EASTER AND A LITTLE “R&R”….A PERSONAL REFLECTION BY HELEN, GRANDMOTHER OF 6

Easter and a little R&R – rest and relaxation?  It’s not what you’re thinking.  I’m talking about the R&R of Christianity:  revelation & resurrection.  Let me explain.  My family is an important part of my life, and I love sharing the holidays with them!  Two of my favorites are Christmas and Easter – I view them as the bookends of the Christian faith - and they represent the R&R of Christianity.  Christmas is the season for celebrating the birth of Christ – rejoicing with news of the miraculous birth of God’s Son into our world.  Now that’s a revelation!  Easter is the celebration of God’s power demonstrated by Jesus being raised from the dead, just as He predicted through scripture.  This is the miracle of His resurrection!  

At Easter, my grandchildren love our traditional Egg Hunt – scrambling through the yard looking for hidden eggs filled with quarters or candy.  I also say this jelly bean poem as they sort (and eat!) their favorite colors and flavors.   It’s my way of bringing the focus back to Christ, and God’s ultimate sacrifice of His Son as forgiveness for our sins.  

Red is for the blood He gave; green is for the grass He made.

Yellow is for the sun so bright; orange is for the edge of night.

Black is for the sins we made; white is for the grace He gave.

Purple is for His hour of sorrow; pink is for a new tomorrow.

And handful of jelly beans, colorful and sweet – is a prayer, is a promise, is a special, loving treat.

The jelly bean poem has also become a tradition – all my grandchildren know it by heart!  I have a hunch the true meaning of Easter – the “R” representing His resurrection – will stay with them long after the candy is gone!

FROM THE BIBLE

“I am the resurrection and the life.  Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.  Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.  Do you believe this?”  John 11:25-26

“He said to them, “Scripture says that the Messiah would suffer and that he would come back to life on the third day. Scripture also says that by the authority of Jesus people must be told to turn to God and change the way they think and act so that their sins will be forgiven.”  Luke 24: 46-47

TABLE TALK WITH THE KIDS

• 1.  Use a dictionary to define the words revelation and resurrection.  Define the words using your own words.
• 2.  Helen describes Christmas and Easter as the bookends of the Christian faith.  Discuss what that means to you.
• 3.  Talk about your family traditions at Easter.  Do they include Christ?  If so, great!  If not, think about adding a Christ-centered t      tradition to Easter Sunday.

WHAT ABOUT ME?  LET’S DIG IN!

I love looking at the holidays through Helen’s eyes – visualizing Christmas and Easter as the bookends of our Christian faith – the R&R of Christianity!  Christmas is a revelation – an eye-opening start to God, as man, in the person of Jesus Christ!  The birth of Christ was a joyous, important event in history.  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  (Isaiah 9:6)  Easter is equally important and the exclamation point of Christianity!  Jesus’ resurrection affirms scripture and places emphasis on God’s costly price – the sacrifice of His only Son – to reconcile our sins.  “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.  He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”  (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)  

Understanding the reality of Christ as the bookends of faith or the R&R of Christianity – it brings rest and relaxation to my soul!  Believing in Christ and accepting His love fills me with a peaceful certainty - a calm and rational understanding of the eternal blessings that await me.  Embrace the rest and relaxation of knowing Jesus as your savior and add a little R&R into your holiday!  "May the joy of Christ's resurrection fill your heart and bless your life."  - a prayerful preface to the jelly bean poem.

MEMORY VERSE 

“He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”  Romans 4:25