Rolled Away
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by Kolby King in Family Devotion
You will need:
-Something that can be easily blown like a balloon, a ping-pong ball, a leaf, etc.
-A rock or stone or something that cannot be blown.
-Something like string, thread, or yarn to make a circle on the floor. (If you don’t have any of these, then use several pairs of shoes stretching the shoelaces around in a circle.)
-A Bible marked at Luke 24:1-7
Get Started
Take turns blowing the balloon (or ping-pong ball or whatever item can be easily blown) into the circle. For something such as a balloon, start in a different room but for harder items, such as a leaf, start closer to the circle. See how fast they can move the item into the circle. Then take the rock (or the item that cannot be blown) and put it just a few inches from the circle. Ask them to blow it in. Let your whole family try—even at the same time. No matter what you do, you won’t be able to move it without picking it up.
SAY: After Jesus died, they buried him in a cave-like tomb with a huge rock that covered the opening. Three days later some women were coming to the tomb when they realized that they hadn’t planned on having to roll the stone away.
ASK: What do you think they did?
SAY: They didn’t have to do anything. The stone had already been moved. When Jesus rose from the dead, the stone was rolled away. Jesus defeated death so that we could share His life.
Read Luke 24:1-7
PRAY—Thank Jesus for loving us so much that he died and rose again to make a way for us to know Him, to be forgiven of our sins, and to go to heaven to be with Him someday.
____________________________________________________________
Breakfast Bites
What’s the coolest place you could ever go? (Heaven will be the greatest place ever.)
How do you think a person can know for sure that they’re going to heaven? (By giving their life to Jesus.)
What do you think people will do in heaven? (The idea of sitting on clouds, playing harps, and so forth is not Biblical, and although the Bible doesn’t give us all the information we might want about what we will do in heaven, there is something you can know for sure: Heaven will be the best and most exciting place ever where you will see God face to face.
Read Revelation 21:3-4
(If your kids want to know more about heaven, take a look at Revelation 21:1-22:5)
Family Activity #4 – Easter Eve Cookies
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by Kolby King in Family Devotion
EAT YOUR WAY TO EASTER
“Taste and see that God is good” (Psalm 34:8)
EASTER EVE COOKIES—Jesus’ Death, Burial and Resurrection
Items needed:
1 cup of whole pecans
1 teaspoon of vinegar
3 egg whites
A pinch of salt
1 cup of sugar
Make the cookies below on the night before Easter and share with your family the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 330 degrees.
Beat 1 cup of pecans into small pieces. Then set them aside for later use.
Pour 1 teaspoon of vinegar into the mixing bowl.
Add 3 egg whites.
Add a pinch of salt.
Add 1 cup of sugar.
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 10 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks form.
Fold in the pecan pieces.
Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper.
Drop by teaspoon fulls on the cookie sheet.
Put the cookies in the oven, turn it OFF, and let them cook overnight.
Remove the cookies on Easter morning and enjoy.
PART 1
Preheat oven to 330 degrees.
READ
Let us make some Easter cookies,
And hear a tale that’s true,
Of how Jesus died and rose again,
Because of His love for you.
So grab what you need,
And pull up your sleeves,
Then preheat your oven,
To 330 degrees.
“Why 330?”
You might say.
Because John 3:30,
Is the verse for the day.
John 3:30—He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.
PART 2
Beat 1 cup of pecans into small pieces.
READ
Take one cup of pecans,
But before adding them to the bowl,
Take a spoon and beat them up,
Until they’re no longer whole.
Remember that Jesus was beaten too,
Hurt from head to toe,
And by His stripes we are healed.
That’s how He loves you so!
Now take the pecans and set them aside,
You’ll need them in a bit.
And consider how anyone could reject,
The Savior the soldier’s hit?
Isaiah 53:5—But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.
PART 3
Pour 1 tsp. of vinegar into the mixing bowl.
READ
Vinegar was given to Jesus,
As He was dying for our sin.
