Teach Your Kids to Truly Celebrate Easter by Uncovering Mercies at the Cross

Celebrate Easter by going beyond the usual festivities! Help your kids to dig deeper into Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and uncover the mercy of God!

When I was young, Easter weekend was one of the most crazy and busy times of the year besides Christmas. There was the inevitable Easter egg hunt hosted annually by a family in our church and special food preparation. Usually, we would go shopping for Easter outfits to welcome the chilly beginning of spring and dye eggs on Saturday evening. Then, we would celebrate Easter at our church’s sunrise service followed by breakfast and a specially prepared worship service and sermon. Heading home afterward, we would enjoy the wonderful lunch my mom had slaved over, and then *POOF* Easter was done.

For many years as a teenager, however, I struggled with this holiday. There wasn’t time to enjoy celebrating it! Palm Sunday would sneak up on us, and I would realize all of a sudden that I had forgotten Easter was coming! If I was especially conscientious, I would devote myself to studying the Easter story that week and try not to get busy and stressed out before the big day. I would try to prepare my heart to celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice and victory. But eventually, all the craziness of preparing for Easter Sunday on Saturday night defeated my fervor, and Easter would come and go. There was little to no preparation in my heart, meditation, or contemplation of the deep truths symbolized in our Easter celebrations and services. I truly don’t know if I even understood what we were celebrating.

3 Truths That Help Our Kids Truly Celebrate Easter

Have you ever thought about why many of us go all out for Christmas and then hurriedly celebrate Easter over the course of a weekend? We buy gifts, plan gatherings a month in advance, and theme our church services around Christmas for weeks in advance. For Easter, we remember, “Hey—that’s next Sunday!” and frantically search for ways to make it special even though we forgot about it.

In some ways, I feel like it should be the opposite. Jesus’ birth was the beginning of the fulfillment of so many promises, but His death and resurrection actually accomplished salvation for us. Without His death, we are still under a debt so great that we could never be freed. Without His resurrection, we are still dead in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). The baby in the manger is just like any other baby without Jesus’ prophecy—fulfilling life, death, and resurrection.

So here’s what your kids need to know:

• Jesus had to come and live a perfect life on this earth in order to be the perfect sacrifice needed to pay for our sin.
• Jesus’ ministry shows His heart for us and serves as our example.
• Jesus’ victory over death in His resurrection gives us hope for our lives now and for eternity!

1. Uncovering the Mercy in His Coming

Celebrating the birth of Jesus is only the beginning! The beginning of thirty-three years of God walking the earth He created. The beginning of the Messiah experiencing everything we experience in our physical bodies. If we want to celebrate Easter well, we can’t miss this! Emmanuel, God with us, took the form of a servant. God didn’t send Jesus to live in comfort while He was on this earth. Jesus became the son of a carpenter and experienced the sweat, labor, and exhaustion of physical work. After beginning His ministry, Jesus told those who wished to follow Him that He had nowhere to lay his head. Unlike the animals He created and was providing homes and food for, Jesus experienced hunger and a lack of shelter. He suffered in the wilderness under extreme temptation, yet remained sinless.

So why does this matter? Because in order to be the perfect substitute for us in His death, Jesus had to be perfect in His life. For us, Jesus, who had never sinned, in His death became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Not only this but because He encountered all we feel and experience on this earth, He is now a gracious High Priest, interceding for us at the right hand of God. He is not unmoved by the sin we fight and the physical weakness we feel every day. Our weakness touches Him, and He has compassion for us. Jesus was tempted like we are, yet He never sinned. He knows and He understands because He came to this earth for us (Hebrews 4:14-15).

When we rejoice, greeting each other with “Jesus Christ is risen!” and “He is risen indeed!,” we aren’t just celebrating the resurrection. The resurrection is what seals our hope of life in Christ. But it wouldn’t have happened without Christ’s great mercy in humbling Himself, taking the form of a servant, and living, teaching, and working miracles in this broken world. He came to earth for us!

