Sunday before Easter: Day 1
Triumphal Entry
(discuss the picture)
Gospel Art kit #223
Read Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11
PALM SUNDAY
This is the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey
colt. The people lined the way, waving palm branches and crying, Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!
Waving palm branches was a Roman custom that was used to welcome a
ruler or king. The significance of the Palm branch lies in the fact that the
people were welcoming Jesus as they would a new political leader. Jesus'
message to them was symbolized in the animal that he rode. A ruler would have
been riding on a horse. Jesus chose to come in a humble way.
Activity:
Decorate the table for lunch or dinner using real or artificial
palm branches. Children might enjoy making the palm branches out of green
construction paper.
Palms for the Lord
By Dorothy D. Warner
Much
people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to
Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried,
Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord (John 12:12–13).
9The Sunday before Easter, often called
Palm Sunday, reminds us of Christ’s entering Jerusalem to celebrate the
Passover. We picture Him riding a donkey, with crowds scattering palm branches
along His path.
Many
people think that palm branches were used because there were so many palm trees
in that part of the world, but there were more reasons than that for choosing
them. The palm branch was the emblem of Judea and appeared on the coins of that
land, thus symbolizing one of the riches of that country. When Jesus entered
Jerusalem, it was when the trees were in bloom, so in covering the way with
palm branches, the people were offering a symbol of luxury.
It was a symbol of necessity too. To the Jews, palm branches
represented a gift from God because of its many uses in their lives. The palm
was so important in that area that when countries there went to war, the first
thing they did was cut away the palm branches, causing their enemy to suffer
the loss of food and livelihood (jobs).
This important tree has many different species (kinds of trees),
ranging in size from less than ten feet (3 m) to over one hundred feet (30 m)
high. The date palm supplied dates, of course. The coconut palm supplied both
coconut and coconut milk. The sap of the sugar palm was dried, beaten, and
ground into very fine sugar. Its leaves could also be boiled and used as a
vegetable. The trunk of the sago palm supplied a strong starch that was ground
into flour and made into unleavened bread.
Palm trees had almost no waste parts. Their coarse fiber was
used to make brooms, mats, and baskets; their fine fiber was used to make
sewing thread, and their heaviest fiber was used to make strong ropes for
ships. Palm oils have been made into both butter and soap.
Coconut shells, too, were used. Fine bowls, cooking utensils,
even tools were made from them. The timber of some palms was resistant to rot
and salt water and was especially good for making boats.
The seeds of palms were boiled into a medicinal drink or were
dried and eaten as nuts. If they were allowed to dry a long time, they became
as hard as rock and transparent, and made durable beads and trinkets.
The palm’s yellowish-white flowers had an odor similar to that
of violets, and they were made into perfume. The lovely, waxy flowers also were
worn by the women as decorative headdresses.
Strewing palm branches at Jesus’ feet was, then, a symbol of the
giving up of worldly goods, both necessities and luxuries.
Monday: Day 2
He taught in the temple
Gospel
art kit 224
Read Luke
19:47-48; Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19
Talk about what Easter really is. Why does it matter whether or not Jesus
Christ rose from the dead? Be sure to
discuss the need for repentance and resurrection.
Jesus went to the temple to worship God. There he saw something
that upset Him very much. He saw men using God's house as a place to sell
animals for the sacrifices. They were exchanging money from foreign places into
money that could be used to buy the sacrifices. These men knew that the people
coming there needed animals for their sacrifices. They were taking advantage of
this situation by having the animals right there in the temple courtyard for
people to buy. They were making money off of the sacrifices.
Jesus became very angry and said, It is written, 'My house will
be called a house of prayer.' but you have made it a den of thieves. Jesus
made a whip and drove out the vendors and their animals. He overturned their
stalls and buckets of money.
Talk about how Jesus wanted God's house to be a house of prayer,
not a house of chaos. Talk about what is the proper behavior and attitude that
pleases God when we worship Him. What is prayer? Is church the only place where
we can pray?
Discuss the verses in I Cor 3:16, 6:18, 2 Cor 6:16. We talk about how the temple is kept clean and
is modest. Our bodies are a temple,
too, because Christ dwells within us. What are some ways that we might treat
our bodies that are not pleasing to the Lord? What are some ways that we use
our bodies to glorify God?
He also taught about the widow and her faith and what she gave
was more than the hypocritical show of the others in the temple.
Activity:
Post pictures of your favorite temples.
