For the past several months, I have been thinking about how I can tangibly help my children to prepare for Easter, a celebration of the most significant event in human history — the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Since the 4^th century, Christians have prepared their hearts for Easter through the practice of Lent, a forty day period (not counting Sundays) before Easter in which we fast, or give something up, in the tradition of Jesus’ forty day fast in the dessert (Matthew 4:1-17; Mark 1:9-13; Luke 4:1-13).

Lent begins this year (2011) on Wednesday, March 9^th.

My children are young (4 and 6), and I want them to understand WHY we give something up. Ultimately, it is because Jesus gave up everything for us!

So, here is my idea . . .

I purchased several wooden pieces and a can of champagne color spray paint from Michael’s Craft Store. I also purchased spools of purple, black and white ribbon.

After spray painting the wooden pieces, allowing them to dry, and then using a glue gun to attach them, I placed the finished project on my kitchen table.

One church tradition is to set up a cross and drape it in purple during Lent, drape it in black during Good Friday and Holy Saturday (the two days before Easter), and drape it in white on Easter Sunday. I think this is a great visual tool, so I am using ribbon. This gives me the opportunity to discuss the symbolism of these colors (see our Easter Colors page for more on this) with my children.

Each day I will have my children pick a flower to represent the thing from which they are fasting (sugar, computer time, etc.) or the good deed that they will do, and I will have them lay the flower at the foot of the cross. You can leave the flowers there as they dry, or you can place them in a jar. If you don’t have access to fresh flowers, just use silk flowers.

When Easter Sunday arrives, I will collect all of my kid’s flowers in a jar and lay lilies at the foot of the cross (see our Easter Lilies page for information on the symbolism of the lily).

I will use this opportunity to show my kids their flowers and explain that no matter how many sacrifices we make, and no matter how many good deeds we perform, we can never do enough to earn heaven. Jesus’ life and death on the cross are the only perfect sacrifices, and Jesus offers them on our behalf so that we can enter heaven!

Once we accept this amazing  gift of grace, we can offer back our sacrifices and our deeds in gratitude for what he has done for us. Then God can accept our “gifts” and even reward us for them in heaven!!!