Joy! Easter Joy!

It is Holy Week in the liturgical calendar. As a Catholic preschool teacher, I always feel completely prepared--and yet completely unprepared to discuss the difficult road to the cross which leads to the epitome of our faith with a bunch of squirmy 4 year olds.

While we have mentioned the cross before;  never does the story become more real than on Holy Week. My classroom bookshelves are filled with books with happy yellow bindings with cutesy, children's writing on the cover. They have various titles, but are all essentially called, "The First Easter Story for Children." I always grab them, fooled by the cheerfulness of the cover, and sit down to read. And, every time, it's the story of the betrayal, the condemnation, and the crucifixion. Never until the very last page does He rise from the dead, and everything becomes happy. Half of me wishes that with these little ones I could just skip over the suffering.

But that is the purpose. You cannot get to the resurrection without the crucifixion.

So, I read the books. Judas betrays Jesus. Jesus pleads for strength in Gethsemane. Peter's 3 denials. As I read, I pause often to examine the little faces. Some look wrinkled with worry; others confused. I constantly reiterate to them, "But, Jesus wasn't worried, was he?"

"No," my class replies. It may not be fun, but Jesus is doing what God needs him to do for us. 

Jesus is arrested and brought to Caiaphas, then Pontius Pilate. Pilate offers to the people Barrabus or Jesus. The crowd shouts for the crucifixion of our Lord.

"But, was Jesus worried?"

"No!" the tinies reply. Jesus is doing what God needs him to do for us.

No matter how simply the book is written, perhaps the more simply it is written, I feel myself getting goosebumps and a lump start to grow in my throat. The crown of thorns is adorned to his head. Jesus climbs the hill to Calvary. A man named Simon is pulled from the crowd to help him.

"Wouldn't it be so wonderful to help Jesus carry his cross?"

Delighted eyes quietly nod back at me.

Finally, Jesus is hung on the cross with thieves on either side of him. One mocks him and asks him to save himself and them if he is truly the son of God. He doesn't understand--that's what Jesus is already doing. The other thief asks Jesus to remember him when he gets to Heaven. Jesus replies, "Today, you will be with me in Heaven."

"Why is Jesus on the cross?"

"So that we can go to Heaven." 

Jesus forgives from the cross.

"Is it hard to forgive someone who is being mean to you?"

"Yes!" We can all relate to that--four through 104.

"Yes. But that's what Jesus did, and it's what He expects us to do."

He cries out, hangs his head, and dies. Joseph of Arimathea puts his body in a tomb and rolls a big, heavy stone in front of it.

At this point, we pause to count the days Jesus was dead. How many days did he say He would be gone for? Three. So, Friday (1) Saturday (2) then Sunday (3).

I turn the page. This page usually has a beautiful sunrise with pinks and yellows and purples streaked across it. I lower my voice. "Early in the morning, just before dawn, Mary and the other Mary went to the tomb!" Jesus is not there!

He is...

"RISEN!" The tinies screech, outstretching their arms, smiles on their faces. 

Joy! Easter joy!

They run to tell the disciples, and Jesus stays with them for "40 days and 40 nights" before being taken up; body and soul {like He is on an elevator!} into Heaven.

What a Savior. What a miracle. What a sacrifice.

My students really enjoy the story of Easter. It seems in the last week and a half we have read every version of the Easter story ever created. Every time they have questions. Sometimes, the questions are difficult. But the Easter story is a story of joy! Do not let your tinies get caught up in the death of Jesus.

Was he worried?

No! He knew He was going to rise again on the third day. He knew it was what He was called to do.
And that's exactly what He did.

"Oh, you can't keep Jesus shut in a grave;

Shut in a grave! Shut in a grave!

Oh, you can't keep Jesus shut in a grave

'Cause He rose again on Easter day!"

After reading the story a few times, we talked about how Jesus might have looked on Easter. We looked at a few pictures, and then drew our own pictures.

Resurrected Christ!

Jesus in his new life! (He got a dog??!)

"Jesus leaving the empty tomb"

Jesus and Mary at the cross

 Jesus Christ is Risen Today! Alleluia!