Easter Story Eggs

"And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain . . . . And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins . . . . If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead."    - 1 Corinthians 15:14,17,19-20




Teaching the Bible to my kids is great for so many reasons, one of which is that it allows me to see these stories through their eyes as if for the first time again.  It's good to have a fresh look at the resurrection story.  The truth of Christ rising from the dead gives us HOPE as Christians. It is what our faith is based on.  A real man - JESUS - walked on this earth, lived a perfectly obedient life, and paid the penalty for our sins on the cross.  The fact that he is God and rose from the dead conquering sin and death means that we have the hope of everlasting life.  I want my children to have this hope!  


This year I decided to tell them the story by using the "12 days of Easter" egg idea.  I used deliacreates and anordinarymom for inspiration, and used objects I already had around the house.  I did buy the dozen eggs at Dollar General for $1.


After numbering the eggs 1-12 with a Sharpie, I collected the items needed to fill the eggs and here is my list:
1.  Matthew 26:26-27, 39 (piece of bread)
2.  Matthew 26:14-15 (3 dimes)
3.  Matthew 26:48-49 (lips sticker or chocolate kiss)
4.  Matthew 27:1-2 (knotted twine)
5.  Matthew 27:15,17,21, 24-26 (piece of bar soap)
6.  Mark 15:16-17 (purple fabric, thorn)
7.  Matthew 27:31-32 (nail, toothpick cross)
8.  Matthew 27:50-51, 54 (crushed rocks)
9.  Matthew 27:57-60 (strip of white cloth)
10.  Matthew 27:60-66 (a flat stone)
11.  Mark 16:1-6 (bay leaf)
12.  Matthew 28:5-6 (empty)

I wrote all of the Scripture references out and included them in each egg along with the object for the day.  We read the first one at lunch today, and because my kids are 2 and 3 I have included two objects in each egg, one for each of them.  Today, Alivia opened egg #1 and said, "Oh, a snack," since it was a piece of bread.  She ate her piece of bread, closed the egg,  and passed it to Weston so that he could have a turn opening it to find the surprise.  This is a good idea for young kids with short attention spans because you only read a few verses a day and then discuss them.  I can't wait until we open the empty egg on Easter to reveal that "He is not here, for he has risen, as he said." (Matthew 28:6)

Happy Easter!