Poetry on Ascension Day

I enjoyed this post by Maggie Dawn about Ascension Day. We had fun with some poetic license today on our picnic, watching the clouds for the shape of a lamb and eating jam cloud tarts.

This morning I read the passage in Ezekiel chapter 1 describing the strange vision that the prophet saw of the Son of Man. It is very hard to picture , but what beautiful and powerful images of the glorious throne that Jesus had left and that He returned to that day on the mountain top.

New Clothes.

'I delight  greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bride groom adorns his head like a priest and as a bride adores herself with jewels.'

Isaiah 61:10

Buying new clothes for Easter is a tradition that has faded rather but it is an old one.  I imagine in the days when new clothes were more of  a treat and only brought once or twice a year the symbolism of new clothes for Easter was  more significant. Nowadays, when we can spend any Saturday morning buying cheap clothing at a mall or shopping centre, the sense of celebration is lost on us.

New clothes represent the new life that Christ has won for us, we  discard the shabby clothes of our old life and dress in the fresh, bright, best clothes of celebration.

'But the father said to his servants,'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put  a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.'

Luke 15:22

Last week I took the boys shopping. The climate in Cebu means that we wear the same clothes all the time, the children also do not wear school uniform and  their clothes look exhausted before too long. It really was time to buy something new. Neither the boys or I are great shoppers but the mall was quiet first thing and it is air conditioned, we stopped for a coffee for me and an iced chocolate for them and it was fun! A mini celebration and a reminder of how every day events can become festive occasions that demonstrate newness and just how full our transformed lives are.

 'Therefore........cloth yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience'

Colossians 3:12-14.

Station 5 - By the Lake.

Well, we could not manage a lake but we did manage a campfire, and we didn't cook fish , only toasted marshmallows. But it was a lovely way to finish the day and our Stations of the Resurrection. The reading was John 20.1-14 and I read it as we sat around the fire. Fire has a special significance at Easter - it represents the light of Christ resurrected on Easter morning. In some European countries Easter morning is welcomed in, after the nights vigil, with huge bonfires lit at dawn. As the light begins to spread the shout goes up 'The light of Christ' and the answer 'Thanks be to God'!

Station 4 - The Road to Emmaus

Yesterday we did an Emmaus Walk together, of sorts. I was really stuck trying to find a game or activity that fitted with the story and our schedule for the day. I was suddenly inspired to combine our story telling with walking the dog! It was not  exactly a quietly meditative walk in beautiful surroundings - not possible with two boys and in Cebu City there are few beautiful places to walk. But , we do know of a quiet, traffic free road in housing sub division where we often take the dog. So, yesterday evening , once the temperatures had dropped a bit, we went all together. The boys took gloves and a baseball to practice catching as they walked  and we re told the story of Jesus meeting His friends on the road to Emmaus ( Luke 24.13-25). The kids knew the story well already and my husband and I filled in a few details from time to time. We decided that it would have taken them about 6 hours to walk 7 miles at the pace we were walking and about an hour to run all the way back to Jerusalem, depending on how fit they were and how fast they ran!

My daughter and I had an interesting discussion on whether there were times in our lives when we had not, or might not recognised Jesus walking as our companion along the way.

Easter Listening and Reading.

Last weekend we went to the beach for a couple of days , as usual on a long car journey we listened to an audio book. On this trip we listened to The Lion , the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis read by Michael York . It is an excellent rendition - he read wells and gives the characters of Narnia a variety of accents. I don't need to review this story here - it is so well known , we enjoyed listening to it despite having read it and seen the film.

I  like collecting and reading  books relating to the season , we have plenty of Advent and Christmas books but not many Easter books apart from a few pictures books from when the children were younger.

           

SAFE PLACE, THE

 ST JOHN PATRICIA  

    Lion Easter Favourites

Lois Rock

Best Price £0.01
or Buy New £5.05

       

We also have a beautifully illustrated copy of Sidney Carter's 'Lord of the Dance' . All these books are still read but I would appreciate reccommendations of books with an Easter theme , especially for older children.

What do you read at Easter?

Station 2 - The Meeting in the Garden.

'I have seen the Lord'!

John 20. 18

We  have finished our tomb and planted some seeds in small pots around it to represent the garden where  Mary met the Lord. The kids enjoyed doing this project and it looks great , I think.

Station 1 - The tomb

Our verse for this week:

'I am the resurrection and the life' John 11 v 25

  We made a cave shape from  a small cardboard box and painted it black inside and grey on the outside. Then we stuck garden pebbles all over using a hot glue gun. The next step is to finish putting pebbles on ( we ran out of hot glue!)  and make the garden. I am having problems posting photos but will try and sort that out and post some as soon as possible!

I came across this link for the Stations of the Resurrection called Via Lucia - The Way of Light at Catholic Icing. It has a version for children with simple prayers.

Stations of the Resurrection.

