Category Archives: Family Traditions

We are blessed to have a group of believing friends (all of us who attend different churches & denominations) who get together once a month for praise, prayer, fellowship & food – based on the scriptures found in Acts 2:42 – “and they came together for the apostles teaching, the breaking of bread, fellowship & prayer”.  It has been an incredible blessing for us all as we are like minded in our love for the Lord, our love for our families and our desire to lead a meaningful and purposeful life.

Saturday we met for our monthly get together and included an Easter Egg Hunt for all the children (between the four families we have 17 children and one on the way!)  The family that hosted have a huge piece of property out in the country – perfect for the egg hunt!  The kids had a great time and the adults enjoyed a beautiful afternoon that included a time of worship, prayer and encouraging conversation. 

Our yummy hot cross buns! The final candle on the cross stays lit until noon.

Rebekah loves hot cross buns! We all enjoyed sitting down around the table to enjoy this “sweet” tradition.

After our devotional reading we extinguish the final candle & drape a black cloth over our cross.  It stays that way until Easter Sunday morning.

Our mantel which displays our collection of crosses for a few weeks prior to Easter is also draped with a black ribbon. Yes it is dark & gloomy just as the disciples and followers of Christ must have felt at the time.  “It’s Friday…..but Sunday’s a coming!”

It is sad to me that this most important day to our Christian faith – Good Friday – is often just overlooked as “just another day”. The day that Jesus Christ hung on the cross enduring the pain, agony and shame, not for anything he had done, but for us!  To save us from our sin. To heal and make us whole. To keep us from eternal damnation. 

Without the cross…..there would be no Resurrection, no hope, no healing, no eternal life.

Yet many believers do not set any time aside to observe this most sacred of days.  I remember a time when school was always out on Good Friday, where businesses shut down and closed their doors, where people would take off work to attend a Good Friday service.  Today, it is a rare thing to find Christians who are observing Good Friday.  (and even more apalling is the number of young people who can’t even tell you what Good Friday is!  We better wake up church!)

As a child, we began Good Friday with hot cross buns in the morning as an early reminder of what the day was all about – the cross where Jesus died.  My Mom also instituted a 3 hour “quiet time” where we would not be out playing, watching TV or doing chores – but rather we would read our Bibles or think about what Jesus had done for us.  While that time may not have been the most “fun” of our family traditions – I can tell you it impacted my life and it is the reason that I have spent my entire adult life observing Good Friday, often times having to take off a day from work to do it.

Our family tradition also includes hot cross buns in the morning! (yummy)  After our late night celebrating our Passover, we usually are rolling out of bed a bit later on Friday morning so after breakfast we get the dishes & house cleaned up and then sit down at about 11:30am around the table with our one last candle lit on our cross and read the account of Jesus death on the cross. (usually Matthew Chapter 27)

 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews ?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed.

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man ; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”

But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. But the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!” When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood ; see to that yourselves.”

And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall ; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.

And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots.  And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.

And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.

“HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ “

The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI ?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”

And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah. Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.

Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ “Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.

At noon we blow out the final candle and we drape the black cloth on a cross in the center of the table to remind us throughout the weekend of the darkness of those three days (On Easter Sunday morning the black clothed cross is replaced on the table with Easter lily’s and bright colors to remind us of the resurrection!)  We then close all the curtains & blinds in the house, turn off the lights, lock the doors and turn off all the phones for the next three hours of remembrance.

It has been well over a decade since we decided as a family that we wanted to celebrate the Last Supper during Holy Week.  If you are familiar with the story then you know that the “Last Supper” was actually the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread or the Passover which is celebrated by the Jewish people.  It was the time they set aside to remember and praise God for delivering them from slavery in Egypt.  During the Passover Feast – Jesus had his final meal with his disciples and he instituted communion.  Communion is a very essential and meaningful part of the life of any believer. 

When we first began our celebration of the Last Supper the girls were young (10, 7, 6, 4 and 1) and we had a simple evening consisting of a meal (“feast”) and a time of communion.  We also incorporated a foot washing ceremony afterwards following in Christ’s example of washing the disciples feet.  Over the years that has grown to where we now have a full Passover celebration known as a Christian Seder.  And I must tell you – we LOVE it! Here is some information for you on the Passover and Seder:

Passover is the oldest and one of the most important of Jewish religious festivals.  It is  a celebration of the Isrealites deliverance by God from slavery in Egypt. The term Passover refers to the tenth and final plague God brought upon the Egyptians to persuade Pharaoh to let the people go, the death of all the firstborn of Egypt. In obedience to God’s instructions, those who believed placed the blood of a lamb on the door posts of their homes, so that God would “pass over” those homes. The festival actually celebrates the entire sequence of events that led to the Israelites’ freedom from slavery. While thoroughly based in those historical events, the celebration encompasses much more as it becomes a vehicle to celebrate the very nature of God and His gracious work in the world. 

