Easter Week

We didn't save up celebrating Easter for just Easter Sunday.  We celebrated all week! 

At dinner each night we ate by candlelight.  To the kids it just makes it special and we enjoy the calming glow.  For the adults, it reminds us of the Light of Christ -- enlightenment, knowledge, and an uplifting, ennobling, persevering influence that comes upon mankind because of Jesus Christ.

We also took this opportunity to teach our little ones.  Everyday we covered a little about Jesus' role in Heavenly Father's Plan and what his last week living on Earth entailed.  We used video clips from The New Testament Stories and pictures which we posted on the playroom wall for them to see throughout the week.  We also included a few object lessons to help them understand difficult concepts such as the atonement and resurrection.  Many of the ideas came from this blog.

Sunday: We discussed the role of Jesus in Heavenly Father's Plan after watching a video clip and then posted a picture of Jesus and Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation, also known as the Plan of Happiness.

Monday: We watched Jesus Goes to Jerusalem on video.  We marched around, pretended to lie out our coats, and shouted, "Hosanna!"  We posted a picture of Jesus' Triumphal Entry on the playroom wall.

Tuesday: We discussed how Jesus cleansed the temple and posted pictures of this and of a modern-day temple (where Neal and I were married) on the playroom wall.  We talked about how we want to keep our home and bodies clean like the temple.

Wednesday: We watched The First Sacrament on video.  We discussed the importance of taking the sacrament each week.  We also discussed humility and service to our fellowmen after looking at a picture of Jesus washing the apostles feet.  We posted pictures of the last supper, modern-day picture of a family taking the sacrament in church, and the picture of Jesus washing the apostle feet on the playroom wall.

Thursday: We watched Jesus Suffers in the Garden of Gethsemane on video.  We showed the kids a clean white cloth and talked about how it was clean and perfect.  We poured red punch on the table and talked about making mistakes or sinning.  We used the clean cloth to wipe up the spill.  We simply paralleled Jesus' atoning sacrifice to this object lesson.  We posted pictures of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss.

Friday: We watched Jesus is Crucified on video.  We showed the picture of the crucifixion and discussed what had happened.  We talked about how sad Mary, Jesus' mother, was.  We talked about how even when things were very hard for Jesus, He still did what was right--forgiving the soldiers, making sure his mother was taken care of.  We used a glove to teach that the spirit is what makes us alive.  That when we die, the spirit (hand in glove) leaves and just our body is left.  We showed a picture of his burial and used Rhys' paper plate tomb he made in preschool earlier in the week to demonstrate what happened.  We posted both pictures on the wall.

Saturday: We reviewed all the videos and pictures on the wall.  We talked about why Easter is a special day and what we are trying to remember on that day.

Easter Sunday: We watched Jesus is Risen on video.  We used the glove and our hand to demonstrate that Jesus was resurrected and His body and spirit were united once again.  We sang the hymns "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and "He is Risen" as a family.  We posted pictures of the resurrected Jesus talking to Mary and another picture of him appearing to the apostles on the playroom wall.  We then attended church as usual.

This week has helped our family have a better understanding and appreciation of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We feel our Heavenly Father's love as we ponder the gift of His Son.  This scripture found in The Book of Mormon has come to mind repeatedly this week: "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."  --2 Nephi 25:26

Our hearts feel so full! Happy Easter to all!