Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The Christian Passover or Pasha is the high point of our Christian year. It should be the most joyful and jubilant celebration of the entire year. Because of Christ, we celebrate deliverance from evil and death and redemption into new life with Christians all over the world. We have been redeemed and will live forever with Christ, our King. This one day is the fulfillment of our entire liturgy. Every Sunday celebrates this day. This day is the gospel message that we preach to the world!
As we enter the church, we are amazed at the beauty and the splendor! The church that was stripped bare on Maundy Thursday and remained so through Good Friday and Holy Saturday has now been adorned. The altar is gloriously vested in gold and white, all crosses are uncovered and Easter lilies spill out from around the altar. We hear music again as well as the triumphant Alleluias! All of this is done to signify and proclaim the joy and hope that we share as followers of Christ! Jesus our Savior has risen from the dead!
As we hear God’s holy Word and celebrate his Sacraments, we, as the Church, share in Christ’s victory over death. Our long fast has ended and the joyful feast has come!
Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Ways to Celebrate Easter
Easter is here and “Alleluia” is said once again! Greet your family with the traditional Easter greeting, “Alleluia. Christ is risen”. To which they respond, “The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!”
Alleluia is the Latin form of the Hebrew Hallelujah. The first part of that word is Hallel. It’s the greatest expression of praise for God in Hebrew. The last part of the word is Jah and means God. So Hallelujah is the greatest expression of praise to God. Christians have greeted each other with these words on Easter Day since the very beginning of the Church. Teach these words to your children to mark the occasion.
Have the exchange of Alleluias with your children and then give them their Easter baskets.
If you made Resurrection Cookies, pull them out of the oven and conclude the devotional.
Make your home a proclamation of the resurrection of Jesus. Remove all purple cloths from your icons and crosses. Bring out the Alleluia board that was hidden away during Lent and hang it in a prominent place in your home. Make a huge Easter wreath full of spring flowers and fill your home with flowers.
Attend the Easter Sunday service at your Church. This is the holiest and most important day of the Christian year. It is the day that we celebrate Christ’s glorious resurrection and our deliverance from death into new and unending life with him.
After church, celebrate the resurrection with a huge feast. Serve all of your special foods on your best dishes. Make this an occasion for your family to cherish!
Light lots of white candles around your home and on your dining table. Remember to keep all work to a minimum. Try to keep the day as stress-free as possible so that you may relax and enjoy this ultimate feast with your family.
Have an Easter Egg Hunt. Because Easter was not celebrated until Easter Sunday, Easter egg hunts were on Easter Sunday right after the church service.
Easter Season or Eastertide
Jesus’ resurrection is so amazing, so pivotal in the life of the Church that an entire season is devoted to it rather than just a single day of observance. Easter Season or Eastertide begins with the celebration at the Great Vigil of Easter and concludes fifty days later with the birth of the Church on Pentecost Sunday. We celebrate the fifty days of Easter as one enormous feast!
If you would like to continue in the celebration, my guidebook, The Liturgical Home: Easter, provides everything you need to know to continue celebrating Easter in your home!
