Easter Week

My dad has gifted us a subscription to Focus on Family's Thriving Family magazine.  I like their articles for inspiring godly growth in families.  This year I have decided to use their suggestion for helping kids prepare for Easter.  The article is called "Exploring Easter: Simple ways to celebrate Easter with your kids."  I am chronicling my efforts in this post (as well as summarizing the article's suggestions).  I'll come back and add to it each day until Easter is here.

SUNDAY

• Read John 12:12-13.
• Have your kids make palm branches out of construction paper.
• Decorate the dinner table with branches.
• Place extra branches on the floor as a path from the door to the table to mark a path a honor.
• Before dinner, discuss the meaning of "Hosanna." 
• Ask your kids what they might shout if they saw Jesus coming down the road.

We were out of time to make our own palm branches, so we went out and picked some branches from various trees.  The kids enjoyed waving them and shouting "Hosanna."

Abby said if she saw Jesus coming, she would shout "Hooray Jesus!" 

Isaac said he would ask Jesus to wait and he would go get all his friends to meet Him.

MONDAY

• Bake bread as a family.
• Read John 6:35.
• Discuss why Jesus called himself the Bread of Life.
• Put bread in a basket along with Easter goodies and deliver to someone who may be in need of extra kindness

We bought a box mix of Auntie Annie's Pretzels (mmmm...).

The kids helped make the dough and we had our little "bread of life" discussion.  They needed much assistance in getting the concept.

We wrapped up some bite-sized soft pretzels fresh out of the oven and delivered them to our retired neighbors who have no grandkids to do sweet things for them.

TUESDAY

• Send your children on an Easter scavenger hunt to find items that symbolize parts of the Easter story:
• A rock (the tomb)
• two sticks (the cross)
• something black (sin)
• something red (blood)
• something white (a clean heart)
• something green (growing in Christ)

This one was super fun and required no preparation.

Two sticks representing the cross:

Something black representing sin:

Filling up his basket with something green to represent growing in Christ:

WEDNESDAY

• Read the story found in John 13:1-17 (can find this story in a children's Bible too).
• Fill a bucket with water and grab a towel. 
• Take turns washing each other's feet and praying for each other.

After reading the story of Jesus, the Servant-King, washing his disciples' feet the night before his crucifixion, it was special for us to get to wash our kids' feet and pray for them.

Mommy washed Isaac's feet.

Daddy took care of Abby.

The kids enjoyed the chance to wash Mommy's feet too.

(And things got rather silly when they tried to wash Daddy's feet because his feet are too ticklish).

THURSDAY

• Visit a garden or park.
• Read Luke 22:39-46 (can find this story in a children's Bible too).
• Have your kids talk about what plans they have for tomorrow.  How do they feel about their plans?
• What do they think Jesus may have been thinking/feeling on the night before His crucifixion?
• Pray together.

I liked doing this one at night in our "garden," as the darkness may have reflected more of what Jesus may have experienced.  The downside was that I waited so late that the kids were too punchy for a serious conversation.

FRIDAY

• Place a white carnation in a vase.  Read 1 Peter 1:18-19 (or the story of the crucifixion from a children's Bible).
• Discuss with your children what it meant that Jesus was a "lamb without blemish or defect." 
• After cutting the stem diagonally, add a dozen drops of red food coloring to the water.  Watch what happens over the next few days.  Use the red flower petals as a reminder that Jesus took our sins upon himself when he died on the cross.

Jesus, the "lamb without blemish or defect."

Each kid added some drops of red food coloring to the water, representing their sin. (By the way, that is my dad's hairy arm in the picture below, not mine!  ;) 

Two days later, we look at what happened to our white flowers and talk about how Jesus took our sin upon himself when he died for us.

SATURDAY

• Let your kids help you clean the windows.
• Talk about how much better they can see through them afterward.  
• Read Luke 18:31-34 (or find the story in a children's Bible of when the disciples were sad and confused after Jesus died).  
• Explain that the disciples did not see clearly at first.  They did not understand that Jesus had to die and rise again--until He did!

