Happy Easter!

Easter is THE holiday for Christians. Jesus left his home in heaven and came to live on this earth for one singular purpose: the cross. Jesus, though he did no wrong, willingly went to the cross where he experienced the full wrath of God in body and in soul. Jesus suffered agony and torment on the cross, God's punishment for sinners, for those who think, do, and say what is wrong and those who fail to think, fail to do, and fail to say what is right. Jesus' death on the cross was to pay the penalty due us for our sins against a pure and holy and just God. After Jesus died, they took his body and anointed it with oil and spices and placed it in a tomb with a stone covering the opening. Three days later, the stone was rolled away and Jesus' body was no longer there. An angel declared, "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." After that, Jesus appeared to many of his followers.

Faith in Jesus' death and resurrection in our place is the basis for our salvation from our sins. It is what brings us back into fellowship with God. It is the source of the hope that Christians have of one day being reunited with Christ in Heaven. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:16-19,

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have also fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

For this reason, we have tried over the years to establish meaningful Easter traditions to celebrate the salvation and hope that Jesus accomplished for those who trust in Him by His death and resurrection.  I pray that one day each of my children will come to trust in Jesus savingly and live their lives to bring Him glory!

Scriptural Stations of the Cross

Two problems with this picture: (1) Josiah refused to be in it and (2) these boys move too much and too fast!

To go over the Scriptural Stations of the Cross, I colored these little wooden crosses with Sharpies and glued the name of one of the stations on the front. On the back, I wrote the Scriptural reference. We went through all fourteen stations in one sitting.  Yes, that was kind of difficult for the little ones who can't/won't sit still for very long.  Note to self: next year, spread this out over two weeks.

The stations are as follows:

1. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane 
2. Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested 
3. Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin 
4. Jesus is denied by Peter 
5. Jesus is judged by Pontius Pilate 
6. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns 
7. Jesus bears the cross 
8. Jesus is helped to bear the cross 
9. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem 
10. Jesus is crucified 
11. Jesus promises his kingdom to the thief 
12. Jesus speaks to his mother and John 
13. Jesus dies on the cross 
14. Jesus is placed in the tomb

Resurrection Eggs

My not very impressive resurrection eggs.

Resurrection eggs are pretty easy to pull off.  I just got 12 plastic Easter eggs from the store and filled them with the symbols collected from around the house.  I have the kids take turns opening an egg and discuss the account of Jesus' death and resurrection using the following symbols and Scriptures:

1. Bread (Matthew 26:26)
2. Silver Coins (Matthew 26:14-15)
3. Purple Cloth (Mark 15:17)
4. Thorns (Matthew 27:29)
5. Piece of Rope (Mark 15:15)
6. Cross (John 19:17-18a)
7. Nails (John 20:25b)
8. Sign (Luke 23:38)
9. Sponge (Matthew 27:48)
10. Spear (John 19:34)
11. Rock (Matthew 27:59-60)
12. Nothing (Matthew 28:6) 

Resurrection Rolls

Five kids eagerly anticipating resurrection rolls!

 

I think this is pretty much my kids' favorite Easter activity.  It's really easy and impressive, especially for preschoolers.  Mind you, this is the only time of year that you will find crescent rolls and marshmallows in my house.  Separate and unroll the crescent rolls onto a baking sheet.  This is the tomb.  Take a marshmallow, which represents Jesus' body, and roll it in butter and then a cinnamon-sugar mixture.  You just anointed Jesus' body with oil and spices.  Then place the anointed Jesus (a.k.a. cinnamon-sugary marshmallow) in the tomb (a.k.a. crescent roll) and wrap it up.  Be sure to seal the edges really well or the lesson will backfire.  Bake the rolls according to the directions on the package.  While baking, the marshmallow will melt inside the roll.  After the rolls have cooled a little, you can break one open and the kids will be shocked to find Jesus' body is no longer there!  This is a very illustrative lesson to explain that Jesus' body was no longer in the tomb because he went to Heaven.

Devotional with Magnets

Josiah playing with the magnets!

The last activity that I did with kids in anticipation of Easter Sunday is a six-day devotional activity published by a local church.  A friend gave this to me before Easter two years ago.  Each day, we read a devotional and place a magnet on the board which forms the cross you see in the picture above.  The topics of the devotions are:

1. Praise (Matthew 21:6-10)
2. Service (John 13:1-20)
3. Prayer (Mark 14:32-35)
4. Love (John 3:16)
5. Sacrifice (Luke 23:33-46)
6. Victory (Matthew 28:1-10)

I really like this devotional material because I feel like the other activities focus on historical facts, but this devotional material is intended to affect the heart, as I think is evident from the topics.  For more information, please contact Compass Bible Church.