DIY Easter Tree and Resurrection Eggs

I have developed a new fondness for Easter. I have always been a HUGE Christmas fan, and while I still am, I am really starting to see Easter in a whole new way. For my family growing up, it was always celebrated, although not nearly made as big of a deal of as Christmas. As for my husband and I as well as our, "3seeds", that is one tradition that I am set on changing.

In an attempt to raise 3 fully-devoted followers of Christ, Easter has very little for us to do with bunnies and jelly beans- although I will say that we do have baskets for the bunny to fill. In our home Easter is a celebration-- a day to remember that we are not home yet and that not only has God broken through the chains of death, but that Jesus is coming back... he will have the last word here on this earth and that as we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we will live forever with Him. What a wonderful inheritance we have in Jesus!

To that end, each year I create an Easter Tree... The kids and I pick the exact branch to use and cut it ourselves from the trees on our property or around the neighborhood. This year I decoupaged some Styrofoam eggs to decorate the tree a bit and the rest of the "ornaments" get hung one day by my kids... our own resurrection egg symbols. You can purchase your own Resurrection Egg set from CBD or other Christian book retailers, but this year I decided to made my own. So far, the kids are loving our time reading each scripture to go along with each symbol. They have really taken these symbols to heart and can express why each one is personally significant to them-- well, let me clarify-- C. and E. can. :)

And so it beings.... our own Easter tree for the Lenten season. As we hang more symbols I'll be sure to add more pics!

EASTER TREE RESURRECTION EGG SYMBOL AND VERSES:

1. Bread (I used a Ritz cracker and took a paring knife to make hole for the ribbon)
"While they were eating Jesus took a piece of bread,
gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples.
"Take and eat it," He said, "This is My body." Matthew 26:26

2. Silver coin ( I used a quarter)
"Then one of the twelve disciples, named Judas Iscariot, went to
the chief priests and asked, "What will you give me if I betray
Jesus to you?" They counted out thirty silver coins and gave
them to him." Matthew 26: 14-15

3. Purple cloth (some extra purple ribbon that I had on hand)
"They put a purple robe on Jesus..." Mark 15:17

4. Thorns (heading to my local florist to see if I can snag a scrap of stem from a rose with thorn that they would otherwise be discarding)
"Then they made a crown out of thorny branches and placed it on
His head, and put a stick on His right hand; then they knelt
before Him and made fun of Him. "Long live the King, of the
Jews!" they said." Matthew 27:29

5. Piece of rope, twine, or thick string (a scourge) (Using some basic recycling twine)
"Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he set Barabbas free for
them. Then he had Jesus whipped and handed Him over to be
crucified." Mark 15:15

6. Cross (a purple foam cross that I has extras of from last years Easter craft)
"He went out, carrying His cross, and came to "The Place of the
Skull," as it is called. (In Hebrew it is called "Galgotha.") There
they crucified Him." John 19: 17-18a

7. Nails (Gotta love the hubby's own stash in the basement!)
"Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the scars of the nails in His
hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in His
side, I will not believe." John 20:25b

8. Sign (I use a small square of laminated paper)
"Above Him were written these words: THIS IS THE KING OF
THE JEWS." Luke 23:38

9. Sponge (I use a small piece cut from a regular kitchen sponge)
"One of them ran up at once, took a sponge, soaked it in cheap
wine, put it on the end of a stick, and tried to make Him drink it." Matthew 27:48

10. Spear (a toothpick)
"One of the soldiers plunged his spear into Jesus' side, and at
once blood and water poured out." John 19:34

11. Rock (plenty of these little beauties of nature in my yard!)
"Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a new linen sheet, and
placed it in his own new tomb, which he had just recently dug
out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the
entrance to the tomb and went away." Matthew 27:59-60

12. Nothing (the tomb is empty) (A washed out and dried empty egg shell-- I suppose you could use a plastic egg if you wanted as well.)
"He is not here. He has risen just as He said." Matthew 28:6

Blessings!