I left this muddy window up for a few hours before our actual lesson time to get the kids to really wonder what a muddy window had to do with Easter.

They had fun scrubbing it off.

And hosing it down.  And after it was clean, they seemed to get the idea that it wasn't until Jesus' friends saw him alive again after his death that they understood why he had to die.

EASTER SUNDAY

• Read Matthew 27:57-61 (or find the story in a children's Bible of when Jesus' friends discovered his empty tomb...especially the sections of his burial and resurrection that mention his grave clothes or wrappings). 
• Wrap a child volunteer in toilet paper or "grave clothes" and have them break free from the toilet paper.
• Talk about how happy the disciples must have been when they saw that Jesus had conquered death.
• Use a trick candle to show how Jesus, the Light of the World, appeared to be extinguished, but wasn't.  He was dead, but He came back to life!

Wrapping up Isaac in "grave clothes."

He thought it was pretty funny.

In his "tomb."

And he loved breaking free.

We didn't plan ahead to get the trick candle but I think that would be a great visual for the concept of Jesus coming back.  This was a lot of fun.  Looking forward to next year.

Teaching the True Meaning of Easter

Over the past few years, I have really enjoyed gathering and building some great tools for teaching my children the true meaning of Easter.  I wanted to compile on this post my whole tool chest so that it's all in one place.

To start off with, I found the most exciting directions for how to lead a Passover Seder for Christian families in Thriving Family magazine.  Thankfully, they also have an online version I can share with you. Traditionally, Jewish families celebrate a Seder during their Passover celebrations to tell the story of how God freed the Jews from Egyptian slavery.  For Christians, there are many ways that the rituals of the Seder also illustrate the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Here is a link that will help you learn how we hosted our first Passover Seder.

Here are the links to the other Easter teaching tools I have used:

Resurrection Cookies Recipe

Easter Week  (includes daily activities for the week before Easter)

I hope I'm posting this early enough this year for some other parents who had expressed interest to gather the materials and do some of these simple daily lessons with the kids.  My kids loved them.

Passover Seder: The 15 Steps, Long Version

The inspiration for this event came from an article on leading a Seder by Stan Kellner with Pam Woody from Thriving Family magazine.  You can see their online instructions to see where I got the bulk of what we did.  However, my small group, which has been studying about the life of Jesus by Beth Moore, learned just last week more details of how the Seder is significant for Christ-followers.  So, I added a lot of that information in there as well.  To distinguish, Stan Kellner's information below is in black and my additions are in gray.   

I also shortened the Children's questions in Step 5 to help my non-reader youngest child in fulfilling her role of asking the questions.  The full, traditional version is linked here and would be better for a child who can read to use.

Introduction: The Story 

(Explain the father’s role and the concept of the Seder and the “Direct,” “Say,” “Do” directions.  Explain the mother’s role of looking up the scripture passages while the father leads his part, and reading them to the group (be sure to name the book and chapter before reading).  Also, explain to the kids that it’s not about liking the foods we taste.  It’s about the experience of what the foods symbolize.  Sometimes a bitter taste will have a meaning to help us understand something better.)

The mother lights the candles and says a blessing before the Seder begins.   Start by reading the story of the Passover and the escape from Egypt from a children’s story bible.  

Read: During our Passover ceremony we will be having 4 symbolic cups of wine or juice.  These 4 cups correspond with a promise that God made to the Israelites when they were still slaves in Egypt in Exodus 6:6-7: “Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgements.  I will take you as my people, and I will be your God.  Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”

1. The First Cup: The Cup of Sanctification

Direct: Each person fills a glass with wine or juice.

Do: Hold up your cup of wine as you talk.

Say: This is the cup of sanctification. The word sanctification means to be set apart for God. Remember God’s first promise: “I will bring you out.”  Jewish families remember that God performed miraculous deeds to free (or set apart) Israel from Egypt. We remember that Christ set us apart from the world as a holy nation to himself.  (Read 1 Peter 2:9). 

