Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

In the garden, for His whole life, he knew what was coming. Pain. Disgrace. Wounds. Misunderstanding. Rejection by His Father. Becoming everything He detested. It was too much to bear. “Father, please let there be another way.” There could be no other way. “Father, Your will, will be done.”

Jesus endured the torture of loving the unlovable for the joy. His own joy? The joy of a job well done? Perhaps. For the joy in the eyes of His Father. In the garden the Father’s heart was pleased and broken as Jesus chose to obey. Resurrection morning He was the proudest Papa ever. If ever a father’s eyes have shown with pride over the accomplishments of their son it was Heavenly Father. Holy Father’s eyes beamed and sparkled when Jesus conquered death and hell! That was His boy and He had done all that was required. All was right again. Kingdom was restored. Relationship with humanity was possible. This was the joy Jesus was after, seeing His Daddy beam over Him and brag on Him.

Jesus longs to bring you into this joy. “See how proud Papa is!” He cries. “You were chosen and if you chose to die with me, you are raised with me. You are part of me. You are family. Papa loves you.”

Can you see the Father’s eyes? He sees you in Jesus. He adopted you. He is beaming.

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth. Unless one is born again, he cannot be in God’s kingdom.- Unless one is born from water and the Spirit, he cannot enter God’s kingdom. John 3:3, 5

Do you know that beautiful butterflies start out as caterpillars? They can’t fly or move very fast. They don’t look anything like the butterfly they will be one day. People who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior are like caterpillars. They may not look much like what God created them to be. A caterpillar can only be a butterfly by going through a process of being reborn. In a way it dies. Inside the cocoon it is remade into a butterfly. The butterfly must fight its way out of the cocoon for its wings to be strong enough to fly. We must be reborn in Jesus and Holy Spirit to be everything that God created us to be. It will be hard sometimes, like the butterfly fighting its way out of the cocoon. Jesus and Holy Spirit are always with you to help you, you will never be alone. You never have to be afraid. Jesus has already won, that’s why Easter is about Jesus.

We read day 12 of our Trail to the Tree devotion this morning by Ann Voskamp. Ann suggested writing down a sin we are dead to, but don't nessecarily act like we're dead to, wrap it in grave clothes (a rag) and bury it. We all liked the idea. Burying it however isn't really an option with nights consistently 20 degrees.

Cermation was in order. After everyone wrote their sin on their paper we ventured out to the boiler and had our cremation ceremony. This was followed by a victory lap around the yard. They ran, I walked. Oh the joy of dying to self, being resurrected in Jesus. Today we remember we are victorious because Jesus gave us His overcoming Spirit to live within us.

Being ruled by emotions going up in smoke. A sweet inscense of surrender to my King. I will use my emotions as signals of needs. No longer run over and helpless. Overcome by grace.

Arguing with Mom dies. Joy rises.

Hitting. Dead. Princess emerges.

Bossiness. Natural for the oldest, responsilbe, pleasing son. Quiet, steady leadership. Super-natural.

Have indeed been overcome and in Him we will overcome.

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure, and then he hid it in the field again. The man was very happy to find the treasure. He went and sold everything that he owned to buy that field. Matthew 13:44

Do you color eggs at Easter time? Have you ever searched for hidden Easter eggs? It can be lots of fun to search for hidden eggs. It’s like going on a treasure hunt. Finding the plastic eggs with surprises inside is like finding treasure.

Like the man in the verse Jesus left all his power, riches and praise in heaven to buy his treasure – you! Jesus was born as a little baby. Jesus paid a very great price for you because he loves you so much. He lived a perfect life. He was killed and rose from the dead. Jesus is alive today! He paid for the sins of the whole world so you could be part of his perfect kingdom. He wants to have you as his friend. All the beautiful Easter eggs can remind you, you are Jesus treasure.

The truth is Christ himself. And in him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are safely kept. Colossians 2:2b-3

Have you ever seen a baby chick hatch out of its shell? If you hadn’t you would have no idea there was anything in there. The treasure of the baby bird is hidden inside the egg. Seeing baby chicks at Easter time can remind you Jesus is our treasure. We can learn many things about Jesus in the Bible, God’s Word. God “hid” things he wanted us to know in the Bible. We can read and memorize God’s Word and find treasures about Jesus. God sends Holy Spirit to help us find and understand the treasure of Jesus, hidden in his word.

