Earlier today I was telling my children the true story of Easter using Resurrection Eggs. Each egg from the dozen contains an item related to the story to help the child connect the story together. The eggs contain the following:
- a donkey to symbolize Jesus riding into the city.
- silver coins to represent the money Judas received for betraying Jesus.
- a cup to represent the last supper.
- praying hands to symbolize Jesus praying in Gethsemane.
- a leather whip to remind us of the beating Jesus received.
- a crown of thorns to recall the way the soldiers mocked him.
- nails in the cross to picture the punishment Jesus took on our behalf.
- a die to represent how the soldiers gambled for his clothes.
- a spear to remind us that His side was pierced for our sins.
- a linen cloth symbolizing how Joseph cared for Jesus' body to give Him a proper burial.
- a stone to picture the stone that was rolled in front of Jesus' tomb and was then rolled away.
- and lastly, the final egg is EMPTY, reminding us that Jesus did not stay dead. Jesus came back to life and He is alive today!
As I read the Bible to my kids and tell the resurrection story they take turns opening up the little plastic egg and sharing how the item inside fits into the story. I used these eggs for the first time last year and haven't referred to them since last Easter. To my delight, Owen remembered the entire story and was thrilled to have me use them again today. I plan to use them to teach my little preschoolers at church this Easter Sunday. If you've never used Resurrection eggs, considering picking up a set. I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $10.
I love seeing the excitement on their little faces when the last egg is empty after just moments before seeing the sadness on their faces when explaining to them that Jesus was killed. Throughout the story I asked, "Since Jesus has all the power, why didn't he stop the soldiers from killing him?" Owen replied, "Because our sin had to be punished. He took the punishment for us!" I LOVE seeing the light bulb go on in his head and pray that it draws his heart to Christ. To help him understand I began our lesson today by pretending that Aubrey needed to be disciplined because she had disobeyed. But instead of disciplining her, Owen stood up and offered to be punished in her place. They both thought that was silly but it seemed to help them understand that this is, in fact, what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross.
I asked Owen how his Daddy would feel if he (Owen) had to be punished for the sin of someone else. He replied, "OH, boy! That was be Daddy's worst day EVER!" I then said, "And how would you feel if like Jesus you had to be separated from your Father?" He quickly answered, "That would be my worst day ever!"
Thank you, Lord, for helping Owen to understand!
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