Ideas For Your Easter Family Breakfast
This activity is from Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments at Home by Traci Smith and is shared with permission from the publisher. This practice can also be meaningful for an individual.
Getting up before dawn to watch the sunrise is a special treasure that is not easily forgotten in life. This Easter morning tradition of a sunrise breakfast creates a sacred space in which memories are cultivated for life. Breakfast can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. The most important element is simply gathering together as a family and enjoying the time together.
Materials:
- Breakfast Foods
- Bible marked at John 20:1 – 18
How To:
- The night before, set the table. If possible, consider setting up outside on a balcony or deck, or near a window to see the sunrise. Also, prepare as much of breakfast ahead of time as possible as well.
- Plan to wake everyone in time to be ready at the table about 10 – 15 minutes before sunrise.
- Serve breakfast and have everyone seated. Begin with a prayer.
- Begin to eat breakfast together and have someone read the John passage slowly and deliberately.
- Notice the first line: “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark…” Notice if it is still dark outside, and notice that this is how it was outside when Mary went to the tomb.
- Ask “How do you think Mary felt when she went to the tomb in the dark?”
- If you are able to eat outside, notice what sounds you hear. Is it quiet? Is it noisy?
- Enjoy breakfast together and notice as it gets brighter and day breaks. Share any thoughts and experiences that come to mind.
- Close your time together with a prayer.
Note:
- The beauty of this tradition is that it starts the morning with a spiritual focus and centers the day in family and faith.
- This tradition is a great foundation on which to build other traditions as the years go on. Add your own special recipes and surprises at breakfast.
Variation:
- If a sunrise breakfast does not work for your family, do not stress. Start your day with an Easter family breakfast at a time that works for you all. The beauty of this tradition is that it starts the morning with a spiritual focus and centers the day in family and faith before adding additional Easter fun. Incorporate prayer and the Scripture reading into your breakfast ritual, adapting the conversation as needed to accommodate the time.
