Second Church Steps

Five Minute Family Devotion Just as our children look for eggs at Easter, so we need to train them to look for Easter. Easter is a season; it is the 50 “great days” before Ascension, when Jesus goes to heaven. These are the “walking around and seeing Jesus near us” times. Sunday we heard from Pastor Chris Henry, “this is the beginning.” Perhaps you might want to begin your season of Easter Dinners, during the Great 50 Days, by having children select an egg and read the note inside and complete the sentence. There are two kinds of prompts in these eggs. There are prayer prompts and a God sighting prompt. OPTION: Your children can have fun filling their Great 50 Days eggs! I am thankful for…I am hoping for…I am praying for…I am asking for…I see God… I am thankful for… I am thankful for… I am thankful for… I am thankful for… I am thankful for… I am hoping for… I am hoping for… I am hoping for… I am hoping for… I am hoping for… I am praying for… I am praying for… I am p

The church often “side-steps” Good Friday with children.   I understand the impulse, but children are so acutely aware of the danger and violence of this world viscerally before verbally. School violence, images on screens, video games, flowers dying in winter… It is often unspoken but ultimately unavoidable.   The Erickson Institute states that “it is, in fact, highly damaging for a child to experience trauma before they have the language skills to create a narrative of their experience.” [i] Therefore, I feel it is important to give children language to talk about the things they see, hear, and notice around them… Especially faith moments like Holy Week and Good Friday. How would you do that with the story of Jesus’ crucifixion?   Taking my cue from Mr. Rogers, we can “look to the helpers.” [ii]   Jesus died, but he was not alone. His friends were there.   His mother was there.   God was there.   Jesus must have been so scared. His friends must have been so sad. Even then,