Thursday, April 09, 2009

Holy Week at The Burger's

You might get tired of me linking this book each and every holiday season, but it has made such an impact on my life as a parent and the traditions we hold as a family. Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper is an excellent recourse for any family who has a desire to pass down a legacy of God centered traditions to there family and might not have many that were pass down to them. Noel Piper tells about the purpose of traditions being passed down and then gives great ideas for each major holiday. What I took away from this book most is that each family is unique and creative in its own way. I was encouraged, not to do exactly what The Piper family does, but learn from them and make new traditions for our family, unique to The Burger's. Some I have come up with have been spontaneous and some have been thoroughly thought through. It has been so fun over the years. I encourage you to join in and make some fun new traditions for your family.

Here is what we do for Holy Week:

On Palm Sunday: We go to our churches Palm Sunday Service. On the way home we talk about the service and why they were waving branches, etc. When we get home we hide a lamb (stuffed animal obviously) somewhere in the house and Titus has to find it. We talk about how on the same day Jesus was coming into the Jerusalem the children would have been searching for a lamb without blemish for there Passover Sacrifice. Once Titus finds the lamb we talk about what they would be doing with the lamb that week and about the story of the plagues from Exodus. (this is the first year we have done this and it has been a BIG hit! Titus is REALLY getting it and he wants to keep hiding the lamb, find it and tell the story over and over....whatever works!) We tell him that while the kids were out looking for there Passover Lamb, Jesus had come to be there final Lamb to be slain!

Also on Palm Sunday we light six candles and talk about what the upcoming week is. Usually I tell part of the story and ask Titus to fill in other parts. At some point in that day we blow out one of the candles. Each day following we light all the candles and talk about the story and how Easter is getting closer but each day one more candle gets blown out by the kids. So by Good Friday ALL the candles are blown out. Then on Saturday the kids want to light the candles and blow them out only this time we don't let them because Jesus died and is in the grave. Then on Sunday morning when the kids wake we have ALL the candles going when they come in the room! "Jesus has Risen!" we tell them. Sooo fun! (At some point as the boys get older, I would like to spread this out over the coarse of Lent but for now, one week is plenty!)

Saturday of Holy week we go to our church's children's Easter Party where there is a big Easter Egg Hunt and the Easter story told. We like to dress the boys up and take there pictures in the blue bonnets on the way to the Easter party....we will see what it is like photographing two this year!

We like to make Easter as big a celebration as Christmas, which is pretty hard because there are few decorations and family members don't seem to send big gifts etc. (although we got some great Easter packages yesterday from my mom and Robin's parents!) So Sunday morning along with the candles being lit we get them gifts to open Easter morning and then celebrate with family and friends all day.

This year we are adding THIS to our traditions...I am going to attempt it tonight along with dying eggs...you can pray for me!

What do you do for Holy Week?

8 comments:

thehirschgang said...

amen, sister! love this book...and i agree, not duplicating exactly what others do as much as being inspired to seek the Lord for your own family. We make a HUGE deal out of Easter, since it's right up there with Christmas. Thanks for the encouragment...we're going to attempt the Easter mountain. :)

Norris family said...

Here's something we are going to try this year:
Make the night before Easter.
1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 Ziploc bag
Wooden spoon
Wax paper covered cookie sheet
Tape< /o:p>
Bible

Preheat oven to 300°. Place pecans in Ziploc bag and let children beat them with the wooden spool to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.
Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste20it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.
Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know & belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in the broken nuts. Drop batter by teaspoons onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66.

Go to bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were sad too when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20, 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9

Janelle and Ella said...

Great traditions!! I really need to get that book. I definitely want to do the candle thing next year.

Holly said...

Hi Amber! We took the girls bluebonnet pictures last week (they're on my facebook page). This week, every morning when the girls wake up, we read a different bible story about Jesus from one of their books with abridged versions. Saturday, we'll go to the First Irving Egg Hunt. Then, drive about an hour and 10 minutes out to my parents'. Out on their land, my father has mapped out this year's Easter Egg Adventure. It's a Willy Wonka theme on the Oopma Loompa path. They'll open chocolate bars and find their Golden Tickets. Then, they drive around in Dad's golf cart and follow a map to various spots. They'll find the question envelope, answer a question from the movie, and get a treat relating to that question (i.e. when they answer that Augustus Gloop fell into the chocolate river, they'll find their cartons of chocolate milk). The last prize will be their new Wonka Bar t-shirts. It's quite a production! Then, dinner with my family and memory telling and sometimes singing. My dad's favorite hymn is "Man of Sorrows, What a Name" and we all love the last verse.
When He comes, our glorius King,
All His ransomed ones to bring
Then a new this song we'll sing
Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE this book! And I LOVE the breakfast cake recipe in it. We have done the Easter mountain this year, and it has really helped solidify the Easter story (with Honor especially). We made the mountain last Sunday and each night we have played out a part of Passion week. It has been so good, and I am so glad we did it. Each night, I put a few of the "props" from our "play" with our Lenten candles to remind us what has happened so far (so right now there are pipe cleaner palm branches and our Little People donkey, the blocks that were the tables of the money changers, our thirty pieces of silver (a pipe cleaner cut into bits) and now the tiny pieces of bread (pancake) and juice (medicine cup) for the Last Supper.

Last night was hilarious with our tiny Last Supper (crumbs of pancake and a medicine cup of juice) and Jesus washing the disciples' feet (another medicine cup of water).

We've also done the Lenten candles every day this week instead of over the whole course of Lent, though I should have been better about pointing out to the kids when we blew one out. I kind of just did it before bed. I would love to see a pic of the candles you use (I just used jar candles that I had on hand)... and how long do you leave them lit? All day?

I want to try these "empty tomb" cookies. I think my girlies will LOVE that.

Lastly (sheesh, didn't mean to write a novel here!), Usborne Bible Tales "The Easter Story" has been a favorite this week. It's pretty good, and Honor seems to be soaking up a lot from it.

Faye said...

AMBER STOPPED BY FOR A VISIT!WHAT A BEAUTIFUL POST.EASTER BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

The Self Cottage said...

SHUT UP! I love this! I love your traditions....i may ask if i can steal these for our little ones. I have been asking the Lord how we can be actively teaching Ava His ordinances and it's not a coinc that i read your awesome blog. Thanks for sharing your wisdom...i love you, my friend!

Kali said...

Hey Amber! I found your blog through facebook and enjoy stopping by to check out your new posts. I loved this one! My husband & I are expecting our first in September and talked a lot this week about how we want to pass on the importance of Easter through family traditions. This gave me some great ideas, and I think I'll check out that book you mentioned! Thanks for sharing! And by the way, you have a beautiful family!