Direct: Everyone drinks the first cup.

2. Washing of Hands

Do: Dip your hands in a bowl and wipe your hands on the towel.

Say: Jewish families remember how the priest washed in the basin before he could come before God on behalf of Israel (Read Exodus 30:17-21). The ritual of the washing of hands pointed to Jesus, who washes away our guilty conscience so that we can draw near to God (Read Hebrews 10:22). This symbol of cleansing also provides insight concerning the comments and reactions of the disciples when Jesus washed their feet at His Passover Seder (Read John 13:8-9).

3. Dipping of the Parsley

Do: Hold up the Parsley.

Say: The first dip of Parsley refers to the tears shed by the Israelites while they were enslaved. 

Direct: everyone to dip the first sprig of parsley into the saltwater and eat it.

Say: The second dip refers to the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea and the miraculous deliverance that came for the nation of Israel. 

Direct: everyone to dip and eat the second sprig of parsley. 

Do: Read Exodus 14:13-31 or the story of the Crossing of the Red Sea from a children’s bible. 

Say: In the New Testament, the apostle Paul compares the crossing of the Red Sea to baptism, which symbolizes our redemption from sin (Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-2).

4. Breaking of the Middle Matzah

Do: Take the middle square from a stack of three matzah, break it in half, put one half back in the middle of the three and wrap the other half in a napkin. 

Say: We use Matzah, or unleavened bread, during the Passover meal because it symbolizes how God’s people were brought out of Egypt (Read Exodus 12:39).  It also represents, for Christ-followers, that we are new creations in Christ (Read 1 Corinthians 5:6-8).

Do: Now hide the middle half of matzah as the rest of the family closes their eyes.

Do: Hold up the remaining stack of three matzahs.

Say: We can see the beautiful picture of the Trinity in the matzah — the top piece representing the Father; the bottom piece representing the Holy Spirit; and the middle piece representing Jesus, who was broken for us and then wrapped in linen to be hidden away (Read Mark 15:44-46).

5. The Four Questions and the Passover Story

Do: read the dialog called “Passover: The Four Questions” with the youngest child in the room.  

Introductory Question

Child: Why is this night different from all other nights?

Leader: Once we were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but now we are free. We set aside this night each year to remember the great things God did for us.

Question 1

Child: Why, on this night, do we eat only unleaved bread?

Leader: Matzah reminds us of two things — we were delivered from slavery in Egypt, and we have a new life.

Question 2

Child: Why, on this night, do we eat only a bitter vegetable?

Leader: We remember how bitter our ancestors' slavery was while they lived in Egypt.

Question 3

Child: Why, on this night, do we dip our vegetable twice?

Leader: We are reminded of tears and of a miraculous deliverance, as we just saw portrayed with the parsley.

Question 4

Child: Why, on this night, do we all recline?

Leader: Before, we were slaves, but now we are able to recline to express the rest we enjoy as free people. This pillow represents our freedom.

Do: hold up the lamb bone as you read Exodus 12:1-13 or the story of the Passover from a children’s story bible.

Say: At the original Passover celebration, a lamb was killed and its blood was spread on the doorposts and lintel of the house to protect the home from the 10th plague, the slaying of the firstborn. God said He would pass over the house when He saw the blood. Each person had to eat of this sacrificial lamb — no one could eat for another person. We understand that we must each make a personal decision to spiritually apply the blood of Jesus to the doorposts of our heart so we never experience sin's judgment (Read 1 John 1:7-8).

Say: It is significant that for His last supper, Jesus asked Peter and John to prepare the meal, which was the traditional Passover Seder, also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Preparations for the meal would have included the slaying and roasting of the lamb.  (Read Luke 22:7-8).  Later both Peter and John referred to Jesus in their writings as the Lamb of God.  Peter compared Jesus to a lamb without blemish (Read 1 Peter 1:18-19).  John wrote that the Lamb who was slain was worthy of our highest praise (Read Revelation 5:6-12).

6.The Second Cup: The Cup of Plagues

Direct: Everyone fills the cup a second time.

