By Carla Williams
What are your church’s Easter traditions? Did you realize that holidays are a perfect time to be intentionally missional? Whether you rejoice in the resurrection with chocolate bunnies or sunrise services, we’d love to challenge you to add these new traditions into your Easter celebration!
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Include Outsiders
The easiest way to be missional this Easter is to encourage your church to invite others in as you celebrate. Easter provides numerous opportunities to include those who wouldn’t usually experience church. Here are some ideas you can use with your church:
- Find some international college students who are curious about American holidays and traditions and include them in as much as you can, making sure to explain along the way.
- Create Easter gift baskets with candy, flowers, eggs, etc. and a clear presentation of the Gospel and way to follow up. Give them out around your neighborhoods, to strangers in a park or other public place, at a homeless shelter, etc. Bonus points if you find an area with a heavy international population!
- Invite unbelieving friends and family members to join you at church and brunch afterward. Even those who have rejected offers before are more likely to agree on a holiday.
- Host an Easter egg hunt for area kids. In addition to tasty candies (don’t be those people who leave out the chocolate), add Scripture verses of Truth and Grace.
- As you buy supplies for your own Easter celebrations, talk to cashiers and baggers about their plans for the holiday. Invite them to join you with yours!
An Easter Egg Hunt is a great way to connect with the community!
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Pray for Those Who Haven’t Heard the Good News
Remember that old saying, “It’s only Good News if they hear it in time”? Well, it’s true. And for about a third of the world, they’re still waiting to hear it. There are many parts of the world with literally no access to the Gospel. There are no churches, Christians, or Bibles available to those people.
But Easter is for them, too. They need to know God sent His Son to redeem them.
So we challenge your church – in the midst of your own busy season – set apart some time specifically to pray that the Gospel would be available to everyone. You can even adopt a specific area to pray for at joshuaproject.net.
- As you pray together, ask God to send in more workers.
- Ask Him to reveal Himself to those who are seeking Truth through dreams and visions.
- Pray for a spiritual breakthrough in epic proportions.
- Pray boldly and expectantly. God longs to be known in these places!
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Add an Emphasis on the Second Coming
We’re certain your Easter traditions already involve a celebration of Jesus’ great sacrifice and triumphant victory. But do you incorporate Jesus’ ULTIMATE victory in your festivities?
Jesus’ resurrection was not for now. It’s for eternity. Jesus first came humbly, not to be served but to serve. But when He comes again, He’ll be coming in power and glory.
Jesus’ resurrection was not for now. It’s for eternity.
As you consider our great future with God in heaven, imagine who will be standing next to you as you worship.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” – Revelation 7:9-10
We challenge you to embrace this mindset in your celebration of Easter this year. Study it. Meditate on it. Integrate this reality into your decorations, your conversations, and your traditions.
And listen, while we’re talking about it, if you happen to have any extra chocolate you don’t want this year, we’ll take it off your hands. Attn: Communications Trio.
