A Sad Day and a Happy Day

In preparation for Holy Week my husband and I re-watched Passion of the Christ last evening. This movie does an amazing job of placing the viewer in the midst of Jerusalem to witness the horrific events of Good Friday. The violence, brutality and humiliation Jesus endured is graphically depicted. For adults of the faith it's important to re-visit this scene each year, but what about children? Are preschoolers ready for this information and is it something their young minds can understand?

Many years ago our school purchased a set of Read Aloud Bible Stories by Ella K. Lindvall which we frequently use in our classroom. The illustrations are large and simple,  perfect for reading to a group. The author uses text that is easily understood by children ages four to eight years old.

The Easter story is titled; "A Sad Day and a Happy Day."  The story begins by saying some bad men did not like Jesus and put him on a cross to die. It then goes on to talk about the tomb and how sad Jesus' friends were when they couldn't talk to him anymore. The main focus is the miracle of Easter morning when the women arrived at the tomb to see the stone rolled away and the angel's announcement "He is alive!" It concludes when Jesus appears to his friends, shows them his scarred hands and says, "Don't be afraid, I am alive!"

At Northampton one of our goals is to plant spiritual seeds in the lives of our young students. We want them to leave our program knowing they were created by God--just the way they are, that He loves them dearly and He is always with them. The telling of "A Sad Day and a Happy Day" is the first seed in the concept that He is alive and always watching over us.

We'll be celebrating new life at school this week. The children will be bringing in items from home to share or looking for examples as we hike to the garden and play outdoors. As we marble paint crosses and hunt for eggs we will remember the story of Easter and the hope we have because Jesus is alive!