal-Mart. As with many photo services, customers turn their personal photos into gifts like coffee mugs, calendars and jigsaw puzzles. After convincing the sales clerk that I was indeed the artist and owner of the painting, and having provided a typed/signed statement giving the photo department permission to reproduce the image, a limited number of copies of the puzzle was ordered. In the course of two weeks, the puzzles were ready, just in time for Easter.

Along with coins of all denominations, jellybeans and chocolate kisses, the puzzle pieces were then distributed in numerous plastic eggs of all sizes and colors. I was a little anxious as I hid the eggs around the yard. I wondered if the puzzle would hold any interest for the boys, or if they would be too distracted by the candy and money. 

When all the eggs were concealed, my nephews were “let loose” in the backyard. Running, laughing, shouting, they rushed to and fro with absolutely no semblance of order or methodology. After all the eggs were accounted for, the family went back into the house to inspect the gains. Where during the hunt there was no organization, not so with the inspection process. Each boy created separate piles of candy and coins, and a shared pile of puzzle pieces.

They did not seem too interested in the puzzle pieces at first. But when all the eggs had been opened, and all the candy counted and the coins tabulated, their attention turned to the puzzle. What could it be? Then, everyone -- Grammy, Dad, Mom and Aunti -- began to help assemble the puzzle. As the picture began to come together, the discussion of its meaning started. It evolved from a “spectator” sport to an “all inclusive” family activity. It was truly wonderful, quality family time!

Over the years, the boys have come to expect this type of activity every Easter, with no repeats, and greater in challenge. There have been word puzzles, treasure maps, Bible trivia, and games similar to charades where words from the recounting of Christ’s Passion have to be acted out and guessed by other family members. Each homegrown activity is a learning experience, and a chance to review what we know, or share what we’ve learned since the previous Easter.

One Sunday, my younger nephew called me after Church to tell me what happened in Sunday school. His teacher asked a question, and my nephew was the only student to raise his hand with the correct answer. “I knew the answer,” he announced proudly, “because I remembered from Easter!”

"Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!" by Cheryl Michalek.

The puzzle activity reminds me of how many of us go through life. As we race about in our daily activities, searching for wealth and success, we find bits and pieces of our Faith were we least expect them: among the necessities and luxuries. How much attention we pay to those pieces is really up to each individual. Do we take the time to search out the pieces of our Faith, and try to put the pieces together? Do we ask questions while building our own personal picture of Jesus? Do we assist others who are puzzling over their own pictures? Is the meaning of Christ’s Resurrection becoming clearer in our own personal lives as well?

The Lord said, “Be thou like little Children.” God wants us to look for Him in our lives with as much earnest as little children hunt for treasures and treats in plastic eggs. If we make our search an every day activity, not just once a year on Easter, the treasure we find may surprise us.

Inspired by Faith.