So take the bottle and fill one teaspoon,
Then pour it right on in.
And catch a whiff of that smell.
You’ll probably think it’s bad.
It’s to remind us of Jesus’ agony,
And the suffering that He had.
John 19:28-29—After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.” Now a vessel full of vinegar was set there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop, and held it at his mouth.
PART 4
Put 3 egg whites in the mixing bowl.
READ
Now take three eggs and crack them open,
But before you put them in,
Remove the yoke and throw it out,
And hear me once again.
The yoke stands for impurity,
And the bad things we have done.
So throw sin out,
And give yourself to God’s only Son.
2 Corinthians 5:21—For him [Jesus] who knew no sin he [God] made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
PART 5
Add a pinch of salt to the mixing bowl.
READ
Spinkle some salt in your hand,
And take a taste or two.
How do you feel? What do you want?
A drink when your through?
You are the salt of the world.
That’s what Jesus said.
To make people thirsty for something more,
Like a Savior who rose from the dead.
Now take a pinch and throw it in,
And remember who you are.
You’re salt. You’re light. You’re loved by God.
You are His shining star.
Matthew 5:13-14-[Jesus said,] You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden.
PART 6
Add 1 cup of sugar in the mixing bowl.
Stir your blend and mix it up,
How does it look to you?
Not very good? Not very tasty?
And yet we’re almost through.
Now fill one cup with sugar,
And pour it in the bowl.
The sweetest part of this story is,
Jesus died to save your soul.
Romans 5:8—But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
PART 7
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 10 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks form.
READ
Beat with a mixer on high speed,
For thirteen minutes long.
Until peaks rise that symbolize,
The mountains of our wrong.
Who could remove such high peaks,
Of error and mistake?
Only Jesus Christ, the Righteous,
The bond of sin can break.
To set you free and make you clean,
And make you whole once more,
And give you heaven and life worth living,
That’s why your sins He bore.
The white you see stands for His purity,
That He never went astray,
Tempted like us but without sin,
He chose the righteous way.
And offered Himself on the cross,
As a holy sacrifice.
Who could ignore Him? Who could reject Him?
And His offer of eternal life?
Hebrews 4:15—For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.
PART 8
Fold in the pecan pieces.
READ
Now fold the pecans that you beat,
Into the cookie mix.
Each little piece stands for a time,
When we fell for Satan’s tricks.
Yes, we’ve all sinned and made mistakes,
And walked a different way,
But it’s not too late to turn around,
And let Him save your soul today.
Romans 3:23—For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.
PART 9
Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper.
READ
Grab the wax paper and pull some off,
And cover your cookie pan,
And remember the covering the Savior gave,
As nails pierced His hand.
By His blood salvation came
Through the breaking of His heart,
To raise you from sin and the death within,
And give you a brand new start.
True life is more than existence and breath,
And making it through the day,
It’s joy; It’s peace; It’s love and living,
With the Savior in every way.
Isaiah 1:18—“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord:
“Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. “
PART 10
Drop by teaspoon on the cookie sheet.
READ
Drop by teaspoons on the wax paper,
The mix that you have made.
Each little mound reminds us still,
Of the tomb where Jesus was laid.
Now put the cookies in the oven,
And close the door again.
And remember the price that Jesus paid,
To buy us back from sin.
Now take some tape and seal the door,
And remember the stone they used,
To block the entrance to the grave,
With His body so abused.
Mark 15:46-47—He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid.
PART 11
Put the cookies in the oven, turn it OFF, and let them cook overnight.
READ
His disciples were grieved, distressed, and sad.
They had a broken heart.
You may be sad to leave these cookies,
But that is also your next part.
It’s time for you to go to bed,
To wait throughout the night,
And come and check these cookies again,
At the dawn of Easter light.
John 20:18— Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her.
PART 12
Remove the cookies on Easter morning and enjoy.
READ
When certain followers came Easter day,
An empty tomb was there,
And angels greeted and sent them away,
With great news to go and share.
