Seasons > Easter > Decorations for the home > Crown of Thorns and Lily Center Pieces and Place Settings
This makes an elegant centerpiece for a big Easter dinner. It is a centerpiece that is rich in meaning. The purple and gold table runner represents the temple curtain that was torn when Jesus died--which symbolizes our ability to go directly into the presence of the God of the universe rather than going through a priest. The crown of thorns represents his death which was done to take the punishment for each of our sins. The palm branches point to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before he died, when all the people waved palm branches and shouted, “Hosannah” or, “Saves!” The three candles stand for the 3 days his body remained in the grave. The white tablecloth echoes the linen that was wrapped around his body, but was left behind when he rose from the dead. When we celebrate Easter, let us focus on the glorious resurrection and all that it means for us, rather than staying fixated on the cross. Jesus’ death was an excruciating sacrifice, but it didn’t end there. His death would be meaningless without the miracle of rising from the dead. THAT is the power that enables us to be loving to our enemies! That is why we celebrate at Easter--the most amazing day of the year!
If you and your family want to spend time contemplating the sacrifice of the cross, why not have a special Good Friday dinner? The candles could be black, to represent Jesus’ death. Keep the decorations stark, to go with a more somber mood. After the meal, everyone can write their sins on pieces of paper and nail them to a wooden cross as a way to be reminded of the high price that was paid for our salvation.
View more details for a Good Friday celebration
Instead of celebrating Easter just one day, you can stretch out the celebration a little longer by starting on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. You can use palm branches as a center piece, or if that seems too simple, add some flowers, too. These are artificial, because lilies have a very strong scent--very pleasant, but it really doesn’t mix with food! To make it more interactive, you could put the palm branches around the house, and your kids can “pick” them, and shout, “Hosannah” on the way back to the table. You can simply poke the stems into narrow crevices (such as between furniture), or you can create your own crevices by taping empty paper towel tubes, or even plastic straws around the house. Just make sure the stems fit inside the straws before you go fastening them everywhere! Do be careful of where you tape--you don’t want to pull paint off of your walls! Windows are safe, and usually banisters, wooden doors and door frames can handle it as well.
I like to make the Easter celebration last for 3 weeks, because I want to make it as big a celebration as Christmas, and also because there are so many “3’s” in the Easter story--the trinity, the 3 crosses, and Jesus’ body lay in the grave for 3 days. If you want to make your celebration last 3 weeks, here is one way you can do that: Use candles like you would for an advent wreath at Christmas, but each week add a new element to the centerpiece.
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1.Two or Three weeks before Easter, put a runner and 3 purple candles on the table. The kids will immediately know that something special is going on, and will be curious about what is going on. It is the perfect chance to explain about Easter. Kids love to be involved, so if they are old enough, let them take turns to light and extinguish the candles each night. You might want to buy an inexpensive candle snuffer to keep smoke to a minimum, and reduce the chance of spattering liquid wax that sometimes happens when they enthusiastically blow the candles out.
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2.On Palm Sunday, add palm branches.
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3.On Good Friday, add the crown of thorns, and change the candles to black, to represent the 3 crosses, and Jesus’ death. Black candles are easiest to find around Halloween. Buy them then, and store them until Easter. If you can’t find black candles, you could use a black tablecloth (a black bed sheet works well for this.)
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4.On Easter Sunday, change the candles (and/or tablecloth) to white. You could add a round flat stone or angels if you wish.