In Living Easter Through the Year  the author,  John Pritchard suggests a devotion called the Stations of the Resurrection. It is similar to the The Stations of the Cross which is commonly done on Good Friday or sometime during the last week of Lent but focuses  instead on resurrection readings from the gospels. I decided  I would like to try and adapt John Pritchards devotions  for using with children and make them the focus of one week during Easter.
At the moment, here in Cebu, schools are on summer break and so after Easter Sunday I found myself preoccupied with  sports clinics, sleepovers and various other child related social commitments. Next week, however, is surprisingly clear and I plan to do one station a day with the children each morning , which I hope will bring us back to the central focus of this season.

This is what I think is will look like :

Station 1:  At the Tomb. 
Reading Luke 24:1-12.
We will then make  a model of the empty tomb.

Station 2. At the Easter Garden- The first meeting.
Reading John 20:1-18
We will do some gardening and planting.

Station 3. The Upper Room.
Reading. John 20.19-29
We will either play a game of hide and seek or game involving treasure behind a locked door.

Station 4. The Road to Emmaus.
Reading. Luke 24.13-35
We will probably play some sort of travelling game but I have not quite worked that out yet!

Station 5. By the Lake.
Reading. John 21. 1-14
We will toast marshmallows over a camp fire.

Station 6. The message of Resurrection.
reading 1 Corinthians 15.1-11
Not sure what to do for an activity - maybe a craft? Any suggestions welcome!

Station 7 Christ for the World.
 Reading. Matthew 28. 16-20.
We will look at a globe and do some research on how many Jesus followers  there are around the world and how many people have yet to know Him.

I plan to use the prayers from John Pritchards book although I may simplify the words slightly. I will keep you posted on how our week goes!

Why Eggs?

Do your children know why we eat eggs at Easter?
Chocolate eggs have long been a prerequisite at Easter time and a huge source of revenue for the high street. What is their significance and why have they become a symbol of this great feast, there is nothing in the bible about eggs or egg hunting. The biblical symbols of Easter are neither pretty or charming . A cross, nails, whips and tombs would not look enticing in a shop window, certainly not as decorative as eggs, rabbits and other springtime symbols. Eggs, despite being hijacked by commerce, do have a Christian meaning. In pagan Europe eggs were used as a sign of fertility and new life as they celebrated the long awaited arrival of spring after the long , dark winters of the northern hemishere. The early Christians understood the full meaning of what the pagans had only glimpsed. Springtime growth, the return of the sun and eggs all remind us of the hope of new life , the resurrection that we  can all experience in Christ: the essence of Easter.
In an article in Idea  - the magazine of the Evangelical Alliance, it was reported that a certain supermarket chain had to correct itself twice when making assertions regarding the meaning of Easter. First it reported that it was about the birth of Jesus, it corrected this to 're birth' before finally conceeding that Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus. There is obviously confusion and misunderstanding about this historical event that should knock us side ways and change us forever.

So - do your children know why we eat eggs at Easter time? Do your childrens' friends? Or your neighbours?

Maybe we should tell them.

Egg Activities.

I just discovered The Real Easter Egg Company from whom you can buy fairtrade chocolate eggs to give as gifts. On the box is the story of the real meaning of Easter.

Years ago I bought a set of Resurrection Eggs - plastics eggs that conrtain  small symbols that tell the Easter story. On her blog The Vicars Wife gives instruction on how to make your own. They are a good tool for an egg hunt and storytime combined.

Egg Rolling - a game that reminds us of the stone being rolled away

Egg Hunting - goes with out saying!

Maundy Thursday

Bread and wine on our Easter table.

Last night we shared our usual Maundy Thursday meal with friends. I cooked Lamb Shanks braised in Red Wine with Rosemary and Garlic served with mashed potatoes and green vegetables ( asparagus and green salad). Our friends brought dessert. In the centre of the table was the Seder plate containing  the traditional  symbolic foods for Passover. On the plate is a lamb bone, green vegetable, roasted egg, bitter herbs, salt water and haroset which is a mixture of chopped apple and nuts. Each item represents an aspect of the Exodus story - the story of God's  redemption of the Israelite people from Egypt.

• The lamb bone - the sacrificial lamb that God ordered the Israelites to eat before they left, the blood smeared over their doorposts ensured that the angel of death passed over them. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb ensuring that God passes over our sins.
• Haroset is a symbol of the mortar used by the slaves to build in Egypt.
• The green vegetable is a symbol of spring , the Israelite slaves experienced new life as we do in Christ.
• A roasted egg represents the temple sacrifice
• The bitter herbs represent the bitterness of slavery and the salty water, the tears of the slaves. Our enslavement is to sin.

Before we ate we read the Exodus story and the story of the Last Supper from the bible and then we shared bread and wine ( red grape juice for the children) around the table . It is a real treat for the children to drink their grape juice from real wine glasses!

Pysanky Eggs

Every Easter we try to come up with different ways to festoon our home and decorate eggs. This year I discoved Pysanky eggs while reading this site, they are amazingly intricate and  beautifully dyed eggs from the Ukraine. The design is drawn with wax before the eggs are repeatedly diped in dye to create the pattern. The Learn Pysanky site also offers colouring pages. I did not think that I would be able to easily find the supplies here in Cebu so we opted for colouring page eggs! Much easier  for children too. They looked lovely and it was a restful activity for a morning with friends.

After we were finished my daughter cut the egg shape out and glued two designs back to back and then hung them in a door way, they would also look good hanging on a branch.