A Circle of Easter Lessons

Obviously, I spend a lot of time thinking about how to teach kids about Easter each year. After you have been in children's ministry for several years you have taken all kinds of different approaches to teach the Easter story. I have used scenes from the Resurrection Eggs, The movie ET, live plants, stuffed animals, candy wrappers, and tons of other illustrations to teach about this week in Jesus life. This week, I was thinking about all the different themes from the different stories of Holy Week. As I put the different stories together the themes of the week turn around in a circle. Let me show you how. 

It all begins with the story of Jesus triumphal entry or Palm Sunday. The theme of that being Jesus deity. Follow that by the story of the Last Supper. It's theme is remembering. Gethsemane teaches us the importance of prayer. Jesus' arrest teaches us the necessity of turning the other cheek even in the most dire of times. The scene of Jesus and the criminals on the cross shows grace in action first hand. Jesus death is the greatest show of love. Jesus resurrection brings it back to a complete circle by showing the entire world that Jesus is not just a teacher but he is God and king. 

I want to remember that in all the stories of this week that it begins and ends with Jesus being our God and King. We sing about him being our friend and we remember what he has done. We want to follow his examples in prayer and life. Yet, I don't ever want to forget he is our God. He is the King of Kings.