Death was defeated. The tomb was torn open.
The Savior had been raised.
“Jesus is alive!” the disciples were told,
And they were all amazed.
When you came on this morning,
Looking for a cookie for you to swallow,
You’ll take a bite and look with wonder,
These cookies are empty and hollow.
Just like the tomb so long ago,
Where Jesus’ body was laid.
But He’s not dead. He’s risen again!
And a way to heaven made.
So if you’re not sure about your soul,
Remember His sacrifice.
He’s the only way to heaven, you know.
Why not give to Him your life?
Read Matthew 28:1-9 from your Bible.
Family Easter Activity #5 – Resurrection Rolls
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by Kolby King in Family Devotion
EAT YOUR WAY TO EASTER
“Taste and see that God is good” (Psalm 34:8)
RESURRECTION ROLLS—Jesus is Alive
Items needed: Crescent Rolls and Large Marshmallows
Wrap a large marshmallow inside a crescent roll so that just one end is showing. Explain to your child that this is like tomb in which they laid Jesus. The roll is like the tomb or the hill in which the tomb was made. The marshmallow at the opening is like the stone they rolled to cover the entrance after Jesus died on the cross.
Roll your creation in cinnamon sugar. Let your child taste some cinnamon without sugar. It won’t taste very good. Now mix some sugar with it and let them taste again. Cinnamon without sugar is missing something. Life without Jesus is missing something too—You were created to know and walk with Jesus.
While the rolls are cooking, read John 20:1-18
Cook the rolls according to their baking instructions. When they are finished, the marshmallows will have melted—They’ll be gone! This is like how the disciples found the tomb—with the stone rolled away and Jesus no longer inside.
Family Easter Activity #3
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by Kolby King in Family Devotion
EAT YOUR WAY TO EASTER
“Taste and see that God is good” (Psalm 34:8)
PRAYER PRETZEL—Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane just before He is arrested.
Items needed: Enough biscuit dough for each child to have two biscuits, plates, butter to be melted in a microwave, spoons, cinnamon sugar or pretzel salt and garlic salt.
Did you know that the pretzel was originally about prayer?
Here’s the history of the Pretzel:
In Europe a few weeks before Christmas in 610AD, there was a monk (a man who had set himself apart to know God) named Brother Bachman, who was working in the monastery’s bakery. While he was working with dough, he was watching the village children play in the snow. He felt sad because these children weren’t interested in coming to church or learning to pray. In those days many times children would memorize prayers to help them learn to pray. Then, according to history, Brother Bachman had an idea. He took left-over dough, rolled it out into a thin length and twisted it into the shape of folded arms. In those days instead of putting their hands together to pray, they would fold their arms across their chest so that each hand was touching the opposite shoulder. This is the shape he created with the dough—the shape of the pretzel. He baked these and told the children that if they learned their prayers, he would give them a “Pretiola,” which means, “a little reward,” which is where we get the name Pretzel. Eventually the Pretiola moved into Austria and Germany and continues with us today.*
-Give each child a plate and enough dough for two biscuits.
-Tell your child to combine the biscuits together and then to roll the dough to create a long stick or snack. These can be as skinny or fat as they desire.
-Have students lay out their dough as if it were a smile on the plate. (Interesting that the beginning of this creation is a smile. Doesn’t it make you happy to know and follow Jesus?)
-Show them how to fold each end up and around (almost in the shape of a heart) to form the traditional pretzel shape.
-Show your child the shape of the shoulders (the smile turned upside down) and how it bends to arms that reach from shoulder to shoulder.
-Let your child flavor their pretzels with melted butter and either cinnamon sugar or pretzel salt (with perhaps even a touch of garlic salt).
-Cook the pretzels according to the baking instructions. While they cook, read Matthew 26:26-46 about the Last Supper and Jesus praying in Gethsemane.
-Let the pretzel remind you of how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was arrested, crucified and rose from the dead.