2. Uncovering the Mercy in His Ministry

Another gift we celebrate at Easter is Jesus’ ministry for 3 years before His death. Think about that—the Savior walked the land of Israel for 3 years before He gave up His life on the cross. What did He do for three whole years? Well, He was busy. During this time, He made disciples, taught anyone who would listen, worked miracles, and explained the way of salvation!

Jesus’ ministry serves as our example. In His mercy, He showed us what it means to love God and love others. His ministry also gives us insight into the character of God Himself. This God is not one who scorns the sick and poor. He goes to them, cares for them, and heals them. He does not turn away from sinners in order to keep Himself “clean.” Instead, He reaches into the brokenness and pain of sin to bring life and make us new. In many ways, Jesus was correcting the view of God the Jews were holding. Yes, He is holy and just, but He is also compassionate and forgiving.

Knowing this is crucial for our kids and their spiritual life! It is only when we see Jesus’ mercy and understand it that we learn to be merciful as well. Our pride falls away when we understand that the God of the universe humbled Himself and came as a servant. Then, He empowers us to serve others in humility as well.

3. Uncovering the Mercy in His Victory

Very few kids grasp the reality of the resurrection. Of course, they understand the happiness of Jesus not being dead after all. Why does that even matter? Everyone dies, so why is Jesus’ death and resurrection so important?

Jesus’ coming and birth is what we celebrate for a whole month at Christmas, but what He came to do was to die! When He did this and rose from the dead, He accomplished what He had been born to do. His birth fulfilled many prophecies, but so did His death. In addition, if He had fulfilled the prophecies of His birth and not those of His death, God’s plan would not have been accomplished as He promised. Without the cross, the baby in the manger is just another baby.

Because of Christ’s mercy towards us in being obedient unto death, God’s plan to offer us salvation HAS been accomplished. The sacrifice has been made, the price paid, and the power of sin broken. This means His mercy is not only for our salvation but also for our whole lives. We rejoice, knowing our sin is taken care of and we can have a relationship with God. We celebrate what Jesus has done for us every day as He empowers us to obey God instead of remaining slaves to sin. Because of His victory, we have hope and victory!

Uncovering Mercies at the Cross

Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection illustrate that we need to understand the journey before we can grasp the impact of the cross. This means your kids need to understand what came before the cross to grasp the meaning of the empty tomb! Our 20-day Bible study will help you teach your kids just that—the significance of the amazing display of mercy that took place on the cross that we celebrate on Easter. Only because Jesus first had to die, His resurrection brings us freedom, joy, and peace. So come with us on a journey as we “Uncover the Mercies at the Cross“. Once they understand these truths, your kids will never experience Easter the same way again!

More Resources to Celebrate Easter

Easter Basket Printables: Teach Your Kids About the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Looking for an alternative to the traditional Easter basket? Focus on what really matters in your family with these FREE Easter printables!

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Easter for Kids

I love Peeps and chocolate eggs, but Easter is much more. Here are some ways to foster a meaningful Easter for kids that points them to Jesus!

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Easter Countdown: Names of Jesus

Learning the Names of Jesus with an Easter Countdown printable is a perfect way to celebrate a meaningful Christ-centered Easter this year. Plus it’s FREE!

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Jessica

Ever since she was a little girl, listening delightedly as her mom read books and poetry out loud to her, Jessica has been enraptured by the power of words. When she is not reading or scribbling down poems of her own, Jessica can most likely be found hiking with her husband or trying out new recipes. She has yet to discover at what point plants, journals, and coffee mugs become *excessive,* but is sure she can still find room for one or two more. Through her bachelor’s degree in English Literature, opportunities to write for various small publications, and experience as a Staff Writer for Not Consumed Ministries, Jessica has grown in her passion for writing and desire to share that passion with others. As she seeks to show the goodness and beauty of God in her calling as a writer-wife-homemaker, Jessica hopes to encourage you in your relationships with family, friends, and most importantly, in your relationship with Christ.