Easter, My Mama's Favorite Holiday

Jesus was crucified during his trip to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, the Hebrew festival celebrating ancient Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt. Jesus was crucified on Friday, now known as Good Friday. Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross as a sacrificial lamb that we may be saved and have ever lasting life with our God, The Father.

Upon Jesus' death, he was prepared and then laid in a tomb. On Sunday morning it was discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty. An angel said that Jesus had risen just as he had said he would. Easter Sunday is a celebration of Jesus raising from the dead. It is a Holy celebration that is close to the heart of all Christians.

Image Credit: Easter Empty Tomb of Jesus Christ Poster Photo by ScenicEarthStudios

1.The lamb that was sacrified during Passover was selected four days before the sacrifice was to be made.
(Jesus rode into Jeursalem four days before he was Crucified.)

2. Traditionally The lamb was slain at 3pm on Passover.
(Jesus died on the cross at 3pm. ( Good Friday))

3. The festival of Unleavened Bread began at sunset. A grain offering was one of the rituals to celebrate the first fruits of the harvest.
(According to the Apostle Paul, Jesus became the first fruits of those raised from the dead.)

4. Three matzahs are put together during the Passover dinner.
(Christians see these as representatives of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)

5.The middle matzah is broken
(Christ said during the Last Supper " This is my body, broken for you.")

6. The middle matzah is also stripped and pierced.
( Jesus us was stripped and pierced during his Crucifiction..)

7.Then the matzah is wrapped in a white cloth and hidden.
(Jesus was wrapped in a linen and laid in the tomb, hidden away.)

Reference: Easter Origin

Crucifix A crucifix ia a cross with the body of Jesus hanging on it.
It Symbolizes the sacrifice Jesus made by allowing Himself to be killed.

Empty Cross
Reminds Christians of Jesus' victory over death and the new life and hope this victory brings to believers.

Sunday
Christians chose to worship on sundays because it is associated with the Resurrection

Candles
Christians associate Jesus with the light from the candles, calling him " the light of the world".

Easter Lilies
The large, pure white blossoms remind Christians of the pure new life that comes to them through the Resurrection.
The white lily stands for purity
The lily in the Bible: Mathew 6:28, 1 kings 7:26, 2 Chronicals 4:5*, Song of Solomon 5:13

Egg
Christians adopted the egg as an Easter symbol because of the relationship between Easter and the renewal of life.

The Lamb
Christians refer to Jesus as "the lamb of God".

In The Netherlands the Rooster is a regious symbol.
-------- They have roosters on their Churches instead of Crosses.
**They have roosters because Peter was told by Jesus in the Gospels in the Bible, that he would deny Christ thre times. The rooster is to remind us not to deny Christ***Mathew26:69-75

Egg Rolling
-------A game which has been connected to the rolling away of the rock from Jesus Christ tomb when He was Resurrected.

Definition from the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Easter egg roll is a traditional game played with eggs at Easter. Different nations have different versions of the game, usually played with hard-boiled, decorated eggs.
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In the United States, the Easter Egg Roll is an annual event, and is held on the White House lawn each Easter Monday for children and their parents.

The Egg Roll itself is a race, where children push an egg through the grass with a long-handled spoon.

Dolley Madison, the wife of President James Madison, began the event in 1814 and hundreds of children brought their decorated eggs

One of the most famous egg rolling events takes place in the US on the lawns of the White House. This tradition was inaugurated by President Hayes in 1878 following the passing of a law forbidding the use of the Capitol grounds as a playground
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In Germany, a prize is awarded to the contestant whose egg rolls fastest down a track made of sticks. In Holland, the contestant whose egg rolls furthest wins a prize. In Egypt, children bowl red and yellow eggs towards another row of eggs and whoever cracks one egg can claim them all. In eastern Europe, there are other traditions such as egg tapping and egg decorating.

Our family embraces both religious and secular traditions for most holidays and Easter isn't any different. When we were little we'd get all dressed up in new Easter dresses with hats or bonnets to wear to Church. We'd have a family get together and share a meal and hunt Easter Eggs. The night before Easter the Easter Bunny would visit and leave us Easter baskets full of goodies. All of these traditions were meshed together to make a wonderful and meaningful holiday.

One of my favorite moments on Easter Sunday is sunrise. Whether I'm attending a sunrise service, or at home enjoying a cup of coffee as I watch the sky, I remember that my Lord is a living God and that he died and rose again for me. My second favorite time is when my kids are plowing into their Easter baskets enjoying their goodies.

I don't think you have to choose one way to celebrate Easter. The most important thing is that you remember why we celebrate it.

My Lord took a walk up to Calvary,
There they nailed him to a tree,
And there beside him,
They hung a begger and a thief.
That's when they put the nails in
his feet.

The day was so dark, dreary and cold.
But my Lord said, so courageous and bold,
"Father, forgive them for they know not what
they do."
There he died for me and for you.

A crown of thorns they put on his head.
But you know what? My Lord is not dead.
MY Lord took a walk up to Calvary,
And there they nailed him to a tree.

Annie Stone is my granny. We lost her several years ago and I miss her terribly. Just like My Mama, she loved Easter. Below is an excerpt written by my Mama about hers.

"Mama wrote My Lord Took A Walk when I was around ten years old. She sang it in Church without music. It was requested often. Mama would always say "I'm not a singer, just listen to the words".

Growing up I would catch myself singing this tune. Mama is no longer with us ,she passed away in 2009. My Lord Took A Walk was sang at graveside by a family friend."