For snack serve soft pretzels. Pretzels are a reminder to us of
arms that are folded in prayer. (2 different recipes included)
Soft Pretzels
Cut
recipe in half for our family
1 package
yeast
1 1/2 cups of hot water
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups of flour
• Heat oven to 465 degrees.
• Boil 11/2 cups of water. Mix dry ingredients. Slowly add 1 1/2
cups of hot water to dry ingredients and stir. Add only enough to make a soft
dough. On a lightly floured surface, kneed the dough for 5 minutes. Cover and
let rise 10 minutes.
• Grease 2 cookie sheets. Take about 2 tablespoons of dough and
roll it into a *snake.* Shape it into a pretzel and place on the cookie sheet.
Let rise one more time for about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Bring to boil in a large pan 6 cups of water. Carefully lower
each pretzel into the boiling water. Allow to boil for about 45 seconds. Lift
the pretzel out and place on the cookie sheet again. After each pretzel has
been boiled, sprinkle with salt and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 4
teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1
teaspoon white sugar
- 1
1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 5
cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2
cup white sugar
- 1
1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1
tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2
cup baking soda
- 4
cups hot water
- 1/4
cup kosher salt, for topping
Directions
1. In a small bowl,
dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy,
about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix
together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil
and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or
two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with
oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in
size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450
degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn
dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll
each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is
all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a
greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated
oven for 8 minutes, until browned.
Tuesday: Day 3
Taught more in the temple and on a nearby hill called
the Mount of Olives.
He taught the parables of the Ten Virgins
Matthew 25:1-13
Parable of Entrusted Talents.
Matthew 25:14-30
The Easter Lily is a symbol of purity and light. Jesus came as our
pure sacrifice and as a light in the darkness.
But God
demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ
died for us. Romans 5:8
Activity:
Share your love with a neighbor by taking an Easter Lily to them.
(Plot to kill Jesus is discussed on Wednesday even though it
happened on Tuesday)
Wednesday: Day 4
The scriptures do not actually tell us
what He did on this day.
Plot
to kill Jesus. Read
Matthew 26: 1-16
The priests plotted to kill Jesus. One of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, agreed
to turn Jesus over to the priests in exchange for 30 silver coins.
In Bible days, 30 shekels of silver was the
price of a slave. The amount equaled 120 Roman denarii (plural). A denarius
(singular) was one day's pay for a laborer. So 120 denarii equaled a worker's
salary for 120 days or 4 months' pay.
If you convert 30 pieces of silver to dollar, it
comes to about $950. If you adjust the amount for inflation over the last 2,000
years, it becomes $250,000. "Such a sum likely would have purchased a
small farm. Quite a bribe for the time.
Talk about
choosing the right even though the price seems all bright and shiny.
Do we ever, like Judas, betray Christ through our
actions?
The Widow's Mite
The Last Supper and Gethsemane. (show pictures) Mark 14: 12-72; Matthew
26:17-29, 36-56
LDS.org Bible video link:
LDS.org Bible video link:
228
Jesus’s disciples got ready for the Passover meal. During the meal, Jesus told the disciples
that one of them would betray Him. Then,
to help them remember Him, He gave them the sacrament for the first time. Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to
suffer for our sins and to pray to God. Talk
about how an angel came to help support Christ and that we can ask Heavenly
Father for help whenever we need it. People came with swords and arrested Him. Talk
about how Peter tried to protect Jesus because he loved Him.
Activity:
Have a special supper with a picture of Christ at your
table. Discuss how the disciples felt about
losing Jesus. Discuss how Jesus felt,
knowing that he would soon have to suffer so much.
(There
are 2 ideas listed below for this nights dinner/activity)
The Last Supper was held at Passover.
Invite another family over and share a Passover Meal. Read the
story of the Last Supper from John 13:1-11. As you eat the traditional Jewish
meal, discuss the symbolism of each of the items at the meal.
Serve Unleavened bread: This
symbolizes the Bread the the Israelites took with them from Egypt. In their
haste, they did not have time to let it rise. The bread that Jesus broke at the
Last Supper was without yeast or unleavened. Yeast stands for sin. Jesus said
the bread represents his body. He was without sin. His body was broken for us.
Serve Lamb: The Lamb
was killed so that the blood could mark the doorposts of the houses of the
Israelites. When the angel of death saw the blood on the doorpost he would pass
over that house and not kill the first born child. Jesus is our Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world.
Serve Horseradish as a
reminder of the bitterness the Israelites experienced while they were slaves.
