Easter Tradition Recap

So I had this other blog, but I can't keep up two right now (can barely keep up one! Big family problems...). So before the internet ate it, I copied all the posts into a word doc. I thought I'd repost this one today, in anticipation of Easter. I wrote it a few years ago, but we've kept up with some of the traditions, doing them every year. Our favorite is still the Empty Tomb.

Is there any holiday that is richer for Christians than Easter (or Resurrection Sunday, to be precise)? The celebration that encompasses so much: our salvation, our rescue, Jesus’ resurrection, our reconciliation to God, Jesus’ victory over sin, death, hell, and the grave…the list goes on and on. It is the most important day in the history of the world. Celebrating it is our privilege and our joy.

And as parents we walk in this tension: we want our kids to have the fun Easter offers (egg dyeing and hunts, Easter baskets), but we don’t want to lose the meaning and the JOY of the day. Last year, we started some traditions that are fun and meaningful ways to celebrate the resurrection and all it holds.

The Empty Tomb

On Good Friday, we will head outside to make a garden. Here is the one we did last year.

While we gather leaves and branches from the yard, we will talk about the day. What were Jesus’ friends feeling? Why is the day called Good Friday? What happened when Jesus died? What did the disciples think had happened? We will also talk about why no flowers are allowed in the garden. Flowers are for happiness, and this is a sad, sad day. This garden (dirt in a bowl with a hollow potato as the tomb) will become our centerpiece for the next few days. And the plants will begin to wilt and die. Saturday night, we will look at it again, talking about how long it must have seemed from Friday to Sunday, and how sad the garden looks.

And then.

Saturday night while the kids are sleeping, I will remove the wilted leaves and plants, replacing them with flowers. And I will open the “tomb.” Joy! He is risen! When the kids wake up in Easter Sunday, they will see flowers for happiness, and an empty tomb. Here is what it looked like last year:

Easter Baskets

We have debated Easter baskets every year until last year. While we wanted to do them because they’re fun, we’ve also been hesitant since we don’t want Easter Sunday morning to be more exciting because of stuff than because of the Resurrected Lord. But last year, we hit upon a good way to bring symbolism to the baskets. As Jeremy said, even if the kids end up thinking this is corny, at least they’ll know we tried to bring the gospel into everything.

We each took five rocks and put them in our Easter baskets. Then one by one, we took them out, naming a sin for each rock, and dropped them into one basket we called Jesus’ basket, showing how He takes our sin. Then we covered Jesus’ basket with a red cloth, because He covers our sins with His blood. So now our Easter baskets were empty.

The next morning, they were full of good things–because Jesus takes our sins and gives us good things instead. It turned out to be a good, meaningful, and humbling exercise that reminded us all of our sin and the goodness of Jesus.

The Jesus Storybook Bible

(If you’ve never heard of or read this book, you must. It tells the stories of the Bible in a way that ties each one to Jesus. It’s beautiful and rich.) This year, we’re adding a new tradition. Starting today (Maundy Thursday), we’re reading the pages in the Jesus Storybook Bible that go along with that day. Here’s the breakdown:

Maundy Thursday: The Servant King, A Dark Night in the Garden

Good Friday: The Sun Stops Shining

Easter Sunday: God’s Wonderful Surprise

Today’s reading brought tears to my eyes. “But this is how God will rescue the whole world. My life will break and God’s broken world will mend. My heart will tear apart–and your hearts will heal. Just as the passover lamb died, so now I will die instead of you…”

Homemade Matzo 

This one we haven’t tried yet, though I’d like to. There is such symbolism in the cutting and piercing of the dough, and then breaking the bread afterwards. This recipe looked good and fairly easy. While we’re not celebrating the Passover this year (although we have in the past and have loved it), this would be a good way to connect the dots between the passover lamb and the Passover Lamb.

I hope this gives you some ideas for ways to celebrate! What Easter traditions do you have? Please share!

Mary Consoles Eve: A Christmas Poem

(Virgin Mary Consoles Eve, 

painted by Sister Grace Remington, OCSO, Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey)

I stand

Head bowed in shame, the weight of every sin upon my narrow back.

My sticky fingerprints, fruit-stained, sin-stained, are on it all,

From the bombs that fall on Aleppo

To the machetes wielded in Rwanda

To the yellow stars pinned on Jewish coats.

Our holiness tarnished now, from my fingers.

Unkind words, selfish thoughts, pride.

Fear. Because I broke the perfect love.

I cannot meet your eyes.

I did not trust

So now none of us is trustworthy.

I did not worship

Now we all worship ourselves.

I disobeyed.

I ruined His world.

I see you standing there,

Large with promise.

The mercy in your eyes mirrors the Mercy in your womb

And you say

Sister. He is coming. Feel His kicks.

He will take it all. He will kill the snake that bites our heels.

His shoulders are broad and His fingerprints holy.

And the weight of sin on us all will fall on Him instead.

You cannot break Perfect Love.

It is breaking through

For you.

What You'll Remember

Sometimes I wonder what you'll remember about this, your childhood.

Will you remember the time we forgot to bring Laina clothes to change into after ballet, and we wanted to go to the park? So we loaded up and bought her a clearance dress at Old Navy, and then played until you were all tired?

What will you remember about your elementary school days? Doing your work in front of a wall of books, reading aloud together almost-daily, learning to recite poetry and speeches, figuring math problems, doing school outside or at the park? Or will you remember how loud it was all the time? How we all get tired around about Thursday and want to call the whole thing off? How I fuss at you way more than I should?

