Many Christians are honoring this Lenten season in preparation for Easter on Sunday, April 1. For some people, Easter consists of the Easter bunny and family get-togethers. For others, Easter is primarily a time of celebrating Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection. For many, Easter is similar to Christmas and is celebrated as a combination of the secular and the sacred. Understanding Easter from a Christian perspective is vitally important. The celebration of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection is crucial for believers. Although Easter is the most significant event in the Christian year, we rarely take time to explore what it means in detail. So much attention is given to Lent, yet the theology of resurrection is central not only to what we believe as Christians, but the basic understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice. Choose a book or Bible study to prepare your heart during the season of Lent and Easter.
This Risen Existence: The Spirit of Easter
By: Paula Gooder
The book begins with an extended reflection on ancient and contemporary understandings of resurrection. It then takes readers on an exciting journey of discovery through the New Testament narratives in a quest to discover what resurrection tells us about life after death, the end times and what it actually means to be a Christian.
Easter from the Back Side
By: J. Ellsworth Kallas
Jesus’ death and resurrection proved to be the turning point in world history, with implications still being unraveled. Combine that with a creative approach, the book clarifies basic teachings about Easter and introduces new possibilities of meaning. Enriched with contemporary illustrations and personal experiences, this book provides new perspectives on Easter.
Come Alive: A 30-Day Devotional of Hope and Renewal
Outreach, Inc.
This book will inspire readers of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate the journey of this special season through devotions based on Jesus’ sacrifice, death and resurrection, and how it all applies to areas of our lives that need to come to life through His grace.There is also a section of readings and suggested activities for celebrating Easter as a family.
Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Readings from C.S. Lewis
By: C.S. Lewis
Preparing for Easter is a collection of 50 beautiful gems discovered amidst C.S. Lewis’s essays, poems, letters and other works that will lead you on a reflective journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. This wide-ranging gathering of his pieces boasts the meaning of grand miracle of Christ’s resurrection.