Since the pretzel is about prayer, pray before you eat your creations and thank God for sending Jesus to be the Savior of the world.
*There are a variety of sources that refer to this or a similar telling of this story concerning the origins of the Pretzel.
Family Easter Activity #2
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by Kolby King in Family Devotion
EAT YOUR WAY TO EASTER
“Taste and see that God is good” (Psalm 34:8)
PLAN OF SALVATION COOKIES
Items needed: Sugar cookie dough, sprinkles, powdered sugar, milk, food coloring, disposable plates, and cling wrap.
(NOTE: You may want to do this activity and the one above together since they involve many of the same items.).
Read John 12:12-32. These verses begin with another telling of the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem just one week before His crucifixion. However, in this story, we go a little further.
ASK: What did the Greeks tell Philip? (“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”)
SAY: Jesus died and rose again to make a way for people to come to Him, to be forgiven and to spend forever with Him in Heaven, and in our activity today, we get to share Good News of Jesus with others.
Create a batch of regular or cross-shaped cookies. Mix the powdered sugar and milk together for frosting. Use the food coloring to make cookies with the following frosting colors: Black, White, Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow.
Make cookies to deliver to a neighbor, friend or relative to share the Good News of Jesus and to invite them to church with you on Easter Sunday. Take time to discuss the meaning of each cookie color with your children, as written below. On each plate include at least one cookie of each color. Then cover the plates with cling wrap and attach a note that says something like:
These cookies are a gift to remind us of the true meaning of Easter:
-The Black cookies remind us of all the bad things we’ve done.
-The Red cookies remind us of how Jesus died on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins.
-The White cookies remind us of how only Jesus can forgive our sins because He has already paid the price for them.
-The Blue cookies remind us of how Jesus rose from the dead and forty days later He ascended into the sky.
-The Green cookies remind us of how we can grow close to Jesus and walk with Him every day.
-The Yellow cookies remind us that those who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior are forgiven and get to spend forever with Him in Heaven.
We hope you have a Happy Easter and we would love for you to join us for an Easter Celebration at our church this Sunday. [Add specific information about your church here.]
Easter Family Activity #1
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by Kolby King in Family Devotion
EAT YOUR WAY TO EASTER
“Taste and see that God is good” (Psalm 34:8)
JESUS CAME COOKIES—The Triumphal Entry
Items needed: Sugar cookie dough, sprinkles, powdered sugar and milk
(NOTE: You may want to do this activity and the next one together since they involve many of the same items.)
Read Mark 11:7-10. This is the story of when Jesus entered Jerusalem just one week before His crucifixion.
Either buy or make sugar cookie dough. Roll out the dough and let your children make shapes that represent Jesus entering Jerusalem such as palm leaves or a donkey (like the one Jesus rode on). Or they can make shapes representing things that happened in the following week such as a cross to represent Jesus dying for our sins or an angel to represent the angels that met the women who came to the tomb, who first announced that Jesus rose from the dead.
Take colored sprinkles and crush them up to small pieces. Explain to your children that even though it was a sweet day when Jesus entered and the crowd worshiped Him, Jesus already knew the crushing pain He would feel when one week later the crowd would cry out, “Crucify Him,” and He would be beaten, whipped and killed for our sins.
Make frosting from powdered sugar and milk and use food coloring to add color. Use the frosting and sprinkles to decorate your creations.
Resurrection Power
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by Kolby King in Family Devotion
You will need: Lemon juice, Baking Soda, Tissue, Teaspoon measure, a clean, 16-oz bottle, Water, a Cork or something to plug the top of the bottle, Paper Towels, Tape, and a Bible marked at 1 Corinthians 15:55-57.
NOTE: For this experiment, safety goggles are recommended for whoever shakes up the bottle. During the reaction make sure the bottle is not pointed at anyone.
NOTE: If you don’t have these items, you can do a different activity that is explained in the Other Option section below:
STEP 1 -Go outside. Pour half an inch of lemon juice into a clean, empty 16-oz bottle. Then fill the bottle with water until it is almost half full.
