Matthew 28:5-7a NKJV “But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that he is risen from the dead,””

When we think of Easter, we think of a bunny that brings candy and brightly colored eggs! The bunny places the eggs and candy in a basket on a bed of green “grass” (fake, bright green grass!). It’s fun to hide and find the eggs after you have dyed them. And who doesn’t love candy? These are customs we practice at Easter. And many of these symbols can stand for new life. Rabbits have large numbers of new babies in the spring. Eggs can hatch into new chicks and green grass comes up new in the spring.

The real reason we celebrate Easter Sunday is also about new life.

We all know what rules are. There are rules for games, for school, for home. God had rules for how his chosen people should live so that they would be close to Him. But the Pharisees, the priests who were supposed to help God’s people, added lots of their own rules. They were not God’s rules. Very few people could follow all the rules. But God loved us so much that He designed a new plan, with new life for all people. His plan was Jesus, His Son!

When Jesus began to tell people about God, He explained that the most important rules were to love God and to love other people. He scolded the Pharisees for making too many rules for the people and not following the rules themselves. The Pharisees were angry and wanted to stop Jesus. They told everyone He was not the Son of God. Jesus was arrested by the Pharisees. They hung Jesus on a cross to die. He was buried in a cave tomb with a rock rolled across the front. He died and was buried on Friday.

On Sunday (yes, Easter Sunday!) some women, friends of Jesus, went to the tomb. They were sad and were bringing sweet spices and fragrant oils for a proper burial. The women arrived at His tomb. An earthquake shook the ground and an angel rolled back the stone from the tomb. Jesus’ body was gone! He was not there because He was alive! Hallelujah! Jesus is risen from the dead!

God’s new plan for all of us is to believe in His Son, Jesus, and follow His rules. Through our friendship with Jesus we can have new life! And we can be close to God, too! And that is the real reason we celebrate Easter Sunday!

This week draw an Easter picture and tell someone about it!

Afterwards ask your parents to share your picture as a reply to this blog so that everyone can celebrate Easter Sunday.