As I write this, my little ones are entranced with our old Beginner's Bible: The Story of Easter videotape, which gently portrays the Easter story.
Earlier tonight, after watching our traditional "Easter eve" video, Here Comes Peter Cottontail, I asked Luke to tell me the true story of Easter. He replied, “Jesus died for us and he was put in a tomb and He rose again…”
Then, as we waited for the Beginner's Bible: The Story of Easter to cue up, I asked Luke and Nina to tell me more of the story. This is what they shared:
Nina: Jesus had dinner with his friends. He broke the bread…
Luke: He ate the bread, too.
Mommy: Did He say anything?
Luke: Yep. He told them to love each other.
Mommy: Did He tell them to remember Him?
Luke: Yep, forever. That’s why He did it….
Mommy: What happened later?
Nina: He was praying…
Luke: …in the garden.
Nina: Some mean people comed and they crucified him…He saw His mom when he was holding the cross.
Luke: He was put in a tomb, then He went to Hell, then back to Earth…Nina: …and then to Heaven.
Luke: We celebrate Him.
Nina: We just wait for the day… the day the Easter bunny celebrates it, because it’s so joyful.
As a matter of fact, the video has just ended with Nina commenting, "I love Easter, because Jesus died. I know it's sad for other people... Not for me. I know Jesus died for us...It's good."
And, now, she is in front of me with her arms up outstretched singing, "Jesus Christ, He died for us, not because He wanted to, but because He loves us. Jesus Christ laid down His life for us..."
Luke, on the other hand, is running out to check if the eggs are cool enough to dye.
After spending some time on Holy Thursday chatting about the Last Supper, feet washing and how Jesus commissioned the apostles to go and share the Gospel on Friday, we honored Jesus through quiet time from 12-3 yesterday and attending our church’s Living Stations of the Cross. Then, this morning Luke and Nina debated whether we should be happy or sad.
At first, they said that we should be sad because Jesus died and is in the tomb. Then, they decided that we can be happy, because, unlike the people in Jesus’ time, we know He rose.
Nina cannot wait to shout it out with joy: Alleluia!
May everyone have a most blessed and joy-filled Easter season!
I want to thank Rina from Healing Moments for sharing ideas on Guiding Our Children in the Faith in last week's link-up.