STEP 2 – Put a teaspoon of Baking Soda into a square of tissue and fold it like a packet.
STEP 3 -Cut two strips of a paper towel and tape them to the top of a cork.
STEP 4 -Drop the packet of Baking Soda into the bottle. Put the cork in the top and tape the paper towel strips to both sides of the bottle.
STEP 5 -(Parent) Shake the bottle and stand back.
KEY—The lemon juice and the baking soda react with one another to create a power that shoots the cork into the air. In the same way that the bottle couldn’t contain this power, the grave couldn’t contain Jesus. His power was greater than sin and death. He conquered them both and made a way for us to follow Him and go to heaven forever.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
PRAY—Thank Jesus for loving you so much that He died on the cross and then defeated death and the grave to make a way for you both to go to heaven and to share in His life.
OTHER OPTION
Do this activity if you don’t have the items you need for the one above.
You will need: Several sheets of Paper
Make a paper airplane and take turns throwing it as far as you can. Also, make some paper wads and see if you can throw them further than the airplanes. There is a limit to how far both of these can go, but there is no limit to God’s power. He is all-powerful, so powerful that he defeated even death.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
PRAY—Thank Jesus for loving you so much that He died on the cross and then defeated death and the grave to make a way for you both to go to heaven and to share in His life.
Make Them Disappear
Posted on 13. Feb, 2012 by Kolby King in Family Devotion
YOU WILL NEED: a coffee filter, lemon juice, a highlighter and your Bible.
(NOTE: If you don’t have these items, you can do the following to make the same point: Use food items or shaving cream to make a beard and mustache on your child—it’ll make a mess on them, just like sin makes a mess out of our lives. Then see how fast they can clean up their faces. Read 1 John 1:9 and continue with the discussion below.
STEP 1
Use a highlighter to write different sins on a coffee filter.
STEP 2
Put a few drops of lemon juice on the filter and watch your sins disappear.
Read 1 John 1:9
SAY: Sin always makes a mess in our lives but if we confess our sins and tell God we’re sorry for the wrong things we’ve done, He’ll forgive us. We can’t clean ourselves up; We can’t forgive our own sins—we need a Savior. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have to deal with the consequences of the wrong things we’ve done, but when God forgives a sin, it’s gone for good.
SAY:That’s great news…and news like this ought to be shared with others. Jesus doesn’t want us to keep this a secret but to share it with the whole world.
ASK: This week who can you tell about how Jesus can forgive sins?
PRAY—List family prayer requests and pray.
BREAKFAST BITES
What do you think the world would be like if there was no sin? (We would be perfect. No one would lie or steal or cheat. You could trust everyone, etc.)
In what ways do you think sin hurts people?
Read Galatians 6:7-8
(The point of this verse is simply: what you plant in your life is what will grow in your life. If you plant the things of God, you will grow things that last forever. If you give in to sin, however, the hurt of that sin will destroy the life that God intends for you to have.)
Sink or Float
Posted on 13. Feb, 2012 by Kolby King in Family Devotion
YOU WILL NEED: A non-diet can of soda, a diet can of soda, and a Bible.
NOTE: If you don’t have these items, you can do a different activity that is explained in the Other Option section below:
STEP 1: Fill up the bathtub so that the cans have enough room to sink.
STEP 2: Consider these questions…
-What do you think will happen when you put the cans
into the bathtub?
-Will they both sink?
-Will they both float?
-Will one sink and one float, and if so, which will do
what?
STEP 3: Put both cans in the bathtub. What happened?
POINT: The difference between these two cans is about half a cup of sugar.
KEY: Just a little makes a big difference. In the same way it takes just a little sin to drag a Christian down. According to the Bible, there’s no room for sin in the Christian’s life. So, have you been doing anything you know is wrong? If so, then stop doing it (repent), ask God to forgive you, and turn to follow Jesus again.
