Our Easter Lesson

I really love this visual aid shared in this blog post. I know it will help the kids enjoy and take a little more away from the Easter lesson I'm putting together.

Because the post is more fit for a signing time in Primary (Mormon talk for kids sunday school hour), I wanted to try to find a good way to fit an all-encompassing Easter lesson behind the tissue paper, and in the paper bags. This is what I've come up with. We'll make sure to designate a good little 20-30 minutes during the day tomorrow to talk all about Easter, leading into Easter Sunday. I do last minute. Yes, I do. And I do it well. So Ha!

I will build the board just as the blogger did. Inside the bags, there will be items and scripture verses printed out that address each of these topics.

1. What does resurrection mean?
In Leah's words - It's something/someone that is dead being made alive again. I will likely put into a bag a picture of one my favorite perrennials - Lantana. When lantana is alive and thriving, it's strong and beautiful. The lantana in my yard typically grows a good 4 feet tall, and shows the most amazing array of blossoms all summer long. Lantana dies when it starts getting cold in the autumn. When this happens, I cut the plant back to a small stoop (only about an inch or two off the ground). This stoop looks like a dead cluster of sticks - brittle, no life at all. BUT, every spring, new life emerges once again.

2. What does atonement mean? 
Copying from a primary manual... Link here.   


The Atonement is Jesus Christ’s voluntary act of suffering for our sins and giving His life on the cross to overcome death. We need the atonement to satisfy Heavenly Father's plan. In this plan, Heavenly Father lets us all come to Earth to gain bodies, experience joy and learn in families, experience pain along the way, but we will all one day die. We need a Savior to save us from  physical death and make our resurrections possible.


Another citation I like is from LDS.org where we see the definition of "redeem." It says "To deliver, to purchase, or to ransom, such as to free a person from bondage by payment. Redemption refers to the atonement of Jesus Christ and to deliverance from sin. Jesus’ atonement redeems all mankind from physical death. Through his atonement, those who have faith in him and who repent are also redeemed from spiritual death."


3.What happened to Jesus leading up to his crucifixion and on that very day?


Scripture citations beautifully portrayed in this video. 


Jesus was betrayed. Matthew 6:14-16
Jesus was denied. Luke 22:54-62
Jesus was rejected. Luke 9:22
Jesus was bound. Mark 15:1
Jesus was mocked. Matthew 27:29
Jesus was reviled. Matthew 27:39
Jesus was scourged. John 19:1
Jesus was spit on. Mark 15:19
Jesus was crucified. John 19:17-19

Show picture of Jesus on the cross. Share these scriptures:

John 19:16-42 and all of John, chapter 20. This is the most reading intensive question of all.

4. Why did they crucify Him? 
If I have over-simplified this, I'm wide open to suggestions on how to make it more accurate. I will print a picture of a king wearing a crown. The description is that (again, according to Leah) Ceasar was the king of the Jews. The Jews crucified Jesus because they felt that Jesus was trying to say that *HE* was their king. Mark 15:1-14. 


5. Watch the "He Is Risen Video" on youtube. 7 1/2 minutes. Beautiful! It ends with Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene as cited in John, chapter 20, verse 17. Link to video.

6. Who did Jesus Christ atone/die for? 

In the Book of Mormon, we find a passage that says: "Behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord." Helaman 14:17. Also, the third Article of Faith says: "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."

I also wish to impress upon the kids that an idea like "all mankind" is kind of hard to fathom. But, to make it more personal, we will make sure to list the kids, one by one, and many of the people they know and love - even those who they've never met, like Steve, Rodney's dad, and their great-grandparents. The atonement is for each individual person who has ever lived, or will ever live.

I'll end now. :) 

I know these things are true. I am so very thankful for my Savior. I am thankful for the Plan of Happiness. I know that through Him, I can be with my family forever. 


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This is my day after edit with a few pictures of the board and the kids! :)

3"x4" cutouts from poster board, tissue paper & simple image for each question

They really enjoyed the destruction part. ;)