Easter comes rather early this year, on Sunday April 5. It’s less than three weeks away! Every year I aspire to make Easter more Christ-centered and more festive at the same time. I’ve felt a call to do this for decades, since my oldest children were little. What I mean by that is to focus on Jesus Christ’s atonement and resurrection, and not on the Easter Bunny. Now I feel the call even more since one of the modern-day apostles of Jesus Christ, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, quoted N.T. Wright as saying:

“We should be taking steps to celebrate Easter in creative new ways: in art, literature, children’s games, poetry, music, dance, festivals, bells, special concerts. … This is our greatest festival. Take Christmas away, and in biblical terms you lose two chapters at the front of Matthew and Luke, nothing else. Take Easter away, and you don’t have a New Testament; you don’t have a Christianity.”  Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Liahona, May 2023:

If you want to watch the whole of this talk, the video is below.

In honor of this call I’ve noticed people in my church publishing more Easter resources. Some of them are shown below. So I’ll be highlighting some of them in the next while to help you decide what resources you want to use for Easter. So many wonderful resources abound! I’ll also be sharing Easter stories and picture books as well. There’s no way one family could include/do all these suggested things, so just see what appeals to you the most and incorporate what works best for your time and energy, even if it’s just one new thing. Don’t get overwhelmed. Every year just add one or two more of these resources.

Today’s resource is the book Sacred Days, Sacred Songs by Michael D. Young. This book is full of suggested songs to play and learn about during Holy Week. So if you are into Easter-themed music and singing, read on.

For each day, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, the author suggests the following for that day:

– a quality that comes from the Savior Jesus Christ (like deliverance, hope, grace, etc.)

-a story of the Savior from the New Testament

-two songs that go with that quality, with a QR code for each song that take you to a video of a group performing the song, on the author’s website. Mostly it’s The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, of which the author is a member of. The author gives the backstory of the composer and the song.

Click here to go to the author’s website where you can see the list of the songs and the videos.

This is a great resource for adults and people with long-listening attention spans ages 12 and up to use during Holy Week. You could even start using it now, if you plan on doing more than one set of Holy Week activities, like I do. It’s hart to fit all these great ideas in one week, so I’m spreading them out by starting now. This definitely makes Eastertime into a season, about a month-long, instead of just a day or week.

This book doesn’t have any pictures or simplified language, or child-tailored activities so it’s not ideal for families with young children or older people who have a hard time just sitting and listening. If you want a great Holy Week guide for families with young children and short attention spans, use the book below. My review of it is over here.

This book my husband’s cousin wrote below is also wonderful. It has a lot fewer pictures than the one above and the format is different. The one above is simpler/more accessible to use if you have very young children.

Now, back to Sacred Days, Sacred Songs. I’m thinking of using it right now during dinner or either in the morning after prayer or after scripture study before we do our family prayer at night, for our family of 3 currently at home (DH, my 16-year-old son, and I).

Here’s an excerpt from the audiobook format of the book. Then a summary of the book from amazon is below that.

Celebrate Easter with a joyful, soulful, and inspiring collection of songs about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Most people don’t often associate Easter with music, but author Michael D. Young has collected a variety of inspirational hymns and songs–some solemn, some jubilant–and his commentary on their meaning can enhance our holiday. Each chapter focuses on the rich history of two songs that relate to the events of Holy Week, including the Triumphal Entry, the Last Supper, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. The complete lyrics for each song are provided, along with fascinating facts and stories behind each one. Also included are relevant scripture passages that illuminate the themes and events that inspired the songs, as well as a daily devotional of a Christlike attribute: deliverance, compassion, grace, hope, love, sacrifice, obedience, and renewal. Readers can also experience the beauty and power of the songs in an immersive way through the inclusion of QR codes that link to YouTube videos of a variety of choirs, including the famous Tabernacle Choir, singing the songs being discussed, including such favorites as “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” “Amazing Grace,” “It Is Well with My Soul,” and “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” as well as lesser-known songs “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” and “Drop, Drop Slow Tears.” Whether you are a seasoned churchgoer or simply someone who loves music, this gift book can help provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of the significance of Easter, as well as the role that music has played in honoring and celebrating that Holy Week.

Want a huge free list of songs, poetry, scriptures, and poetry to celebrate Easter? Go here.

Want a list of Easter picture books? Go here.

Want another set of Christ-centered Holy Week activities? Go here.

P.S. This book has a companion book by the author for Christmas songs, shown below. I found it while thrifting last January.