Forming Family Traditions: Sunrise Easter Service

Now that we're a young family of four, Taylor and I have been thinking a lot about family traditions. It's been fun to discuss the question: What traditions do we want to have shape and set rhythm for our growing family?

This Easter, at Taylor's initiative, we took our first stab at doing what we hope will become an annual family tradition: a sunrise Easter service. For those of you who don't have this tradition going and might be interested in getting it going, here's what we did:

-Chose a hilltop down the street from our home where we knew we'd catch a good sunrise

-Invited neighbors to join us

-Woke the boys up at 5:50am, met up with friends, and hiked about a mile to the hilltop with breakfast in tow

-Gathered together and, as the sun began to rise, we read the resurrection story and then prayed and sang a song together

-Ate breakfast and drank coffee

-Let the kids enjoy an Easter egg hunt

-Took some photos

-Raced off to CPC to prep for our morning services while wife, kids, and other lingered

I think this tradition will be a keeper.

Taylor has been enjoying reading Kent and Barbara Hughes' book, Disciplines of a Godly Family, as it's been stimulating her thinking on traditions. You might want to check it out.