The True Meaning of Easter - Day 1

One of my favorite Easter children's books is "What Is Easter" by Michelle Medlock Adams. In the book they talk about what most people think of with Easter (the Easter baskets, jellybeans, new dress, etc), but that Easter is really about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and then rising again 3 days later. I love the simplicity of the message, written in a way that is easy for kids to understand, but I also like the last few pages of the book: "Okay, now I get it. The Easter Bunny is okay, and Easter eggs are fun. But Easter's not about that stuff...it's all about God's Son."

So we haven't talked to Jenna much about the true meaning of Easter because last year she was still a little young to really understand. We read the above book and tried to explain some of it, but you could tell it was still "over her head." I had been looking for ideas of things to do with her to help her understand the true meaning of Easter, when her Aunt Cathy told us she put together something for the kids. Each day (for 9 days) there's a note card that I read to the kids that discusses a part of the Easter story. She's done a phenomenal job writing it in a way that is easy for Jenna to understand and also includes questions for us to ask her. So it pulls her in, makes her think, and helps her process it as well. I love it! Then they get to open 2 eggs - 1 of the eggs has something in it that ties to the story for that day and the other egg is a "treat" - either candy or a toy.

We got the box of goodies a few weeks before we were to start and Jenna has been anxiously waiting, asking if she could open the eggs from "Aunt Cassy". :) So I thought I would chronicle each day and the lessons from it.


Day 1: Stinky Sins

Lesson Egg: Fish sauce
Treat Egg: Jr. Mints

We talked about how our sins are stinky to God and how He can't be around them. We smelled the fish sauce, which was VERY, VERY stinky!!! Such a good example of something smelling terrible and how we don't want to be around that and have to smell it all the time. We asked Jenna what some things are that she does wrong and she said, "hitting Grant." Then Cathy went on to say that that's why God sent Jesus to die for our sins. :)

(I remembered to take this picture after we had already thrown out the stinky fish sauce!)

Jenna smelling the fish sauce...

STINKY!!!

But the Jr. Mints make it all better! ;)