Also, just like the can that rose, Jesus rose from the dead after three days and later He ascended into heaven. That’s great news, and here’s some more great news: Those who have given their lives to Jesus can know for sure that they’re going to heaven to spend eternity with Him forever.
Read John 14:1-3
PRAY—Thank God for preparing a place for His people in heaven.
Other Option
Do this activity if you don’t have the items you need for the one above.
Make some chocolate milk where just a little powder makes a big change; or taste test some strawberries then dip them in sugar. Again, just a little makes a big difference; Or eat something that needs salt, like corn to make this same point. Then begin with the discussion below.
DISCUSSION: Just a little makes a big difference. In the same way it takes just a little sin to drag a Christian down. According to the Bible, there’s no room for sin in the Christian’s life. So, have you been doing anything you know is wrong? If so, then stop doing it (repent), ask God to forgive you, and turn to follow Jesus again.
It’s good news that God can forgive you. This is the reason that Jesus died and rose from the dead, and here’s some more great news: Those who have given their lives to Jesus can know for sure that they’re going to heaven to spend eternity with Him forever.
Read John 14:1-3
PRAY—Thank God for preparing a place for His people in heaven.
BREAKFAST BITES
What are some things that you look forward to about going to heaven? (Seeing Jesus face to face, meeting people from the Bible, living forever in God’s presence, etc.)
What are some things that you look forward to leaving behind when you go to heaven? (Fear, heart-break, sin, rejection, temptation, etc.)
Read John 14:1-6
Oh, What a Change!
Posted on 13. Feb, 2012 by Kolby King in Family Devotion
YOU WILL NEED:Green and Yellow food coloring (Red and blue will work also.); 2 cups; Water; A Bible
NOTE: If you don’t have these items, you can do a different activity that is explained in the Other Option section below:
STEP 1
Pour two glasses of water. In one put a few drops of green (or blue) food coloring. With each drop say something bad that people do (i.e., tell a lie, take something that belongs to someone else, throw a fit, disobey mom or dad, etc.) This green (or blue) cup stands for all the bad things we do.
STEP 2
In the second cup of water, add a few drops of yellow (or red) food coloring. The yellow stands for the streets of gold in heaven. (If you use red, it stands for the blood Jesus shed when He died to make a way for us to go to heaven.) This cup stands for Jesus and how He died to make a way for us to go to heaven and to take away all the wrong things we’ve done.
STEP 3
Now pour the cup representing Jesus (yellow or red) into the cup that represents our sins (green or blue). There is a big change. When someone gives their life to Jesus, there is a big change that happens because: (1) that person is adopted into God’s family, (2) they are given God’s Holy Spirit to guide and direct them, (3) they are given an eternal life that nothing can ever take away, and (4) God gives them a brand new kind of life.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17
PRAY—And thank God for the change He can bring to people’s lives.
Other Option
Do this activity if you don’t have the items you need for the one above.
Make some cookies or biscuits and point out the change that happens while cooking. You might even want to do a before and after taste-test. Or, pop some popcorn and compare a kernel with the end result—A taste-test here is recommended only for the final product! Or, get a little messy by adding water to a nicely folded pile of toilet paper. This is guaranteed to make a change. Then begin with the discussion below.
DISCUSSION: The change you just saw doesn’t even begin to compare with the change that Jesus makes when a person gives his or her life to Him.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17
When people are saved, they become brand new. No matter how bad they’ve been, all their sins are gone. They also become a child of God and are given His Holy Spirit. They are saved from a life without Christ as well as an eternity separated from God to a life that lives for Christ and an eternity in heaven. Isn’t God great!
PRAY—Take Family Prayer Requests. Then pray and thank God for the change He can bring to people’s lives.
BREAKFAST BITES
What are three ways that you can show Jesus’ love to others today?
What is something you would change in the world if you could? (Starvation, war, hate, racisim, etc.)
What do you think the world would be like if everyone knew and followed Jesus?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
