Easter Time

Christians around the world observe Holy Week during the days between Palm Sunday and Easter Day. These are days of particular holiness as they can be traced day by day in the Gospel accounts.

On the night before Good Friday we have a special service that reenacts the Last Supper Jesus shared with his friends, including a feet washing ceremony. Then we strip all the decorations from the church and turn off the lights to remember Jesus being abandoned by his friends as the soldiers came to arrest him.

God's love was too strong for the powerful people who wanted Jesus dead. God brings Jesus back to life and we keep spreading the good news of God's love that changes everything. Love wins!

A week before Easter we celebrate Jesus arriving at Jerusalem to share the good news of God's dream for universal peace and harmony. We call it Palm Sunday because the crowds waved palm branches to welcome Jesus to their city. We bless palms and carry them in a procession as well.

We call this day "Good Friday" even thought it was day that the powerful people killed Jesus to try and stop his message about God's love for us all. We even have special food for this holy day: hot cross buns!

Eggs and bunnies are not part of the original Easter story, but they have a big role in the way we celebrate the meaning of Easter these days. In Eastern Christianity the eggs are decorated at home rather than being purchased from a store. You may want to dig out the craft paints and encourage the kids to decorate a few hard-boiled eggs that can be enjoyed alongside their chocolate eggs on Easter morning. For some background on the Easter bunny, you may want to check this article, although as Aussies we may prefer the Easter bilby.