We remember how bitter our lives are when we are slaves to sin.
Serve Haroset. (Grind
apples, nuts and a little honey together) The Haroset is eaten as a symbol of
hope. Jesus is the hope of the world. He is sweeter than the honey in the
honeycomb.
Dip Parsley into salt water and taste. This
reminds us of the tears that were shed in Egypt. The parsley is a symbol of new
life. We are reminded of the sorrow we feel when we think of Jesus dying on the
cross. But the green reminds us of the new life that we have in Him.
Serve Grape Juice. Jesus
said this cup was a sign of his blood, shed for us on the cross. Whenever we
drink it, we should drink it in remembrance of Him.
(2nd
idea)
We
can be taught about Moses, Jesus Christ, and Elijah. All of their stories point
to the atonement of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. I will share a brief
history. I know there are others who can give more details and explanation to
the Passover. I love to learn how all things connect together. My hope is to
share the symbols and a meal and references to how simple or complicated the
meal can be.
But first: Here is a brief history lesson.
(Note: I am simplifying the account.)
Moses
came to Egypt as a prophet and told Pharaoh that the Israelites were giving
their two-week notice and were moving on to a land of milk and honey. God had
commanded Moses to do this. Pharaoh really didn't like the idea of losing his
labor force and decided to fight against God. God always wins when He wants
something to happen.
After bad water, bug bites, nasty food, and dead animals, Pharaoh was still a
little reluctant to let the Israelites go. So God said that the Israelites
needed to sacrifice a first born lamb and put the blood of the lamb on their
door posts. This sign signaled to the Destroying Angel to leave all in the
house living. All of the first born children died in the homes of anyone who
chose not to sacrifice as instructed, being taken by the Destroying Angel.
Pharaoh finally conceded and let the people go. He had second-thoughts though
and chased them down again. But that is another story for another day.
The
Israelite families held a special meal that same evening. God told them to have
the meal every year to remember the sacrifice and the exodus from the bondage
of Pharaoh.
During
"The Last Supper", Jesus and his apostles were celebrating the
Passover feast which commemorated the Israelites being spared from temporal
bondage, which caused an actual death of the first born.
This was both an awakening of their faith in God and a foreshadowing of the
sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
Jesus came to save us from our spiritual bondage and from death - both physical
and spiritual. His death was the sacrifice of the Lamb not a figurative lamb,
but the true Lamb of God. The first born. Christ freed us from all things as long
as we are willing to be obedient and believe in Him.
Elijah
has a place set for him at the table in most Jewish homes during Passover. At
one point during the meal, the door is opened to invited Elijah to come and be
apart of the meal. The belief is that Elijah will return with the Messiah. The
hope is that the Messiah will come before the next Passover.
According to the testimony of Joseph Smith, Elijah has returned. He came
to the Kirtland Temple equipped with the "keys to bring to pass the
restoration of all things." (Source)
Surely it is no coincidence that Elijah came during Passover. The prophesy has
been fulfilled. And in accordance with that prophecy, the Messiah appeared also
in the Kirtland Temple that day with Elijah. (Source)
Here are some of the symbols of the feast of Passover.
- Vegetable
- Parsley, celery, or a potato and salt water are eaten together. The
parsley is a reminder of the lowly station of the Isrealites. The salt
water are the tears that have been shed because of the slavery in Egypt.
- Matzah
- Matzah is
a flat bread. Because of the flight of the Israelites, the bread did not
have time to rise. It is also considered a poor man's bread.
- Bitter
Herb - Horseradish or romaine lettuce is to remind of the bitterness of
slavery.
- Mortar
- This is usually an apple, cinnamon, nut, and wine (grape juice) salad to
symbolize the mortar used for the building projects in Egypt. When the
bitter herb and mortar are eaten together, it is surprisingly tasty.
- Pechal
Offering - The sacrifice of the lamb's blood was used to mark the door.The
rest of the lamb was eaten.
- Drink
- During the meal of passover, there are 4 blessings over a glass of wine.
Each has symbolism in the feast.
A whole meal can be made from the above items
if a simple meal is desired. Such as:
- Vegetable
- a tabouli with parsley added or just the parsley with salt.