He brought me to the banquet room. His banner over me is love. Song of Solomon 2:4

Have you ever seen a parade or a big celebration? Did you see people waving flags, signs, and banners? Flags and banners usually tell where people are from, either a place or a group. People wave signs and flags for their favorite team or something else they want people to know. Palm Branches were waved over Jesus as he came into Jerusalem one week before he was killed. People praised Jesus as their Savior and King as they waved the branches. They had a parade and a celebration.

God has a banner of love he waves over you. God also tells you he likes you so much it makes him dance and sing. (see Zephaniah 3:17) When you see palm branches remember God is waving his banner of love over you.

Your promises are so sweet to me. They are like honey to my mouth!

Psalm 119:103

Have you seen all the candy and chocolate bunnies in the stores? When you see them remember God has good things to say to you. Eating candy puts a sweet yummy taste in your mouth. The things God wants to tell you are sweeter still. He loves you! He loves you so much he sent Jesus to die for you. He loves you enough to care about your day, your feelings, your hopes, and your dreams. God has good things to say to show you how he made you special. God will tell you good things for you to share with others. It’s even sweet when he tells us we’ve done something wrong because He loves us so much that we’re forgiven and he gives us the strength to change. Chocolate bunnies can help you remember God has good things to say to you and through you.

God let even his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things.

Romans 8:32

Does the Easter Bunny come to your house? What do people say the Easter Bunny does? They say he brings baskets full of yummy food and gifts, right? Seeing the Easter Bunny can remind you that it is God who gives all good gifts. God enjoys giving you good things. God gave you a wonderful world to live in, with everything you need. He gave you Jesus so you can be forgiven. God gave you Holy Spirit to teach you how to live. Each of you has been given talents that make you special. What are some good gifts God has given you? Every time you see an Easter Bunny you can tell God thank you for a good gift he has given you.

Jesus took the five loaves and two fish. He looked up to heaven and thanked God for the bread. He divided the bread and gave it to his followers for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all. All the people ate and were satisfied. – Mark 6:41,42 ICB

Do you know Jesus loves for you to give to him? You may not think you have much to give. Jesus knew a boy who thought that, too. There was a crowd of thousands of people listening to Jesus. They listened all day. They got hungry. A boy who was listening to Jesus had a lunch of five pieces of bread and two fish, not very much. He knew it wasn’t very much but he gave his food to Jesus. Jesus blessed the boy’s gift and made it multiply until there was more food left over than they started with. Jellybeans are small and may not seem like much, but they can remind you that Jesus can make a blessing from whatever you give him. Are you willing to give to Jesus?

Easter is fast approaching. Between the date changing every year and the busyness of spring it too often sneaks up on me. It is far too important to let it simply slip by. I don't like to discount it with only a special service at church and a family dinner. How do we give this celebration more attention?

Some churches and families observe Lent which can be helpful to bring the focus on the meaning and history behind the season. Our family has done various things over the years, partially depending on when I remembered. Resurrection Eggs were a great tool for telling the story in a memorable way when they were younger. The children can open the eggs and hold something to remember each element of the story. I liked to just have them out as a toy because they learned to put everything in the right order and would even quiz each other about what each piece was for. Be sure your children are beyond the stage of putting things in their mouths to use Resurrection Eggs unsupervised.

Easter Story Cookies were very memorable for my children. In the process of making cookies you lead them through the Biblical story. They even have to leave the cookies in the oven overnight like Jesus was in the tomb.

The Tale of Three Trees is a favorite book to read at Easter.

This year we are venturing through Trail to the Tree by Ann Voskamp. She begins with Creation to explain the need for Jesus sacrifice. Each day’s format is to listen, linger, lift, live. She also incorporates classic art for each day’s devotion. I think you can still get a free link from her site using my link above.

I will be posting devotions to help your children focus on Jesus as they see all the Easter decorations this season.

Jesus is Alive!