Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Good Morning Friends!  Forever His, Friday!   We had a wonderful morning of Easter celebration at church, my favorite day of the year!  The kids are so excited, dressed in there Easter finest, carrying their Easter baskets chomping at the bit to hunt for eggs…..Some might say I am mean, but I never let Easter at Sunday School be just about the egg hunt.  So, before we hunt we spend time with our Heavenly Father, reading His word, singing, expanding their knowledge and understanding of what Jesus’ death and resurrection mean to us as His children.  Now, I’m not real mean, I do try with the help of my Sunday school teachers to make it as fun as possible; this year I found a cool idea on line and adapted it to our kiddos….after breakfast we went into our comfy youth room and I read from Mark chapter 15, starting with the night Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate.  In order to hold their interest, I was quite dramatic in my reading (they would tell you I am goofy)  just as we had laid Jesus in the tomb there was a knock on our door.  In a very grumpy, why would you disrupt us tone, I opened the door to find a teacher standing there with a great big smile…”the Easter egg hunt is ready for the kids, come on.”  Well, I acted real put out, but the kids were excited so I went along with it, saying we would finish after hunting.  Miss Kristine lead us to the fellowship hall (it was raining outside) and told the kids to go find eggs.  They hunted and hunted and no one found one egg.  Soon I joined in, trying to help them find some, I got more and more disappointed with the kids….they were sad, frustrated, disappointed, and a bit angry too!  No eggs to be found……Kristine was chuckling as we headed back to finish reading the Easter story, but the kids were not happy!  When we got back to class I asked them how did that feel to go looking for something you thought would be there, something you were so excited about and had been waiting for?  They expressed their disappointment in no uncertain terms…..I finished reading, then asked them, “How do you think the women felt when they went to the tomb to see Jesus and He was not there?”  The older kids got it right away…..the women were sad and disappointed….much sadder than we were hunting for eggs….there Jesus was missing!  But the story does not end there, does it!  Our Jesus was not missing….HE was ALIVE!!!!!  Oh how they rejoiced when they found HIM….alive.  OH how we REJOICE!!!!  Our SAVIOR IS ALIVE!!!!!  Oh yes HE died, HE was buried, but HE AROSE…..Our sins forgiven, our disappointment comforted.  We will have disappointments in life….we will hunt to no avail at times….but our HOPE is in JESUS….HE will never disappoint us….never leave or forsake us….CHRIST IS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN INDEED!  ALLELUIA!  Thank you Father!

 

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.  Come and see the place where He lay.  Then go quickly and tell His disciples:  ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of into Galilee.  There you will see Him.” Now I have told you.”  Matthew 28:5-7.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2.  The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in Him  Nahum 1:7.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26.

Love you all!