Good News - March 2021

16 MARCH 2021 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition PARENTING Create Traditions That Point To The Real Easter Story The most significant holiday on the Chris- tian calendar is quickly approaching. This spe- cial day, however, is so clouded by cultural tradition that many have forgotten what they are to celebrate. Generations of wearing the right clothes have worn down the meaning of Easter in the hearts of many. It is time for par- ents to re-think the way they handle this most holy celebration. Symbols of new life One of the cultural Easter traditions can be used to teach our children about Christ. Eggs can help parents give a visual aid in ex- plaining the Gospel to little children. To start begin by boiling the eggs. While the eggs are boiling, prepare the colors for coloring the eggs ready in individual cups. Talk to the chil- dren about what an egg represents. Then gently guide them toward the thought of “new life” in Christ. Help your children imag- ine the chick breaking out of the shell, just as a person confined to a life of sin, or even religion, finally breaks free and receives new life in Jesus Christ. Talk to them about the fact that the chick gets out of the shell by it- self, but we cannot possibly get out of the penalty of sin through our own effort. Only Jesus can crack open the unbreakable shell of death and free us from the restraints of sin (Romans 6:23). This is a great discus- sion while waiting on the eggs to boil! A colorful story While coloring the eggs, talk to the children about what each color represents. But, don’t do all the work for them. Let them come up with their own thoughts. The goal is to make them “think” and “find” the Gospel in God’s creation (Psalm 19) rather than give them words to repeat. It will help children to understand if you tell them the words you are looking to link with various colors. For example, “Let’s pick out colors for each part of the Easter story. We need a dark color for sin and a color for the blood of Christ.” Talk about what happens after a person receives Jesus Christ as their Savior… as the payment for their sins. Continue with, “We need to choose a color that shows the new life a person re- ceives after he/she accepts Christ (yellow). Then choose a color for purity (white) to help them see what Christ has done.” Open up the door and let them become creative! Allow the children to assign colors for anything they can think of that represents Jesus. On Easter morning, line up the colored eggs in the order that tells the Gospel story — the sin of man, the blood of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and the new life one receives in Christ because of what God has done for us through Christ. Repurpose family traditions Easter is all about Christ, not new clothes and a bunny. For children, Easter must be a time for parents to come into the world of a child and use whatever tools are available to tell the greatest story ever told. Look at your family’s Easter traditions. Do your traditions point to the real Easter Story, or are they just nice events that distract the eyes of the child from the greatest event in history? It is time for parents to become focused on the true meaning of Easter. It is time for us to do our homework, become creative and get rid of whatever distracts from Jesus Christ. By doing this in our own homes, each of us will prepare our children to do the same in their homes. Remember, the old thought provoking joke, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” In this case we have the answer. The Creator of the chicken and the egg came first, then He humbled Himself and became a man, and willingly died a criminal’s death on the cross (Phil 2:5-9). That is what we must choose to teach this Easter. Our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST cracked open the way to eternal life for us. Unfortunately, there are so many still living confined in that old shell called “religion”. Visit parentingonpurpose.org for more advice from Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts. - Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts - Sheridan House FamilyMinistries