Do: Hold up your cup of wine as you talk.

Say: This is the cup of plagues. God poured out 10 plagues on Egypt in order to show His strength and deliver the nation of Israel.  Remember God’s second promise: “I will rescue you.” Thank God that He delivered Israel and He delivers us.

Direct:  Each person dips a spoon into his cup, then makes 10 drops of wine fall onto his plate (or white napkin) as he says the name of each plague: blood, frogs, lice, flies, cattle disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and slaying of the firstborn. Finally, each person drinks from his cup.

7. Eating of the Bitter Herbs

Direct: Everyone takes a piece of matzah, adds a small portion of horseradish and eats it.

Say: Eating bitter herbs (like horseradish) symbolizes the bitterness of slavery the nation of Israel endured in Egypt. We also remember the bitterness of our slavery to sin (Read John 8:34).

8. Eating of the Charoset

Direct: Each person enjoys a piece of matzah with a little charoset. 

Do: Hold up your matzah and charoset.

Say: This mixture symbolizes the mortar that was used by the Israelites to make bricks while in Egypt. This sweet mixture represents bitter toil because even harsh labor is sweetened by the promise of redemption. We know that it was through Christ's bitter suffering that the sweetness of redemption also came to us (Read Hebrews 2:9-10).

9. Sharing of the Charoset

Direct: Everyone takes another piece of matzah with charoset and feeds it to the person on his right, saying, "Shalom, peace to you."

Say: When Jesus brought sweetness into our lives through His forgiveness, He never intended for us to keep it to ourselves. As we feed each other the charoset, we are showing that we want to pass this sweet message on to others (Read Matthew 28:19-20).

10. Explanation of the Egg

Do: Hold up the egg while you read the explanation below.

Say: The egg is a reminder that because the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 the Jews were no longer able to sacrifice. The egg is referred to as the Hagigah, the holiday sacrifice that was made during temple times. We are also reminded that Jesus was the final sacrifice that took away sin once and for all (Read Hebrews 10:1-18 or just Hebrews 10:8-10).

11. The Eating of the Meal

Say: At this point, a Jewish family would eat the Passover meal, including the roasted lamb.  We are going to taste a bite of lamb.

Direct: Everyone tastes a bite of the roasted lamb.

12. Finding and Eating of the Afikomen

Say: The Afikomen ("ah-fee-koe'-men") is the piece of matzah that was hidden earlier. It's time to play a fun game as we send all the kids on a hunt to look for the hidden matzah. Whoever finds the piece gets a token reward — a ransom is paid for the Afikomen. When found, the Afikomen is broken in pieces and distributed to everyone.

Do: Send the kids to find the Afikomen.  Give the prize to the one who finds it.  Break the Afikomen in pieces and distribute it to everyone.

Say: Jesus himself used matzah as a picture of His sacrifice when He broke the bread during the Last Supper and declared the traditional matzah from that point on to symbolize His body (Read Luke 22:19).

13. The Third Cup: The Cup of Redemption

Direct: Everyone fills the cup a third time.

Do: Hold up your cup of wine as you talk.

Say: This is the cup of redemption. The word redemption suggests the idea of a price being paid to bring someone out of slavery. The sacrificial lamb offered on Passover paid the price to deliver the nation of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. Remember God’s third promise: “I will redeem you.”  We know that Jesus drank this cup with His disciples, declaring it from that point on to symbolize His blood (Read Matthew 26:27-28). Drink the third cup in remembrance of Jesus.

14. Looking for Elijah

Direct: One of the children goes to the door and peeks his head out to see if Elijah is coming.

Say: Is Elijah there?

Direct: The child should reply: "No, he is not here."

Say: Maybe next year Elijah will come!

Do: Read Malachi 4:5-6. 

Say: According to the prophecy in Malachi, the Jewish people know that Elijah will prepare the way for the Messiah. When they ask if Elijah is coming, they are actually proclaiming that they are waiting for the Messiah. We recognize that John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord more than 2,000 years ago (Read Luke 1:13-17).  Although the Jews who do not believe that Jesus is the Savior still look for Elijah when they partake of the Passover Seder, we who are Christ-followers recognize that this part of the prophecy and tradition has already been fulfilled.