The Passover meal is known as the Seder, which means “order,” because the meal and service are done in a prescribed sequence. This sequence is presented in the Haggadah (“telling”) which outlines the steps of the meal as well as the readings and songs for the participants. While there can be a great deal of variety in how the service is conducted, the basic elements and order have remained unchanged for centuries. The purpose of the celebration is to tell the story of God’s actions in history in a way that brings it out of the past and makes it a present reality for everyone in the community, young and old, as if they personally are part of the story. As such, the Passover has been termed one of the most effective teaching tools ever devised, as it appeals to all of the senses and involves everyone to tell the story of God.

 If you are interested in having a Christian Seder yourself – here are some good websites to gain all the information you need.  – Passover Seder for Christians, Christian Seder, A Christian Passover Seder   (It is most definitely NOT a “spur of the moment” event – although you could always have dinner and a time of communion & foot washing without much preparation – in fact the first time we did this in 2000 we decided Maundy Thursday morning.)

After our Seder we go out on the back porch and have a foot-washing.  As we wash one another’s feet in a humble act of service, we share with them our love for them. We also read the account of Jesus washing the disciple feet from scripture.  Then we bundle up and walk down the street to our local neighborhood park where we read the account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and we spend some time praying there.  It certainly makes the scriptures come alive!

Since the Passion of Christ has come out on DVD a few years back, we have come home and watched that amazing movie depicting the final hours, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (although by this time it is quite late and the younger ones fall asleep on the couch)

The entire evening has become a favorite, much anticipated, not to miss event with our children. From Passover to Good Friday to Easter Sunday – these are the most cherished days of the year for me.

Tonight was the final “sacrificial meal” of the Lenten season.  (you can read about that tradition here)  We decided to donate the money we saved by eating only rice & pretzels each Wednesday night since Ash Wednesday to the Heifer Project.  This organization is committed to ending world hunger and one of the ways they are doing it is by giving others the opportunity to purchase a gift of a heifer, goat, sheep, pig, chickens, geese, ducks etc… to be given to people dealing with poverty from all over the world.

Tonight during our meal, we gathered around the computer and purchased a “flock of hope” (chickens, ducks and geese). According to Heifer International this is what our gift will do:

“Your gift of a Flock of Hope will include chicks, ducklings and goslings that will grow up to lay precious eggs that mean hope and increasing health and prosperity for hungry families from the Philippines to Rwanda. Eggs add vital protein to malnourished families’ diets, and droppings provide a wonderful natural fertilizer to improve crop yields. Over time as the flocks grow, families can sell the surplus eggs and produce at market and use the extra income to send children to school, build secure housing and more!”

We were all very excited about providing this for a family in need. We pray that they will be blessed abundantly!  If you are interested in Heifer Project and looking at their catalog – click here.

We finished our meal with a reading of the scripture when Judas went to the high priests and asked how much they would give him to betray Jesus. (isn’t money at the core of so many sins?) We blew out the fourth of our six candles and then began to make preparations for tomorrow’s Passover Celebration (also known as a Christian Seder) – one of our all time favorite traditions!

After preparing our hearts during the past five weeks with our Wednesday Lent observance of a sacrificial meal – we are always ready for the arrival of Holy Week – which is the pinnacle of our Christian faith.

Today is Palm Sunday – the day to remember the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  After attending church this morning we came home and had brunch together before beginning our traditional Palm Sunday family devotion.  Yesterday I set the dining room table with six candles representing each day of this week ending with Good Friday.  I put the candles in the shape of a cross with a ribbon laying under them (I have always wanted to have a flat wooden cross I could lay on the table with holes for candles in it, but have never seen such a thing anywhere.  Someday I will have to have one made for our family…but for now this works!)

We will extinguish one candle each day this week until we are in “darkness” on Friday before noon when we read the Crucifixion account in the scriptures and observe Good Friday. (the opposite of lighting the candles during Advent)

Our time together as a family on Palm Sunday includes the reading of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

• “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.  A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest!”

 Matthew 21:1-9

  This year we spent some time sharing our thoughts on how the same people could have been so enthusiastic and convicted in calling Jesus the King on a Sunday only to turn around five days later and shout “Crucify him!”.  We all agreed that it wasn’t much different at times than any one of us as we praise the Lord on Sunday morning in church only to ignore, disobey or deny him just days later. We also talked about Jesus coming on a donkey as a humble, servant leader being a sharp contrast to most modern day leaders in both the secular arena and sadly in some church leadership.  We decided we needed to all be more diligent to be like Jesus in this area of service and humilty.

We always have a little reenactment of the triumphal entry as well (children learn so much better through hands on and dramatic play activities).  The youngest child always get to ride our little brown rocking horse while the older sisters shout “Hosanna” & wave branches from our yard.  It is definitely memorable.

We end with the extinguishing of the first candle and the countdown to Good Friday has begun!

May you and your family take the time to prepare your hearts for the passion of Christ this Holy Week.