:: Happy Easter!

Just to forewarn you, this is a post with LOTS of pictures of our Easter weekend. :)

Saturday we went to church for an Easter egg hunt with the kids. It was tons of fun and the kids enjoyed crafts, face painting, bouncy houses, an egg hunt, and of course a message about the true meaning of Easter.

Later in the day I decided to try a new Easter tradition and make "Resurrection Cookies" with the kids.  It went really well and I was completely impressed with C's knowledge of Easter and what happened to Jesus from His death on the cross to His resurrection.  The cookies are made as such...
Step 1:  Place pecans in a plastic freezer bag and have the kids beat the pecans with wooden spoons.  This represents the beating of Jesus by the Roman soldiers. 

Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him whipped.  The soldiers twisted thorns together to make a crown.  They put it on Jesus' head.  Then they put a purple robe on Him.  They went up to Him again and again.  They kept saying, "We honor you, King of Jews!" And they hit Him in the face.  -John 19:1-3 (NIV)

Step 2:  Add vinegar to a bowl.  Kids are to smell and taste the vinegar which is what was offered to Jesus before He died.

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.  When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.  -John 19:28-30

Step 3:  Add 3 egg whites to the vinegar.  This represents life and that Jesus gave His life in order to give us life.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."  -John 10:10-11

Step 4:  Children taste a sprinkle of salt that is added to the bowl.  This represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers.

A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.  -Luke 23:27

Step 5:  Add sugar to the bowl while mixing ingredients with a mixer.  Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.  -Psalm 34:8

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  -John 3:16

Step 6:  After beating egg whites into stiff peaks, talk about how the color white represents purity and how Jesus cleanses us of our sins.

"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."  -Isaiah 1:18

Step 7:  Add the nuts to the mixture and drop mounds of it into a cookie sheet.  These mounds represent the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.  Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.  Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.  -Matthew 27:57-60

Steps 8 & 9:  Place the cookies in the pre-heated oven, shut the door, and turn the oven off.  Have the kids place pieces of tape around the door to seal it.  Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.

"Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how."  So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. -Matthew 27:65-66

Step 10:  Go to bed.  The kids might be sad to leave the cookies, explain that Jesus' friends were sad when He died and was placed in the tomb.

Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.  -John 16:20

 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.  -John 16:22

Step 11:  Do not open oven until morning.  Have kids see that cookies are cracked and hollow, representing the empty tomb.  Jesus has risen!

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.  There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him.  -Matthew 28:1-9