Will you remember the early, early mornings? When we're up before the sun? Will you remember Dad making oatmeal every morning for whoever wants it? 

I know you'll know certain things when you leave home someday: how to do the dishes, sweep the floor, fold the laundry. Also how to make chocolate chip cookies and what music is the best to clean up the house to. You might have to do more chores than some of your friends, but that's part of large family life...and you have more best friends in your siblings than many kids do.

Which hiding places will you remember? This one, behind the rocking chair? You guys sure are back there a lot. There's the two small trees in the backyard known as Cory's Tree and Iain's Tree--I often find one of you there. You all like the side yard where you've dug deep holes in the Georgia clay. And your beds--you guys make them your own, decorating the walls with pictures and drawings, adding blankets and stuffed buddies that you love. 

Soon our church will have a building of our own, which will be wonderful. But all of you cut your teeth on church-in-a-school. You know how to set up and tear down, how to not touch the school's property but to admire the students' artwork on the hallway walls. You know how it takes so many people to pull off a Sunday service, and you know how to pitch in and help. You also know the fun of running around in the gym after it ceases being the sanctuary. I love that you know those things, and I do hope some of you will remember this time in our church family's life.

 I have no doubt you'll remember the Naughty Circle, and the pouty moments you spent there. Good old Naughty Circle.

What books will be part of your childhood memories? The Little House books for sure. Narnia. Caddie Woodlawn? And farther back still, Hand Hand Fingers Thumb? All the Dr Seuss?

What of small group nights? We've had weekly small group meetings in our home since before any of you were born. Will you remember the cleaning? The hurried dinners? Or, hopefully, the yummy desserts? Will you remember hanging out with your friends?

I don't know what you five will remember. But I hope and pray that when you look back someday on the years you spent here, young, growing, learning, that you'll smile and be glad. And then you'll call one of your siblings or me and your dad we will all remember together. I'm saving these moments, these sweet, busy, chaotic moments in my heart, knowing that one day I will really miss this.

Mason's Baby Dedication

September 29--we dedicated Mason to the Lord. The sweet boy slept through the entire dedication. It was a sweet time with family (my mom, Jenna and Titus, Haylee, and Jeremy's parents), and our friends. Stephen spoke about how our children, these babies, were evidence that God remembered us. Of course, when he read 1 Sam 1:27, "For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to Him" I thought about all the prayers we prayed for this little boy, this sweet Mason, before we even knew who he was. 

And so we dedicate him to the Lord, promising to raise him up in the knowledge of God and to teach him the love and grace of Jesus.

Afterwards, we took some family pictures outside. Then--off to Moe's to celebrate our boy!

Mason and his grandparents:

The Brannon family:

Our best family picture since Mason was born (at least in terms of everyone smiling!):

We love you Mason!

Easter, 2013

We celebrated Easter this year at home. My mom, Jenna and family, and Haylee came, and we had a lovely dinner (our first dinner party on our new table made by Curtis!). My mom made Laina's dress, and bought coordinating outfits for the boys. Oh my, what a handsome group!

Click here to see last year's pictures.

This year, we were home when our dogwood trees bloomed. It seems like every year we're gone over that week or so. This year, we soaked in all that beauty. I love our yard.

He is risen! I know I'm two months late, but He is still risen! :)

Will You Come Over?

So, I'm working on this project. A writing project. And as part of it, I started a website, a place to challenge myself in my writing, to focus thoughts, to note the ways God teaches us, to see how what we believe impacts how we live. A place to weave words together and hang them in the sunshine. And to invite you to join me in conversation about God and life.

Will you join me? I'm trying out the new subscribe-by-email thing on that site. I'd appreciate feedback on how it's working if you feel like subscribing. Come and visit! The site isn't totally done, but I'm working on it and I thought I'd go ahead and invite my friends to visit!

Look for several posts a week. Ambitious? Yes. :)

Click here to come over!

Created for Care

Sometimes in the never-ending, always-repeating, happy-mostly, tired-usually life that is motherhood to many small children, the opportunity comes up to step away. To leave the precious babies in the capable hands of their father, and go be with other women whose heart beats to the same rhythm as mine, in a place where we ask God to meet us.

I'm sure there are multiple ways to find this type of retreat. But for me, Created For Care is one of the highlights of my year. For the third time (and they've only had three years of it!), I've gone away with some of my favorite people to be not only rested, refreshed, and renewed, but to be challenged, convicted, and changed. It's the type of retreat where there are quiet places for being still, times of incredible, life-changing corporate worship, plenty of laughs and conversations that go deep, and practical teaching that affects my parenting, marriage, home, and life, and walk with Jesus.

(Hearing 450 women who have stepped onto the hard and uncharted paths of adoption and foster care singing Jesus' promises back to Him and declaring Him strong, good, loving, faithful, full of restoration...it was almost too much to take this side of heaven.)

The fact that these ladies who truly are some of my favorites on planet earth go too is too good to be true.

 (Adrienne, Laura, Alison, me. We all travelled to Rwanda together to bring home our kids. So thankful these women are in my life.)

It was so good, too to meet more Rwanda Mamas and connect with some I hadn't seen since the last C4C. I love the Rwanda adoption community!

Thanks to some car trouble, Adrienne didn't get to meet Mason and the big boys. Sad! I'm glad that Laura and Alison did. Did I mention I love these three ladies?

And while I'm sad that C4C is over for another year (for me anyway; there's another one in March!), I'm glad to be back doing more of this:

...and doing my best, by the grace of God, to steward these blessings in my care. And listening to Candi Shelton on repeat. :)