How to Celebrate Easter When You’re in Ministry



It’s the Friday before Easter. You’ve been busy with all the marketing, event planning, service prep, and inviting. You’re probably a little tired and the light at the end of the tunnel that is Monday is looking better and better.

But you also have a family and obligations there too. If you’re like me, it’s far too easy to let work overtake the home. All the focus is on what the Church is doing, and your family gets the leftovers. It’s not fair to them, and it’s not fair to you.

What can you do? You can’t get out of Good Friday or Saturday’s Egg Hunt or Easter Sunday. It’s your job, and people are counting on you.

It’s a struggle and not one that I have perfected. If you asked my wife, she would say I have a long way to go.

Regardless, here are 3 tips to celebrate Easter (Or any Holiday) while you’re in ministry. 

1. Take a cue from the Service Industry

In ministry, it’s easy to take the "woe is me" mentality. You’re the only one who has to work on Easter, while everyone else gets to celebrate with their families, going to lunches and egg hunts all around. I’ve been there. And it wasn't until I got out of my pity party that I realized I wasn’t alone.

Sales clerks, servers, chefs, amusement park workers, and so much more have to work on Easter and every other holiday just like us.

So, what do they do?

I worked at Sam’s Club for 18 months when early in my career. I learned quickly that they celebrate all their holidays on a different day.

They celebrate Easter on Monday. Christmas Eve has moved to Christmas Day. Thanksgiving is breakfast instead of dinner.

Their weekends aren’t Saturday and Sunday. A lot of times it’s Monday and Tuesday or some other two non-consecutive days of the week. They work around the holidays because their jobs require them to serve on them.

We can do the same.

2. Be Creative

When I was growing up, we always went to my Great Aunt’s house for a giant Easter Egg Hunt and lunch with all the cousins. It was my favorite part of the day, especially since earlier I had to go to my Grandmother’s church that didn’t have a children’s ministry.

So boring.

When I got into ministry and moved away from home, getting back to my family for the Holidays was near impossible. 

So, my wife and I created our own traditions that have expanded with our kid. The weekend is filled with church events, but when all that’s over, we spend time together. For Easter, I like to take Monday off for family time and relaxation. We’ll do our own egg hunt on Sunday afternoon with just us. Instead of the huge Thanksgiving-like spread, we’ll do something simple like hamburgers.

It’s still special. It’s still memorable. And yes, it’s different.

Don’t be afraid to try different things at different times. Ask your family for input and see what they like and don’t like. You may find a new tradition that your kids will hold as dear as you hold yours.

3. Be Intentional

Last year, I moved to Macon, Georgia, which is only 2 hours away from my hometown. It was a busy Easter, but I invited my whole family over for Easter lunch. My wife is the rockstar for preparing the meal and hosting, and I was so thankful. It was the first time since pre-covid my whole family had been under the same roof.

This year is busier than ever, but we knew that if we wanted to see our family, we had to be intentional. We looked at our schedule and weighed our options to decide what would work best for us.

The point is to take time before all the craziness of the holiday season to plan out what you want to do. You most likely know what that Holiday week is going to look like months in advance. Maybe not the finer details, but you will know the time commitments.

Set a time and commit. You may find that time together with family makes that light at the end of the tunnel just a little brighter.

Too many pastors have sacrificed their families on the altar of ministry. Don’t do that. Make your family a priority and set a time to celebrate with them. It may not be the same way or at the same time that everyone else does it, but that’s what living a life of service is all about.

How do you celebrate Easter with your family? Let me know in the comments!
Location: Macon, GA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Volunteer Statements for Your Ministry

Image
Photo by jules a. on Unsplash I worked at Sam’s Club for a year and half while I was at my first church. Now when I go into any Sam’s and I need help, I can start dropping some jargon like it’s "in steel," or "it’s in that mixed pallet," or "it’s on the end cap or pod." Usually when I use their insider language, their eyes light up, and they're far more motivated to help me because we have something in common. No matter what job you do there are certain phrases and words that are specific to your culture. Most of these words and phrases develop naturally over time as a result of events, ministries, or your denomination. For example, I’m in the Assemblies of God. Here are just a few of the acronyms that any minister in the AG (see what I did there) will know. BGMC STL LFTL ACMR GC JBQ AGWM If you’re not in the AG, I’m sure you can come up with your own list of acronyms that mean something to you, but outsiders will have a no clue. But that’s just
Read more

When You Feel Like It's Time to Go and What to Do About It

Image
Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash I’ve served at 4 different churches and deciding when it’s time to go is never an easy decision. Serving in ministry, we feel called to the city, the church, the people, and now that time may be coming to an end. For some, it’s like being hit by a Mack truck, others it’s a slow burn or something in between. Whatever it is, for better or worse, there will come a time for you to say goodbye. We are all itinerant ministers. There was probably someone before you, and there will most likely be someone after you. Even if you serve for 50 years in the same place, time and people move on. But how do you know when it’s time to move on? How do you know it’s a prompting from God and not your emotions getting the better of you? There are no simple solutions, and every situation is different. I know because the reason I’ve moved from each church has been for vastly different reasons. The list I’m giving isn’t exhaustive, but rather created from personal
Read more

5 Things I Learned Switching from Group VBS to Orange VBS

Image
This summer I decided to make the switch from Group VBS to Orange VBS. I knew this was going to be a big change for everyone. I've done Group for almost 20 years. It's the only VBS I knew and the only one I've led. I even got to be a part of a focus group for Group a few years ago. A few years ago, I transitioned my children's ministry to the Orange curriculum. I loved the strategy, my small group leaders loved the simplicity of following the curriculum, and my kids loved all the fun they were having. When I started at my church almost 6 years ago, they held several VBS programs in the past but they were hit and miss over the past 10 years, so I had a clean slate and did what I knew by bringing Group VBS to them. Group helped us grow from a VBS of 100 kids to over 300. They were great to us. However, I wanted to be more strategic and I loved the fact that the Orange VBS theme lined up with the summer series. So, I casted vision, laid the groundwork,
Read more