- Matzah
- flat bread or a pita bread
- Bitter
Herb - a green romaine salad
- Mortar - A
Waldorf salad
- Pechal
Offering - Roasted Lamb
- Drink
- Grape Juice with soda
All symbols are used in the meal. A Seder is
the meal of Passover. Passover is known as the feast of the Firstborn or
Pesach. The above menu is not a traditional Seder though. Each of the items are
represented on the Sedar Plate. Also on the Seder plate, a hard-boiled egg is included
representing the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem so there cannot be a
Pecach sacrifice. A Seder is the whole evening with the blessings and the
telling of the exodus. This site gives
a beautiful explanation of the evening. A festive meal is included in addition
to the above items.
Friday: Day 6
The Crucifixion and burial
: (show
pictures)Read Mark 15: 1-47
Discuss how we treat the Atonement and
Crucifixion. Do we apply them to our
life? Show the breaking of a “precious” heirloom and compare to how we treat
the gift from Christ. ( We just talk about breaking something special)
THE DAY JESUS DIED
Read the story of Jesus betrayal and crucifixion. Matthew 26:57-72; 27:1-2, 27-37; Luke
23:44-46, 50-56
Jesus was taken to the high priest, Caiaphas. Jesus’s disciple, Peter, denied that he knew
Him. Jesus was questioned by the
governor, Pilate, and by the king, Herod.
He was condemned to die on the cross.
Jesus was crucified. A rich man
named Joseph laid Jesus in his tomb.
Jesus’s mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene visited the tomb.
Discuss why Jesus was willing to die for our sins. Talk about
accepting Jesus as your Savior from sin.
Other activities:
Make Hot Cross Buns. Use the Pop-N-Fresh Cinamon Rolls. Bake. Then Ice them by
making a white cross on the top of each cinnamon roll.
Make an Easter Garden. Help your children make a terrarium garden.
Use a planter base or tin foil baking dish. Add soil. Cut an orange juice
container or toilet paper roll in half. Bury it in the soil so that just the
opening shows. (It should look like a cave) This is the tomb. Add small plants
around the tomb. Put a stone in front of the grave. (On Easter Morning be sure
to have the stone rolled away with a sign that says, He is Risen!)
Saturday: Day 7
Jesus in the Spirit World (show picture of Christ
surrounded by angels) Read Matthew 27: 62-66 and 1Peter 3:18-19
Jesus’s body lay in the tomb. A large stone was put in front of the
door. The wicked priests asked Pilate to
have guards stand outside the tomb to make sure no one went inside.
What did Christ do once he was crucified? What does this tell us that we should be focusing
on here on earth?
There are more lds.org bible video's about the Savior.
Activity:
Festival of Light
Make
lanterns, candle holders to symbolize those that wait for Jesus resurrection
You
could also make paper plate tombs or Chocolate Tomb Easter Treats.
Easter
Morning
We make Resurrections Buns on Easter
morning.
Resurrection Buns
·
Each child takes a Grand (or other large ) canned biscuit. They
flatten the biscuit out until it's about 5 inches across. They spread melted
butter, sugar and cinnamon on it. We explain that the spices represent the
spices used to anoint Jesus' body before His burial.
·
Then each child gets one large marshmallow. The marshmallow
represents Jesus. It is white because it stands for His purity and His sinless
life. They place the marshmallow in the center of the biscuit, then fold the
sides around it forming a "tomb". (I help the younger children pinch
the sides of their tombs closed and then we place them crease side down on a
baking sheet so they will not open while cooking). Put more butter, cinnamon
and sugar on the outside. We talk about the sweet taste of the spices and how
Jesus gave us the sweetest gift we will ever receive.
·
At this point you can go ahead and bake the buns. We wait and
bake them in the morning. They need to bake following the directions on the
biscuit package. Then they need a little cooling time because the marshmallow
will be very hot.
·
When the children bite into their buns they will be surprised to
find the center empty. The marshmallow has melted. As each child discovers the
empty tomb, we repeat : He is not here for He is risen.
·
It has become a wonderful Easter morning tradition in our home.
My kids start asking weeks in advance if we're going to make "empty tomb
buns" again.
Items for baskets:
Rock
candy-to represent the stone that was rolled away
Chocolate
coins-to remind us of the 30 pieces of silver Judas was paid
Seeds-representing
life and faith
A picture of
Christ
New
crayons/art stuff-God takes our life and creates something beautiful if we
allow Him
Flashlight-represent
how Christ lights our way
Band-aids
(the fun ones)-remind us how the Atonement “fixes” our hurts
Chocolate
egg (instead of bunny)-representing new birth
(Give the
kids a chance to see if they can figure out how the item relates to Easter.)
