Purpose: To help each member of the family focus on the Savior this Easter and remember that through the resurrection, we can return to our bodies and live forever.
Possible scriptures: Any in Matthew 21-28, Mark 11, 14-16, Luke 19-20, 22-24, or John 12-13, 18-20 (the triangles on the right will allow you to go to the next chapter); Guide to the scriptures on the Atonement; 1 Ne. 11:32–33; 2 Ne. 2:7; 2 Nephi 9:6–26; Alma 7:11–13; Alma 11:41–45; any verse or verses from Alma 40 or 41; Doctrine & Covenants 19:16–19; any verse or verses from 1 Corinthians 15 (there are quite a few well-known verses in this chapter); Article of Faith #3
Possible Songs: All Creatures of Our God and King, Hymn 62; Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Hymn 200; He is Risen!, Hymn 199; I Believe in Christ, Hymn 134; I know That My Redeemer Lives, Hymn 136; My Redeemer Lives, Hymn 135; He Sent His Son, Children’s Songbook page 34; On a Golden Springtime, Children’s Songbook page 88; Jesus Has Risen, Children’s Songbook page 70; Easter Hosanna, Children’s Songbook page 68; To Think about Jesus, Children’s Songbook page 71
Possible Materials: Empty plastic eggs. The rest will vary depending on what works for your family.
Preparation: Begin with prayer. Address this lesson with enthusiasm and gratitude. Think about what you want to get out of the Easter season this year. Read the suggested scriptures. Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Think about what Easter is all about. Fill an Easter basket with your favorite things about Easter, then gather enough empty eggs for each member of your family. Then watch the videos about the week of Jesus’ death, including the triumphal entry, the Last Supper, Christ in Gethsemane, Christ on trial, Christ being crucified, and Christ risen again [Note to parents: for younger attention spans, pick the videos you deem most appropriate for your child or have them watch this very summarized version].
Lesson:
Discuss how last week’s challenge went.
Introduction: Pull out an Easter basket filled with commercial Easter items. Hand the family each an empty egg and ask them to find something that fits in the egg that makes them think about Easter. Make suggestions throughout about new birth and spring flowers starting to grow, or anything related to the Savior. The idea is to understand that each of these things has a place. When the family has regrouped, start with the youngest member of your family and ask each person what they found. Each selection is good, because it brings happy memories, even if it doesn’t focus on the Savior. Tell your family that Easter is all about Jesus! We celebrate the day that Jesus was resurrected. The last week of Jesus’ life, he did a lot to get ready to return to His Heavenly Father and to make it so that we could return, too. Tell your family that we are going to
From the Scriptures: Click here and pick the best Easter-themed activity for your family (sorry, I just didn’t want to clog up this whole post with options. I figure it’s hard enough to stay focused on so many words already!)
Further Discussion:
Ask the family why we celebrate at Easter time. The responses will turn towards focusing on Jesus, but get the family to think even deeper. Emphasize the word Celebrate. Easter is about Jesus’ death and all of the pain and agony he felt. Why, then, do we celebrate? We celebrate Easter because Easter is about Jesus’ final triumph in that he overcame death, both spiritual and physical. Easter is Christ’s final victory! We celebrate Easter because of the Atonement! Explain to the family that the Atonement has two parts: the first part is when Christ suffered for the sins of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane. The second part came when he was resurrected after he died on the cross. Both sin and death are part of the mortal experiences we came to earth for; both were part of the plan for us to learn and progress. But both, without the atonement, would keep us stuck and unable to return back to Heavenly Father.
Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion:
Challenge:
Ask your family to think about the true reason we celebrate Easter this year by focusing on the events of the last week of his life. Give each family member back their egg and a picture of the Savior to set somewhere they will see it this week.
Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Sunbeams Manual Lesson 45 (Nursery Manual lesson 29), Gospel Principles Chapter 12, and the Family Home Evening Resource Manual Lesson 36.
