Celebrate the Resurrection! by Jenna Vick Silliman

What do you do to celebrate life? Jesus said, (See John 10:10.) The reason He came to the earth is to bring us abundant life. He triumphed over sin and death with His amazing resurrection. We have every reason to celebrate this occasion! With a little planning, and people joining in and doing their part, we can have quite a party.

I could easily make a list about what the day is NOT about. For example, it is not about Easter, the goddess of fertility, and it is not about hunting for eggs or candy. Instead, I want to focus on what we can do and what would make the day special. Here are twelve ideas for a resurrection celebration. Please share with me what you like to do to celebrate—I’d love to hear it!

1. Dress up in party clothes and wear something bright and colorful to put you and others in the celebrating mood.

2. Attend a sunrise service put on by a local church.

3. Decorate the party room with colorful table cloths and vases of fresh spring flowers.

4. Wearing simple costumes made from sheets draped over head and shoulders, or robes, act out the story of the resurrection as told in Matthew 28:1 to 10.

5. Dress up a communion altar with a tablecloth and use wine glasses and a pretty plate and tray to serve communion.

6. Plan a love feast and invite family and friends and all bring food to enjoy a meal together.

7. Buy each woman (or encourage her husband/father to purchase) a flower corsage to pin on.

8. Stand in a circle and each share what the resurrection means to you.

9. Read aloud the story of the resurrection in Scripture in Matthew 28:1 to 10.

10. Memorize and recite a Scripture about the resurrection, such as Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” or John 11:25, “Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life, He who believes in me though he may die, he shall live.’” My personal favorite is how we are co-raised WITH the Lord Jesus! Ephesians 2:5,6 “God made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

11. Hand out copies of the words to a song about the resurrection and sing it together.

12. Sing and dance and worship the Lord together to a music CD with songs about the resurrection.