Easter is about a week away and boy are we busy preparing for all the festivities, mainly with our church, but also here at home. I don’t know how to explain it but ever since the beginning of Lent (which we aren’t formally doing), Ellie’s heart has been very open to the message of the gospel. It is precious to watch as she tries to understand why Jesus died on the cross. Last year, at the age of 2, all Ellie understood of Easter was that Jesus died on the cross and eggs were fun to find. This year, though Ellie asks why as we talk about the story and look at the different pieces. You never can quite tell how much she is getting but I hope and pray she is understanding.
Here is a little glimpse, a reminder, that our kids do get some of what we talk about:
The other morning my husband was helping Ellie with breakfast while I was getting ready. After they ate their cereal, Ellie thought it would be a good idea to sit down with her daddy and read her Bible together. Since he can’t read (and she doesn’t like his made-up versions anymore), Ellie told him that she would read to him. So she opened up to Bible and started “reading.”
She found the story of the snake in the garden with Adam and Eve. Here is her rendition of the story, “The Snakey Snake (The Sneaky Snake).” The snake in the garden asked the Mommy, “Did God say, ‘No, no, no to eat the fruit on the tree?'” The Mommy said, “Yes, yes, yes, God said don’t eat the fruit on the tree.” But the Mommy ate the fruit and then Adam ate the fruit, too. My husband then followed that up with, “What happened, then? Did they get in trouble?” Ellie replied, “Yes, they got in trouble. Then Jesus came and died on the cross. But he didn’t stay dead, he is alive.”
Well, Ellie is digesting what we are talking about as we read our Bibles, make fun resurrection themed crafts, and talk about Jesus’ death and resurrection at opportune times during the day.
How are you talking about Easter with your kids?
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