3 Ways to Keep Easter from Becoming a One-and-Done Experience

by Reba Collins and William Cowles

OMG, I am already tired of Easter! Mom and dad arrive on Friday; we’ve got four soccer games before that; we have to color two dozen eggs for three different egg hunts; and I have to shop for Easter dinner. My parents want us all to go to church Sunday morning, but I have no idea what’s even available. Did I mention I’ve then got to get Easter dinner on the table for the entire family? UGH! I’ll be so glad when Easter is over.

Let’s be honest, Easter isn’t an easy time to go to any church for the first time, but a lot of us do that. You may be new in town, or you may have that first-time urge to see what this Christian church thing is all about. Regardless of your church background, Easter is a “go, go, go” experience, and sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth the effort.

With so much of life already getting in the way, let us help you make this year’s Easter experience easier. We want to simplify Easter, not complicate it even more. This should be an opportunity to actually celebrate what Easter is all about – the resurrection of Christ.

When you take the time to make a good church choice the first time, you stand a great chance of finding a faith community that will support and nourish you long after the Easter season has ended. So, if you haven’t yet targeted the church you’ll attend on Easter, and perhaps beyond, you can get started now by doing three things:

1.       Plan well. Based on your schedule, decide what would be your ideal time to attend an Easter service. Include a 20-30 minute window prior to the service’s start time for finding seats once you are on site. And don’t forget travel time in your planning. Next, find services that fit into your plan with a simple online search based on your time frame and location. Remember, some churches hold Saturday evening services and that’s okay, too!

2.       Find an Interesting Story. Once you’ve located options that fit into your schedule, check out the churches’ Websites for their current sermon series. Yes, it’s Easter. Yes, the story should be the same at every church. But it’s not. Each church has a slightly different version or perspective on the resurrection of Jesus. See what’s being discussed and studied prior to Easter and how that builds up to the Easter message. Then, see where they’re going after Easter.

3.      Go hunting. Churches dangle Easter Egg hunts like carrots in front of young families to entice them to attend an Easter service. That’s okay. I say, “Go participate with as much gusto as your young people can muster!” Seriously, egg-hunting churches don’t expect you to commit to an Easter Sunday visit, but they do want you to receive an invitation. Just thank them graciously and then go home and check them out via their Website. See if they offer your family opportunities to engage and grow in their church community. 

As I found out this week, an online search for Easter services in your area might be a bit premature. This far out, my search for “Easter Services [City] [State]” in three major metro areas yielded very few options. I had a few more hits with “Lent Sermon Series [City] [State],” but this option produced only mainline Protestant groups (Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians) and Catholic churches.

Be patient, too, because online Easter information and resources will likely increase when we get within the two-week mark of the big day. That’s also when you’ll start to see Easter banners on every church’s front lawn. You’ll find lots of good options just by keeping your eyes open and your mouse clicking.

Don’t wait too long, though, because you don’t want to rely on a last-minute choice based on the hype-of-the-day. Impulse decisions rarely make lasting sense. Avoid that stress-producing trap by starting early, so this Easter doesn’t become just another annual one-and-done frenzy of events.

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Prior to Easter is a week long tradition called Holy Week. Ever wonder what that was all about and why you should participate? Next Tuesday’s blog will give you a couple of resources to help you learn about Holy Week traditions, so you can get the most out of the Easter experience and grow your faith more.