The Easter season takes on several meanings for people around the world. For some, it is a time for family to come together. Others celebrate because Lent is over and now they can return to the activity or food which they gave up for 40 days. However we choose to commemorate the Easter holiday, one thing we must not lose sight of is Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the importance of His resurrection. For those looking to dig a little deeper this year, there are a number of new Easter books that have been released in the last year or two. Some are meant to be devotionals leading up to the Easter season, while others are examinations of the account given in Scripture. No matter how you celebrate Easter Sunday, Christian books like these might help you dig a little deeper.
Although the Easter story often revolves around Jesus and His disciples, we can’t overlook the women who played a part as well. Through “The Women of Easter,” we are invited to examine the Biblical story through the lens of the three women who spent a fair amount of time with the Savior: Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Each of these women experienced His miracles and witnessed the events surrounding His death and resurrection. While Scripture doesn’t offer that much about the women personally, an interesting portrait of each can be drawn from what we do know. Why not learn more about the resurrection story from a different perspective?
Serving as a 40-Day Lent devotional, “From the Grave” is one of a few Easter books on this list that helps the reader prepare his/her heart leading up to the resurrection of Jesus. The selected passages found in this book come from Tozer’s long career in preaching, publishing, and other original works. Along with your Scriptural reading, this book will allow you to understand many of the themes that are touched by Easter. Among those are the ministry of Jesus, His death, and what His sacrifice means for us today.
Another great mind in Christian writing, Lewis has many powerful works that can help you build up your faith and/or understand Christian ideals. Like the Tozer book found above, “Preparing for Easter” takes readings from other C.S. Lewis books and essays and creates a compilation. With that in mind, this probably isn’t the best introduction for readers who are unfamiliar with Lewis’ academic voice. The selections don’t always have the best context, meaning you might feel a little confused. Still, God gave the man some great insights and the book is worth looking into if you appreciate his other work.
Released in 2016, “After Easter” allows us to explore the next steps leading from the truth of the resurrection. Context always helps us to understand a story better. With this book, you will explore what led to the need for Jesus’ death and the effects that it had on believers in the early church. Less than 100 pages, the book offers a concise summary of the story of Jesus while also giving it the depth needed to fully appreciate its significance. This makes for a great gift or afternoon read.
Another devotional for the Lent season, this book will help you to approach Easter with an attitude that fully respects the importance of the day. Over 40 days you will read short, heartwarming devotions that seek to endear the Gospel to your soul. If you’re looking for light daily reading that will get your morning kicked off right, “Devotions for Easter” might be just the thing you need. Pair it up with your Bible reading or maybe just read the short passages during your lunch break. Not all Easter books require hours of reading each night.
If you’re wanting something a big more intensive, this 7-week study of Jesus’ last words will give you all that you can bargain for. When people are given a terminal diagnosis, it tends to make the time left seem ever so precious. Imagine being Jesus and knowing that your time was severely limited. Looking at the things that He chose to speak on in His final hours, we can see where His priorities were and dissect His words to discover the truth. “His Last Words” offers several weeks worth of reading, questions, and more for those in search of Easter books that dig deeper.
You probably know bits and pieces about the story of Martin Luther and the Reformation, but have you ever actually read his work? Lucky for you there’s a book full of Luther’s sermons pertaining to Lent and Easter. Although Luther may not be as easy to read as many of today’s authors, his work is of the utmost importance to our faith today. The book is significantly less than 200 pages and the writing is broken down into excerpts that should make the older writing style easier on you.
Going back to more contemporary works, “On the Road to the Cross” lets the reader experience the life of Jesus through the eyes of those who encountered Him. “The Women of Easter,” which we discussed earlier, shares the perspectives of the three women closest to Jesus, but this book pulls from a greater number of observers. Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and the Roman Centurion are just a few of the characters whom we learn about throughout the book. Burkhart’s book gives us a fuller picture of the crucifixion scene by allowing us to have different vantage points. It never hurts to have a little more understanding about the things discussed in Scripture.
Max Lucado has no shortage of interesting stories revolving around the accounts of the Bible. Mostly aimed for children, these stories put friendly faces and helpful pictures to Scripture that may be a little hard to understand for some. “Who Is This Jesus?” complements the Easter story by giving the account of Jesus’ death and burial as told by the Roman centurion who witnessed it all. Like most of Lucado’s short stories, this book is also quite short at less than 100 pages. It might be good for some quick adult reading or an informative nighttime read for kids.
Up until now, the Easter books listed above have essentially been aimed at an adult audience. Fortunately there are a lot of great Easter books for kids too. One of the more recent ones is “The Legend of the Easter Robin.” In this tale, a grandmother tells her granddaughter the fictional story of how the robin earned its red crest and how it tried to help Jesus. It’s a nice book with great illustrations, but you might want to save it for kids who are a little older given the subject matter.
These new Easter books join a long line of stories, commentaries, and more that have seeked to help Christians and non-believers dip deeper into the story of Christ’s resurrection. On top of celebrating the biggest names and achievements in Christian music, the K-LOVE Fan Awards knows that books can have a tremendous impact on believers everywhere. Find out how you can attend the K-LOVE Fan Awards by clicking on the icon below.
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