Easter this year is so much more meaningful because of the nightmare. I usually am so consumed with what outfits the kids are wearing, getting a million pictures, and enjoying the fluffy side of easter. This year, I have yet to pick out what they are wearing and frankly it does not matter. Cancer has taught me not to sweat the small stuff, and coordinating Easter clothes is definitely small potatoes:)
The other day when I was driving home from UVA, I checked facebook and saw that FUMC had posted this song to the church's facebook page. I clicked on it to listen to the music while I drove and five minutes later tears were rolling down my face. Please take a moment and watch this video and listen to this amazing song. (First pause the blog music on the right). It is the death of Jesus from his momma, Mary's perspective.
My heart is so tendered to Mary who had to witness this horrific death of her precious babe. She was human just like us and had to wrap her head around the idea that this terrible death was part of God's plan. Being a Momma myself who has had to watch her son endure some traumatic events, makes me want to weep. There is nothing like witnessing your son endure hardships and having no control to stop it. I am captivated by Mary in this video and I hope you enjoy it.
I am one of the people that cannot handle the Passion of the Christ movie. It is to graphic and brutal for me. I know that is how my precious Jesus died, but I cannot watch it. This video is even hard for me to watch.
Tonight to make the Easter story more real to my children, we made empty tomb cookies. I will post the recipe in another post, but I love that each step of the recipe has a coordinating bible verse. I love that on the eve of Easter, my babes had the bible open in our kitchen.
Here is Miss Priss with the iPad, mixer, and bible!! Just what every good cook needs in the kitchen:) I used this recipe
www.faithfulprovisions.com for this activity.
Each step of the recipe had a coordinating scripture based on Jesus' death. Kyle was our bible reader and Hope and David worked the mixer.
Here is sweet Dave reading about the death of Jesus from the bible. He did not like the smell of the vinegar or the taste of the salt:)
My sweet Kyle reading from the bible.
For these cookies you preheat the oven and then when you place the "tombs" in the oven you must turn the oven off and seal up the tomb. Here is Hope sealing up the tomb with her tape. Just like Jesus' mourners, we had to walk away from our cookies and hopefully they will be ready tomorrow morning for Easter! I desperately want my children to grasp the love that Jesus has for them and for us that He willingly died on that cross so that we can all be together in heaven.
Easter is truly my favorite holiday. I love celebrating the birth of Jesus at Christmas. I get weepy and sentimental thinking of young Mary swaddling a newborn Jesus. Easter; however, is my favorite. I hate thinking about the cruel death he endured, but the fact that the grave could not contain Jesus and that He is alive now overwhelms me. The same Jesus that endured this horrific death is the same Jesus that has comforted us and wiped our tears during these last few months. Happy Easter and may we always carry this gratefulness in our hearts that we have during this season.
Matthew 28:6
He is not here; he has risen!
