Note: Parents, this family devotional is meant to be a resource for you to help you process the topics discussed during IGNITE with your kids. This devotional is intended to be for families with kids of all ages, but please keep in mind that you may need to alter your discussion based on your child’s age.
LIGHT OF THE WORLD
When you think of Easter, what do you think of first? Many kids (and some adults for that matter) might say chocolate. Chocolate is a wonderful gift from God, but it’s certainly not the biggest gift He has given us! That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone; we all know that Easter is not really about eggs and candy. The trouble is that even when we focus on the real meaning of Easter, I think we tend to get stuck in Good Friday mode without moving to the celebration of Easter Sunday.
I had wanted to give every family a trick candle to take home with them this week… that is, until I found out that trick candles are no longer legally sold in Canada! So why illegal trick candles, you ask? They are a great illustration of the Easter story.
When the candle is lit, it represents Jesus as the light of the world (John 9:5). When you blow out the candle, it represents the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday – when Jesus was thought to be dead. When the flame reappears, it is a symbol of the resurrection. The point is that nothing can ever snuff out Jesus, and the love He has for us cannot be extinguished.
In my mind, the resurrection itself has tremendous importance that deserves more attention that it often receives. If Jesus had still been in the cave when the women went to check for Him, we would still be in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). Jesus would not have lived up to His word and it would have shown that he was not God. Of course, since Jesus is God, He wasn’t in the cave! He was no longer dead, but alive and He is still alive today.
Jesus’ resurrection also points to our own resurrection. When Christ returns Creation itself will be redeemed and – lucky us! – we get to be a part of that! Easter is a great reminder not only of the amazing story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection (the past), but also of the wonderful things to come (the future). So rejoice! He is risen!
Discussion Questions:
What would be different if Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead?
How are your lives better because of Jesus?
How can you make Jesus a vital part of your family’s Easter
celebrations ?
This Week’s Challenge:
If the Easter Bunny visits your house, and you love to decorate eggs, and you have a passion for baby chicks… keep it up! Whimsy is a wonderful thing that should not be denied anybody of any age. The challenge is to do these things for Jesus. (Not only to remember that Jesus is the real point of Easter and keep egg decorating separate from Him, but include Him in it!) Jesus values the family and building relationships, and doing things together is a great way to build relationship. When you do your Easter activities, talk about the symbolism of rebirth in the spring and maybe even go for an Easter walk if the weather is nice.
Things To Check Out:
1 Corinthians 15 (Parents, check out “Surprised by Hope” by N.T. Wright for more discussion of the resurrection.)
Family Activity:
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