15. The Fourth Cup: The Cup of Praise

Direct: Everyone fills the cup a fourth time.

Do: Hold up your cup of wine as you talk.

Say: This final cup is a reminder of God's promise to Israel.  Remember God’s fourth promise: "I will take you as my people.” The Jewish people look forward to a golden age when everyone will be at peace and will be reunited with God. In Jewish homes, it is traditional to close with the song, "Next Year in Jerusalem," a further indication of their waiting for the  Messiah. As followers of Jesus, we, too, have been chosen by God to be His people, and we eagerly wait for the return of the Messiah so that we will be with Him forever (Read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). So, with the Passover ceremony finished, let us drink the fourth cup, proclaiming, "Come, Lord Jesus!"

Direct: Everyone proclaims “Come, Lord Jesus!” and drinks the fourth cup.

Heart-Shaped Pizza

Since Adel and I have vowed never to go out on Valentine's day again (we don't like crowds!), we have been spending Feb 14 with our kids, celebrating family love and God's love as well as romantic love.  Now, I have found out that Papa Johns makes a heart-shaped pizza for Valentine's day, and my life will never be the same.

And of course, the annual viewing of The Princess Bride.

Creative Dating

If you are on a budget, a Dave Ramsey fan, or just don't want to fight the crowds on Valentine's Day, below are some cheap date creative dating, ideas.  Let's be realistic, these creative dating ideas will only work after the kids are in bed.  Music and lighting don't hurt either.

·        Create a romantic picnic in your bedroom.  Spread a clean blanket or sheet on top of the bed as a “table cloth,” and enjoy your favorite take out.

·        Plan a movie night.  Rent, borrow, or use one you own.  Get popcorn, your favorite candies and sodas, and snuggle on the couch.

·        Plan a game night.  There are many board games designed for four or more players that can be creatively adapted for two players. And who else can you play trivia with while snuggled up in bed?

·        Watch your old home videos or look through your photo albums together.  Make it fun by playing your old tunes too.

·        Create a spa in your home.  Play serene music while you pamper each other with massage.  Light candles and make the atmosphere romantic and relaxing. 

·        Create a puzzle or mystery for each other to solve.  You can buy a dollar store puzzle, assemble it, and then write a message on the back for each other to discover while assembling the puzzle.  You can also make your own puzzle with a good piece of cardboard.

·        Cook a fancy dinner together, something you’ve never tried before.  Share a bottle of wine while you cook.

God is Love

I'm not the only momma who's brilliant.  My friend Shannon is brilliant too.  (She wouldn't want me saying that, but it's true so I'm saying it anyway.)

This Valentine's day, Shannon invited the kids and I to join her for a Valentine's breakfast.

Before the kids ate, Shannon talked to them about the source of love.  She asked how we have the ability to love other people.  Where does that ability come from?  And she reminded them of how God loved us even while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:8).  Then she encouraged them to seek the love of Jesus first before any other love, that Jesus could be their first Valentine.  After a prayer of thanks, they ate a yummy breakfast.

And then each child received a small bunch of flowers with a little tag reminding them of God's love (1 John 4:19).

What a great way to start Valentine's day off right.  Brilliant.

Valentine's School Box

My kid is a genius.  No, really.

In 2nd grade this year, Isaac was assigned to decorate his own Valentine's box, to receive all his Valentine's on the big day.  He came up with the idea for this Valentine's monster and did all the decorating himself (I did the wrapping).

His first idea was to make a monster, which I, of course, thought was genius.  But, I added that it must be a Valentine's monster.

His design was partly inspired by the iPhone/iPad app, "The Creeps," one of my all-time favorites because it's battling, but it's cute.

 (There is a hole in the "neck" so the Valentine's drop from the mouth down into the belly of the monster.)

Love that crazy-creative kid!