Easter Making

Here’s an idea I wanted to put out there for you to try:

I invite you to take some time through the week to make a piece of creative artwork contemplating the incredible Easter message: God entering into human history to demonstrate how much each person in this world is loved. 

I’ve asked each of us in our family to try this. Don’t say you’re not an artist, bc we all really do have the capacity to create. It’s not about impressing anyone. I’ve found you just need to be curious and willing to try something new. (YouTube art tutorials are a terrific resource!)

...You might want to start by reading - or listening on a Bible app - through at least the latter half of the Gospel of Mark, for example, as it is the shortest. I recommend trying out the dynamic Message version. Or search ‘Easter’ on Spotify for a background playlist to inspire your creativity. 

So, this could be a symbolic image or actual word art with text you choose that reflects something of Jesus - His unparalleled character, sayings, deeds. Clever ideas I’ve had so far: Heart + Cross (= sacrificial love). Feel free to use ‘em! 

A few days ago, I put down my pencil for this little sketch I had begun and went outside. With my son’s help, we endeavoured to lug a thick, heavy branch from our backyard that had fallen during the last winter storm to chop up for firewood. In that moment, my scratched hands communicated to my mind — what must that dense weight of two solid beams lashed together and shouldered by the tortured Jesus have felt like, struggling to drag it over the cobblestone streets of Jerusalem. From that came an idea to try carving into wood these words:

Love Took My Place

Feel free to do your Easter making with, or on, anything you want - from clay to canvas, or if you are musical you could create a poem-prayer as a song. We plan to share our unique creations together on Good Friday in our home. This can be done in a virtual group easily enough. I would love to see what you come up with. Your creativity inspires me! 

The real bonus of this activity is that however long you spend at it, the time will be spiritually formative - as you contemplate your creative theme it will push out from your mind the negative impulses of fear, anxiety, panic that lurk these days and nudge you towards Hope. As we make and shape, we are being shaped and made.