Happy Easter 2013!

This year we are doing the Resurrection Eggs again.  It's our 3rd year doing them, but the experience this year is very different as Jonathan understands much more now.  For those of you who don't know about the Eggs, there 12 plastic eggs each containing a symbol of Christ and Easter.  For example, the first egg contains a donkey to help us remember when Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  We have opened one egg each day and read the Bible story connected with it. 

While we are only "supposed" to open one egg each day, the boys have gotten a bit carried away and we've had opened eggs all over the place!  That's okay, though, because while they play with the eggs, they listen and think about the story. 

 

Jonathan has been paying attention.  We pray every night and thank Jesus for dying on the cross to save us from our sins, so it is not a new concept for him.  This week, however, the Resurrection Eggs have led us to talk about dark and horrible topics like the torture and crucifixion of Christ.   We've talked a lot about how "the bad people" caught Christ and did mean things to them.  "Why did they do mean things to Jesus, Mommy?"  Jonathan repeatedly expressed his belief that Jesus "got away from the bad guys."  When we were talking about the nails used to put Jesus on the Cross, Jonathan said that "the wind blew them back out again mommy."  To be honest, I have hesitated to tell him the truth about the the horrible violent story of Christ's death ....it's so gruesome.  Isn't it too much for a 3 year old who thinks that Thomas the Train is a scary movie? 

"Are these all the mean things, Mommy?"

I decided to move forward and trust God to reveal the truth to Jonathan in His tenderness.  If I wait to tell Jonathan the truth, he may hear it from someone else who doesn't love him as much or in a way that is not as true.  So this week we learned about the coins used to pay Judas, the whip, the crown of thorns, the nails, the die for casting lots, and the spear.  I actually felt nervous and had a feeling of dread each day as I tried to find the right words to tell Jonathan about each thing.  I've realized anew what a horrible thing is the killing of Christ.

So then I got the idea of making a paper mache tomb.  Here is step one ....mixing the flour/water glue and using the paper, etc, to make a BIG MESS!

Step two:  Painting the tomb with Daddy.

The finished product!  Here is a paper Jesus, dead and ready to be wrapped in gauze and put inside.

 The 10th Resurrection Egg had a roll of guaze inside, to help us remember how Jesus' body was wrapped by his friends.  So on Good Friday, Jonathan wrapped our paper Jesus right up and put him in the tomb with the stone closing the opening.  So now we're waiting for Sunday morning!  To be continued.....The resurrection is going to be great!