Easter Family DevotionalSample

The Death of Jesus

Today’s devotional includes an activity. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Drink - You can use whatever you have in the house or specifically buy some Cranberry or Ribena juice.
• Bread - If you have a bun or slice of bread, it would be great to keep it whole and "break bread" together.

Firstly, wow! This is the heart of the gospel. Jesus died for us to take away our sin! Can you imagine being there that day? The darkness came over the land as the Light of the World, Jesus, died for us.

What three things happened when Jesus died?

1. The temple curtain ripped in two (v51).

2. There was an earthquake (v51).

3. Godly people were raised from the dead (v52-53)!

When Jesus died, people came alive! How absolutely incredible! The Romans soldiers were all astounded!

Matthew 27:54 (NIV)
When the centurion and those with Him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely He was the Son of God!”

Wow! Don’t you love what the guards said? It really was the truth.

They were right, He WAS the Son of God. Yes, the SON of God. They had heard Him teach, they had seen Him do miracles, and they wondered who He really was, this Jesus from Nazareth. Many knew His family and knew where He grew up. It is so easy to take Jesus for granted and treat Him as common in our lives. But that day, many had a true revelation of who He was when they saw the powerful events that occurred.

Today, as we take communion, the most important thing is to stop and worship God. As we pray together, let’s believe we wouldn’t just know about Jesus, but we would have a revelation of who He really is.

When we read this account, it leads us to worship! Everything He suffered, remember, He did it for us. He wasn’t just a good man, or a clever teacher, He was and IS the Son of God!

John 17:3 (NLT)
“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”

God the Father wants us to know His Son Jesus personally. How wonderful is that!

RESPONSE/ACTIVITY

We are going to take communion now.

NOTE TO PARENTS:

• We take communion often at church and in Kids Church. It is important to encourage children to take communion with the right heart, and not to take it lightly or be silly around communion time.

Read through 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 to see how important it is to take communion with reverence.

The Bible talks about looking at our own hearts before taking communion. As we ask God for forgiveness, we also need to forgive others for things they have done to us.

Communion Time:

1. Forgive others - Before we take communion, let’s look in our heart and ask God to forgive us for any bad thoughts or unforgiveness we’ve had towards anyone. Let’s pray for them and bless them. Sin isn’t just doing wrong things; it can also be holding onto grudges against others. Jesus died so that we could be free from this too!
2. Receive God’s love – Sometimes we can feel so hurt, because of mean words that have been spoken to us. As you give God that hurt, let’s ask God to fill you with His big love.
3. Forgive ourselves and ask for forgiveness. Ask God to forgive you for anything wrong you have done, pray for anyone you have hurt and ask God to help you say sorry.
4. Let’s be grateful for all that Jesus suffered for us.
5. Let’s take the drink. What does it represent? Jesus’ blood.
6. Let’s pass around the bread, rip a bit and pass it on. What does the bread remind us of? Jesus’ body.
7. Thank God for forgiving our sins and for His great love for us.

TODAY’S PROMISE

Romans 6:23 (NLT)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

We have so many promises because of what Jesus did for us. The greatest truth is that God loves us and that if we believe in Him, we shall live forever with Him!

If you haven’t received Jesus into your heart – maybe you would like to. At this time of Easter, it is always good to think about your salvation and be reminded of God’s great love for you.

PRAYER

Thank You, Jesus, that You died on the cross for me. Thank You that You showed me how much You love me. I am so grateful for all that You did. I repent of the wrong things I have done, and release forgiveness to others, knowing You forgive me. Thank You for saving me from my sin. I accept You into my life as my Saviour. I want to be more like You, Jesus, and follow You every day. Help me to know You more and more. I worship You. You are the Son of God! Amen.