Easter Stories

FAMILY MINISTRY AT ST. ANDREW'S

Stories for Easter

Dear St. Andrew's families,

I once read a story about how early Christians would gather after dark on the evening before Easter. They would pull up a rock or just sit on the ground near the fire and listen to stories. Stories about how God created heaven and earth, how God created us by breathing life into us, about Noah and the promise of the rainbow, and about Ezekiel in the valley of the dry bones. They sang songs and read psalms and told the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. They would spend all night telling stories and waiting for the sun to rise, then baptize new Christians and celebrate the Easter Eucharist.

Although the details of the story may not be 100 % accurate (how could we ever know for sure since it was 2000 years ago), the meaning of the story helps us grasp the promise of Easter. Now. In these times of quarantine and physical distance. These times when we must give up some of our most beloved traditions.

This Easter will be different. The situation requires us to experience it in new ways. Instead of relaxing into the comfort of our rituals, we need to be creative. We can use that creativity to bring new life to our stories and our faith and to come up with new ways to bring back the Alleluias of Easter.

Maybe you have already planned a new way of celebrating Easter this year (if so, could you please share it with me so I can share it with your St. Andrew's family?). Or maybe you will hear a song, or see a piece of art, or read a book that helps you create this new celebration. Perhaps, you will find something in the links below that will spark your imagination.

Perhaps you will tell your children stories of your favorite Easter memories around the fire on some rainy night. We all love hearing our family stories, they tell us about who we are and help us figure out who we could be. They remind us of all we have been through and, maybe, give us the strength and confidence we need now.

So, while you are creating your new kind of Easter, I hope this time is filled with love, laughter, promise, and tons of new stories for your family to pass down.

Love and blessings as we all live into Easter together,

-Erin O'Brien, Director of Christian Education

Resource Links

Kids love stories, but did you know that hearing family stories are good for them? Here is an article that explains the benefits of sharing family stories with your children.
Have early risers and want to start a new tradition? Maybe a sunrise Easter breakfast. It can be as simple or complicated as you want.
Sometimes when I'm upset or anxious I look for pictures of otters to cheer me up. Around Easter, though, I look for bunnies like these.
Do the kids need something to do and you're all out of ideas? Here are some cute thumbprint chicks to make and even some lamb book marks.
My daughter is stress baking at the moment, so I decided to join her in the making of traditional hot cross buns. They used to be baked on Good Friday, but now they are served at Easter breakfast as well. This is a simple kid friendly recipe (don't worry because it's a yeast dough, it really is easy!)
Even though you can't go to church on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, you can do a reflection with your children at home. The prayers for those days from "Common Prayer for Children and Families" are still available for free from Church Publishing
Loyola Press has a 3 minute retreat posted daily. They are a great way to take some time for yourself, breathe deeply, and reflect all in 3 minutes. Here is a reflection on truth for Maundy Thursday.
Did you know the Eastern and Western Christian churches have completely different ideas about what the actual resurrection looked like? Or, at least their art work depicts wide differences. This beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully written book travels through Christianity's holy sites exploring Eastern and Western art to make sense of what that difference means for us.
Missing the quiet reflection of the physical church space? Faith in Art is a short video series of reflection of different pieces of art for each day of Holy Week and Easter. They have a complete set for each year of the lectionary cycle. Here is the one for Maundy Thursday, it has a link at the top to bring you to the rest of the series This year is year A, but B and C are worth viewing too.
3 minute retreat