Beyond Plastic Eggs

Lisa Edwards • April 7, 2022

If your kids are anything like mine, it is probably not that hard to get them excited about Easter. We get to run around the yard on a treasure hunt to find tons of tiny, colorful plastic eggs that are filled with CANDY?? Yes please! The anticipation of the impending mad dash seems to sometimes rival that of Christmas morning.


But what if we could get them excited about an even better prize, a treasure that is stored up for them in Heaven, that lasts forever? 


Here are a few resources that have been a blessing to our family as we have tried to direct our children’s focus to Jesus during the Easter season, and all year long.



Family Movie Nights


One of our family’s favorite things to do together is to have Family Movie Nights. Throw in some popcorn and big, comfy blankets and you’ve got a family activity that kids of all ages will be excited about! 


If you’re looking for an option to make Family Movie Night more Easter-focused in the coming weeks, check out “What’s In the Bible?” with Buck Denver. As I watch this show with my kids, I find that not only is it wonderfully entertaining, but I also learn so much about Scripture right alongside them. Made by the creator of VeggieTales, Phil Vischer, “What’s In the Bible?” is an awesome resource for helping kids (and adults!) to develop a deeper understanding of how the whole of Scripture works together to point to Jesus and the gospel message. The entire series is currently available to stream on RightNow Media, and I would highly encourage you to make a plan to watch the whole thing with your family from start to finish. To fulfill the purposes of a Passion Week movie night, however, skip right to Vol. 10, which focuses on the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and is a phenomenal way to help explain the significance of both Good Friday and Easter.




Easter Calendar


If your kids love doing Advent calendars at Christmastime, then check out this Easter version designed to countdown 15 days until Easter morning (starting one week before Palm Sunday). Not only does this include the calendar, but it also comes with a family devotion that is designed to take children through the Bible, from Creation to Revelation, asking questions that help them learn how to read the Bible for themselves. The devotion is filled with questions that are easily accessible for young children, but act as jumping off points for deeper discussions with older kids, as well as extra, more thought-provoking points to dive into with teens. These short, 10-minute devotionals are a great way to either introduce or reinforce the habit of carving out family time in the Word every day; try opening it around the dinner table or before bedtime. Let it act as a sweet resolution to your day, to be reminded of the truth of God’s Word amongst the comfort and love of your family.




Books


I always appreciate books that my littlest ones can take to bed with them without fear of finding ripped pages the next day, which is why I have a particular fondness for board books. One of my favorites to send my kids to bed with is “The Gospel”. One in a series of minimalistic board books aimed at young children, this book breaks down the good news of Jesus into a simple presentation, one word at a time. It provides a gentle, yet deep and accurate approach to the truth of the Gospel and presents it in a way that even very young children can begin to understand. If you’re not sure how to start talking to your preschoolers about the deep truths of the Gospel, this is an excellent tool to help you get the conversations started.




Easter Sunday is the celebration of the greatest victory, the greatest gift, the greatest treasure the world has ever known! It’s easy enough for us to get distracted by the temporal things of this world, let alone our children, and to forget the good news that we are celebrating. How much more satisfying is it when we look to Christ who holds our salvation in His nail-pierced hands, hands that are extended out towards us! That is our cause for celebration on Easter Sunday, and all year long. May these resources be a blessing to your family as you remember and celebrate the end of death and the beginning of new life this Easter.



This article was originally published in our Spring 2022 2:42 Connection.

Freed to Serve

April 28, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:11-17 This is the beginning of a section addressing how God's people now function in this world. It begins with aliens and exiles and continues with servants, wives, husbands, and finally, all of you. 1.) Our identity defines our actions. We are sojourners and exiles (temporary, passing through, not at home) We have a heavenly citizenship Actions We abstain from the passions of the flesh Keep conduct among the Gentiles honorable (our conduct is for the benefit of other people) Honorable conduct wins souls… sojourners, exiles, and soul winners “Peter’s point is that believers’ behavior creates a context in which people will listen to God’s word. He is not teaching that ‘good deeds’ in themselves convert unbelievers, but they establish an environment for the Gospel-word to do so.” -Barnett 2.) Our identity defines our expectations (Unbelievers will respond to honorable conduct in 1 of 2 ways) Some will speak evil against us as though we are evildoers Some will see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 3.) Our identity defines our view of authority (Does anyone here ever just want to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That’s why laws exist) Be subject to every human institution (for the Lord's sake) This includes governors and emperors (no distinction between good/bad) The will of God... by doing good, we silence the ignorance of foolish people 4.) Our identity defines our view of freedom Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil We are freed to serve God Honor, Love, and Fear Discipleship Questions: 1.)Why is it so important to understand our identity before talking about our behavior? 2.) How might this reality impact your parenting? For real, what are 3 ways that you can apply that this week? 3.) How is good conduct a form of evangelism? 4.) What do these verses say that we can expect from others? 5.) How can we honor a government that isn't always honorable? Seriously, what are 5 things we should immediately stop doing and 5 things we should immediately start doing? 6.) What are some tangible ways to honor others? Love the brotherhood? Fear God? Honor the Emperor? 7.) Should we fear the Emperor?

Cornerstone

April 22, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?

Born Again

April 16, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
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