God's Justice vs. Our Justice

After Easter services, one of our teachers shared with me how her 5-year-old and kindergarten students responded to the story of Christ's death on the cross. She said her students, particularly the boys, couldn't get over the injustice of Jesus dying in our place.
"But why did He do it?"
"Jesus didn't do anything wrong, He didn't deserve to die!"
There is so much truth and beauty in those statements. While we will never fully grasp the weight of Christ dying in our place, we can take advantage of the "injustice" of that action to teach our children.
At some point this week, it's safe to assume your child will disobey. During one of those acts of disobedience, take the opportunity to show him or her a picture of what Christ did on the cross.
When your child knows he or she has disobeyed and is expecting a swift punishment, show mercy. Instead of time out or a spanking, extend grace. Stop what you are doing, sit down with your child and talk to him or her about what is deserved. Explain that we deserve so much more than a spanking or time out for all the sins we do. And just like you showed your child mercy by not punishing him or her, so God showed us incredible mercy by allowing Jesus to die in our place. It's not fair, but it it's true and wonderful.

Cultivating an Eternal Perspective

This week your child will be learning of Christ's ascension into Heaven to be with God the Father. Our Forever King went up in the sight of His friends into the sky in a miraculous display of His glory and power! And we have the promise that we as believers will be with Him in Heaven one day, too! This is cause for celebration and hope. And this is a great truth to communicate to your children. Whether your little one is struggling with day-to-day frustrations, dealing with loss or illness, or even going through a phase where death becomes a preoccupation, you have an opportunity to cultivate an eternal perspective.
Talk with your children about the promise (John 14:3) and the joy of Heaven (Rev 21:4). Talk with excitement and joyful expectation when you talk about Heaven. Our Forever Home is a place where we will be with our Savior, apart from illness, sadness, darkness and death. What a great message and a great way to turn fear into joy, uncertainty into hope, and mourning into rejoicing!
And don't forget that talking about Heaven provides an easy transition into sharing the gospel!

Celebrating Easter Post-Easter

Hopefully you had an amazing Easter with your children and families. Regardless of whether or not you were able to talk about the truths of the holiday or do any special activities, it is not too late to capitalize on the opportunities of Easter.
If your child attended Providence this weekend, he or she heard the gospel. Your child was taught that God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins. That punishment was death on the cross and by taking it for us, we can now live a life with God in our hearts if we love and trust Him.
Because your child heard so much this weekend, it would not seem strange for you to follow up at home, even if you don't normally talk about spiritual things together.
Focus on how big God's love is that He would send His only Son to go through such pain all so we could be with Him. Talk about how Christ accomplished what no one or no thing could ever accomplish - making us right before God and saving us from a forever death.
Whether you review the Easter story over leftover candy or play a question-and-answer review game with hidden Easter eggs, you can continue the spiritual discussion began at church. May your home and your children delight in the joy and hope of Christ's Resurrection!

Just a Reminder

Just a reminder that we're not regularly updating with blogs in hopes that you're utilizing the Easter calendar!
Check it out for daily activities and talking points throughout the Easter month.

The Rejection of the Cross

By the time our Savior hung on the cross, He had already been mocked, beaten, spit upon, flogged, laughed at, stripped, punched and utterly humiliated. He then had to endure six hours on the cross in utter torment of body and soul.
As I have studied the crucifixion the past few weeks, I have continually been assaulted by the gravity of Christ's loneliness on the cross. Abandoned by friends and family, He was alone. But that loneliness was nothing compared to the complete rejection and desolation He faced when The Father was forced to leave His Son.
Because God's full wrath was put upon Christ on the cross; because all of the nastiness of our sin was placed on the shoulders of One who is sinless, God was forced to leave Jesus there alone. We hear our Savior's agonized cry, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" and cannot fathom the pain of that truth. (Matt 27:46)
How amazing to know that we will never suffer the loss of the Father! Christ did it for us! And because Jesus did it, we will never even know a hint of that loneliness, never catch a glimpse of that rejection. May that beautiful truth color your anticipation and celebration of the Easter season.
Take the opportunity to talk with your child sometime in the coming weeks about loneliness and the truth that we are never apart from the presence of our Father because of Christ's death.

Easter Calendar!

Beginning next week, March 23, we have compiled daily activities for you to do with your child to talk about and experience different aspects of the Easter Story.
Download your calendar here and enjoy this special month with your family!

Acting out Bible Stories

Many times after dinner there is time for a fun activity for your whole family. Try using this time to act out a story from the Bible. Choose one you have been teaching to your toddler, one your preschooler is learning at church or in MDO, or let your child pick the story. Give each family member a role and make the story come alive!

This can be a simple acting out of each part as the story is read or it can be quite involved, using props and costumes and a set. One dad I know likes to do this nightly as he reads the Bible story to his children.

Our family had fun one night with the story of Noah and the ark. We made a tent in the living room with sheets over chairs and tables. While we constructed the tent, we talked about the other people who made fun of Noah and his sons as they built the ark and how they were obedient despite all that. Then we brought in stuffed animals, pretend food, pillows, and a flashlight (to use as a lantern). We stayed in the ark for "several days" as we turned out the lights and "slept" and then awakened in the morning. Each day we had the task of feeding all the animals. We talked about how the "ark" was crowded and the work was hard and sometimes boring. We created scenarios of lions breaking through their gate and it needing repair before they ate the elephants. Every "morning" Japeth and Amelia had a difficult time waking "Daddy-Noah" from his slumber. Some things we wanted to discuss and created situations where that would be easy, other times the kids thought of events that might happen. Overall we wanted to highlight that Noah and his family were obedient and that God is good and He protected them. Fun times!