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.

Arm Yourselves

June 11, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?

I Believe That We Will Win

June 3, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Jesus suffered and died in order to bring us to God Jesus conquered death by his resurrection “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” —Martin Luther Problem #1 - he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison —Jesus preached through Noah to those who lived at that time (1 Peter 1:10–12) —Jesus proclaimed His victory to evil angels (see Genesis 6:1-4) Problem #2 - baptism now saves you —Scripture is clear - we are saved by grace not works —baptism pictures our salvation from God’s judgment through the resurrection of Christ “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.” —Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude —in baptism we are appealing to God for a good conscience "This appeal is an act of the heart looking away from itself and from all human instruments and calling on God, appealing to God, for grace to save.” —John Piper —in baptism we are pledging to God to live in a manner worthy of the gospel Jesus ascended to heaven and now reigns over everything “We can face suffering as Christians with confidence rather than panic, and hope rather than despair, because the road marked with Christian suffering is, no matter what its twists and turns are, the road to vindication and glory. The God who vindicated Jesus will vindicate you, and he will sustain your faith until that day.” –Juan R. Sanchez, 1 Peter For You Discipleship Questions: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection encourage us when we suffer? Why did we need Jesus to suffer and die to bring us to God? How does Jesus’ victory over death give us eternal hope? What are your thoughts regarding some of the problems in this passage? How does what Peter says about baptism elevate the importance of baptism? When were you baptized and how does this passage inform your understanding of baptism? How does knowing our victory is secured help us with all the things this life throws at us?

Who Can Be Against Us?

May 27, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
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