When Love Refuses to Stay Dead (Reconsidering Easter)
- Lizz & Esther / Deconstructing Mamas
- Apr 14
- 4 min read
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Last week, I shared about my complicated relationship with the Easter story—the ways it felt heavy and fear-filled as a child, and how I’ve been slowly relearning it through a lens of love.
But there’s one part I’ve been sitting with even more this week:
What if the real miracle of Easter wasn’t about a stone being rolled away…but about love refusing to stay buried?
Because love—real love—doesn’t rely on violence to prove its worth.
It doesn’t demand suffering to make itself holy.
It doesn’t need blood to justify its power.
That version of the story—the one where violence gets the last word and love must be earned—has done so much harm. Especially to our kids. Especially to us.
But there’s another way to tell it.
One that begins in resistance and ends in radical love.
One where Jesus doesn’t come to “pay a price”… but to show us what it means to choose love—even when the cost is great.
To break bread instead of breaking spirits.
To stand up instead of staying silent.
To lay down power instead of grasping for more.
To refuse to return violence for violence.
That kind of love is risky.
And that kind of love is resurrection.
So when we talk about Easter with our kids, maybe we can skip the threats of eternal punishment and the checklists of who’s in and who’s out.
Maybe instead we can whisper to them: “You are loved. Always. Fully. Without needing to suffer for it. Without needing to earn it.”
And then maybe we can show them that love—
In how we show up when they’re hurting.
Because the story doesn’t end on a cross.
It ends with a garden.
With tears turning to recognition.
With fear turning to hope.
With violence overcome by love.
Still rising.
Still blooming.
Still alive in us.
--Written by Esther Joy Goetz
Our Podcast This Week:
"In the end, Jesus proved that forgiveness is more powerful than punches and kicks. And in the end, love wins over hate." - Jared Neusch and Connor Shram in their book: Jesus vs. the Bad Guys
Our episode this week is with two dads, one a corn hole champion and Biblical scholar (Dr. Jared Neusch) and the other a comedian and change-maker (Connor Shram), both authors of a new book perfect for this time of year, Jesus Vs. the Bad Guys: a Story of Love and Forgiveness.
On this episode, we talk with Jared and Connor about reconsidering the Easter story in light of active peace-making and non-violence.
We chat through these questions:
1. How do we introduce children to the person of Jesus without reinforcing the fear-based, dualistic messages many of us were taught in high-control religious environments? (We are thinking of good guys vs bad guys here) Do you believe there are good guys and bad guys?
2. Why does it feel important to you that kids have a love of Scripture? What is it about Scripture that feels valuable to you?
3. Can the stories of Jesus’ arrest, conviction, and crucifixion be shared with young children in age-appropriate ways that honor both their emotional development and spiritual curiosity?
4. Your book emphasizes Jesus’ “weapons” of forgiveness, peacemaking, nonviolence, and love—how might these values challenge the cultural parenting norms we inherited from high-control religious systems?
Jared and Connor were gentle, wise, funny and so easy to talk with. We didn't want the conversation to end. If you have the desire to reconsider Easter this year and perhaps discover new ways to engage with your kids and this very complicated story, this podcast episode is for you. You can find Jared here:
Instagram: @jaredneusch
You can find Connor here:
Instagram: @connorshram
Resource Alert:
Who is Jesus? Authors Jared Neusch and Connor Shram, two dads who love Jesus, want kids to meet the real Jesus.
Jesus is the core to understanding our faith in a deep and personal way. Introducing kids to Jesus at a young age can help them build a lifelong, unshakeable trust in him. The authors' goal is to provide stories about Jesus that are fun and exciting, reflect the playful imagination God gave to each of his children, and reveal the radical, timeless example of Jesus’ message.
Jesus vs. the Bad Guys, shows what true heroism is through Jesus’ words and actions in the story of his arrest, conviction, and crucifixion. It answers the question of how Jesus defeats evil. The humorous story and delightful illustrations lead children to discover that Jesus' weapons are different than the kind that soldiers and superheroes use. Available to people (including kids!) who have to face an enemy, these weapons are forgiveness, peacemaking, nonviolence, and love.
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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