Every Easter, Christians gather to celebrate Jesus’s resurrection, and ultimately rejoice in his life. In America, Easter also consists of dyed eggs, flowers, bunnies, and an endless supply of chocolate candy. What do Jesus and bunnies have in common? How did a spiritual celebration turn into a chocolate-eating contest?

Obviously flowers, bunnies, and dyed eggs remind us of spring, renewal, and new life. And, for me, few things in this world make me stop and savor life more than eating a delicious piece of chocolate. And, Easter is the ultimate celebration, filled with food, family, and a reminder of hope. All of these things remind us to be thankful for our blessed life.

So, with Easter only a few days away, let’s remember to celebrate and thank God for this abundant life.

One way we celebrate Easter is with our He Is Risen Booklets (shown above). The Bible verses in the booklets are listed below:

1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

Holi is a Hindu spring festival also called the festival of colors. It’s a fun-filled event celebrated in late March or early April and primarily observed in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Several people from Wisteria got to experience it one year and what great fun it was! In addition to dancing and singing, participants throw powered paint all over each other to welcome spring and celebrates new life, often associated with this time of year!