Last week I did a little craft project with the daycare kiddos. I did the first cross painting to model for the children how to create this water painted cross. As I showed them the importance of using just the right amount of water - not too much and not too little, we talked about Easter. I opened with the question, "Why do we celebrate Easter? What is it all about?"
Responses varied but most had to do with the Easter bunny. Instead of getting discouraged I instead agreed with them (hold on here), "Yes, part of our celebration includes the Easter bunny. We sometimes add things to holidays to make them fun. At Christmas we have Santa and at Easter we have a bunny but......Why do we celebrate Christmas? Whose birth do we celebrate?"
"Yes, Christmas is really about the birth of Jesus! Does anyone know who Easter is really about?"
One boy hesitantly said, "Jesus?"
"YES! It's all about Jesus! It's about Jesus dying on the cross for US!" The kids at this point would usually be itching to begin their own painting project but today they seemed just as interested in learning about Easter so I continued, "Jesus loves us so much that He died on the cross for each of you!"
As I painted one of the boys said quietly, "I wish Jesus didn't have to die......"
"Oh honey, guess what?", I said with a big smile, "Jesus, because he's God's son isn't dead! He came back to life! Which means if we believe in Him then when we die we will get to live in heaven with Him! He is waiting for us in heaven! Isn't that exciting?"
The smiles on the faces of these sweet, precious children was priceless. As I continued to tell the kids of Jesus' love for them one of the girls exclaimed, "He loves us to the moon and back again!"
Yes, dear one, He loves us to the moon and back again. In fact, He loves us to the cross and back again!
It's all about the cross, my friend. The cross and God's great big love.
Living He loved me! Dying He saved me! Buried He carried my sins far away! Rising He justified freely forever!
Comments
Post a Comment