Reimagining Easter
- Lizz & Esther / Deconstructing Mamas
- Apr 7
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 7
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I remember the Easter mornings of my childhood: crisp church clothes, pastel eggs, and a story that always left me a little unsettled—though I didn’t have the words for it then.
The suffering.
The guilt.
The weight of someone dying “for me,” and what it meant if I wasn’t grateful enough for that sacrifice.
Now, as an older parent who has been slowly, sometimes painfully, untangling myself from high-control religion, I’ve been thinking a lot about how (or if) it's okay to talk about Easter with kids.
Not because we need them to believe something.
But because this time of year is full of metaphors too beautiful to ignore.
Spring.
Resurrection.
Hope.
The possibility of beginning again.
What if we told the story differently?
Not as a test of belief.
Certainly not to scare them for sure.
Not as a demand for obedience.
But as a story of deep love.
Of resistance.
Of courage in the face of empire.
What if Jesus' life was less about appeasing a wrathful God… and more about showing us what love looks like when it’s embodied? When it feeds people. Washes feet. Weeps with the grieving. Stands beside the outcast. Speaks truth to power.
What if the resurrection isn’t a magic trick that proves divinity, but a whisper of hope that says:
Love doesn’t die.
Not really.
So how do we talk about Easter with kids?
How do we walk this line (or this tricky tightrope, more accurately)—wanting to offer meaning, but not manipulation. To nurture spirituality, not shame.
Here are a few thoughts that might help:
Ask open questions instead of giving right answers. What do you think resurrection means?What helps you feel alive again when things are hard?
Focus on the symbols. New life in nature. The sun staying up longer. The green sprouting through the brown. These are holy too.
Tell the story with context. Jesus wasn’t killed because he was “saving us”—he was killed because he was challenging systems. That matters. That changes everything. This is especially good with middle to high schoolers.
Leave room for mystery. We don’t have to know exactly what happened to honor the truth in the story. That even in the face of death, love rises.
Model your own becoming. Talk about the parts of yourself that have been buried, and what’s helping them come back to life. Our kids learn resurrection by watching us live it.
There’s no perfect way to do this. No script you have to follow. No right way to hold this story.
Just your voice. Your honesty. Your love.
That’s what rises.
--Written by Esther Joy Goetz P.S. We'll talk more about this next week!
Our Podcast This Week:
You don’t have to the answers to why Jesus died to talk about Easter with your kids. (Sarah Swartzendruber)
Our episode this week is with our resident Children's Pastor, childhood development expert, mom to two and Bible scholar, Sarah Swartzendruber.
On this episode, we talk with Sarah about reimagining the Easter story by diving into atonement theories and practical ways we can talk about it with our littles, middles and bigs.
We chat through these questions:
1. What's your current take on the Easter story? What do you personally believe?
2. What are the seven main atonement theories (reasons people believe Jesus died)?
3. What do we do about Easter and our kids? How can we navigate the complicated adult themes that the Easter story holds?
4. Can you share with us specific age appropriate ways we might be able to study the Easter story with our kids?
5. Are there themes or ideas that you stay away from when you’re teaching the Easter story?
6. How do we create an environment where our kids feel safe to ask hard questions and also encourage them to honor differing beliefs?
Sarah is brilliant and funny, always a welcome guest at our podcast table. If you are struggling with how to celebrate (or NOT) Easter this year and what the heck to do with your kids and the messy, complicated themes surrounding it, this podcast episode is for you. You can find the Sarah in these spaces:
Instagram: @parentingafterdeconstruction
Website: www.parentingafterdeconstuction.com
Resource Alerts:
"Hi, I’m Sarah, a pastor and parent passionate about empowering parents in deconstruction to create spiritual practices for their kids. We are a community of parents who knows it's okay to no longer be SURE."
Are you a parent looking for support on your deconstruction journey? Sarah has spent the last ten years writing her own curriculum because she knows how hard it is to find! Here you will find age-appropriate spiritual development activities that are theologically sound, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and full of a spirit of curiosity.
One last thing. We want to remind you that we are so glad you are here. We wouldn't be the same without you. You will always find GRACE for where you've been and who you are now, and SPACE for who you are becoming and will be.
Carry on, our new-found friends. Welcome to the twisty-windy, full -of-adventure faith path that's laid out before us all.
Love,
Lizz & Esther
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