Easter is our biggest celebration of the year! It is THE day God showed the world for all time that we are fully known and loved by Him — and fully His. We share these ideas to help families embrace the truth of Jesus Christ’s resurrection and what it means for all of us.
Discover together
Read Romans 5:6-8. “6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
“As is.” What do you think of this phrase? Macmillan dictionary defines it as “in the original condition, including any faults or problems.” When a lot of people see “as is,” they’re not going to purchase it — no matter what “it” is. The Bible tells us that when everyone is born, our “as is” condition is one of a sinner (Romans 3:23). That means our original condition has many faults and problems — which is an even bigger problem because God is holy, and no sin can be in His presence. That means WE cannot be in His presence without help. Big, big help. And, as the Bible also says, we cannot help ourselves with our sin problem. The only cure for our “as is” condition is Jesus Christ, who willingly gave His life as a sacrifice for all of us and for all eternity. It cost Him everything, but Jesus didn’t pass us by because of our “as is” condition. Instead, He bought us with His shed blood on the cross (1 Corinthians 6:20) and made us “new.”
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” — John 14:6
We rejoice at Easter because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us and how freely He gives us this gift of mercy and grace — which we cannot earn and do not deserve. All we need to do is accept this gift by confessing that our “as is” just isn’t good enough and that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord.
Train together
For children ages 2-4
- Focus on who Jesus is and His love for them. Teach them that whether they are naughty or nice, Jesus’ love for them never changes.
- Spring is a great way to talk to these little ones about death and new life. Conversations about the grass, trees and flowers dying in the fall and winter and the new growth we’re beginning to see in the spring prepares children to understand Jesus’ death and resurrection in a couple of years.
For children ages 4-6
Make Salvation Bracelet. You will need yarn or string and one bead of each color detailed below. Thread the beads together, stopping to read these definitions of what each color represents. When finished, see if your child can re-tell the story.
Yellow: The yellow color reminds of heaven because the Bible tells us that in heaven there will be streets of gold. The best part of heaven is that it is where God is. He is holy, perfect and without sin. God created you and me, and He wants us to live with Him in heaven for eternity. But there is one thing that never can be in heaven. That is sin — so there’s a problem we all need to think about.
Black: The black bead represents the darkness of our sin. Sin cannot be in heaven because it is disobeying God. It is wanting to do things our own way instead of God’s way. But there is good news! God made a way for our sins to be forgiven.
Red: God had a plan! He sent His own perfect son, Jesus, to die for our sin. The red bead reminds us of the blood Jesus shed. Jesus died on the cross so everyone — including me — can be forgiven! But He didn’t stay dead! After three days, He rose again, and now He is alive in heaven!
White: This white bead reminds us that the blood of Jesus makes us “whiter than snow.” How do we have our hearts washed white as snow and our sins forgiven? Acts 16:31 states, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” Jesus Christ has done all of the work for you, for me, for all of us! He is God’s gift of salvation to us. Today, you can pray and tell God you are truly sorry for your sins, that you believe Jesus died for you, and that you are trusting Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life.
Green: This bead reminds us of things that grow. You now belong to Jesus, and you will want to grow in your relationship with Him through prayer, reading the Bible, going to church, obeying his Word and telling others about Him!
For kids of all ages
Consider talking about Easter as a family after watching a movie. Here are five film favorites:
Veggie Tales “Easter Carol” and Veggie Tales “‘Twas the Night Before Easter.” Kids of all ages will enjoy the silliness and seriousness of Bob and Larry’s versions of the Easter story. While a lot of children’s movies about Easter focus on bunnies and spring, these are a lot of fun and also center on the truths about Jesus’ resurrection.
“The Jesus Film.” This Christian classic is also for an all-ages audience and is great to watch any time of the year. “The Jesus Film” tells the story of Jesus’ life as recounted by the book of Luke and includes a poignant portrayal of the resurrection.
“The Passion of the Christ.” Because this film includes graphic scenes of Jesus’ torture and crucifixion and is entirely in Aramaic, we recommend it for children who are 12 and older — and also that parents consider watching it first to decide whether it’s an appropriate choice. However, this is a powerful look at the brutality our Savior endured for all of us and an even more powerful reminder that our forgiveness from God comes because of Jesus’ amazing sacrifice.
“Son of God.” While not as graphic as “The Passion of the Christ,” we recommend this film for older children — and also that parents consider watching it first to decide whether it’s an appropriate choice. This film tells the story of Jesus’ life, teaching, death and resurrection through the perspective of the disciple John.
“Risen.” Because of some graphic scenes depicting violence, we recommend this film for children who are 12 and older — and also that parents consider watching it first to decide whether it’s an appropriate choice. This film retells the the Easter story through the eyes of a Roman solider, a non-believer who didn’t see Jesus as the Messiah initially and who sought to understand more about Him and how His resurrection could have happened.