Family Faith and Fun Fridays: The Perfect Lamb
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. -Hebrews 4:12 Welcome to Family Faith and Fun Fridays! As the week winds down and I anticipate more family time over the weekend, I often ask God for one good idea that will enable me to bring the Word to life and bring our family together. Usually, the activity overflows out of something the Lord has been teaching me through HisWord during the week. I’d like to invite you to join me and my family in the adventure. Sometimes I’ll post things we’ve tried; other times I’ll post an idea in the works. If you’ve got thoughts to add or suggestions on how to adapt or improve the activity, please don’t hesitate to comment. Enjoy!
Good Friday: The Perfect Lamb of God
Sometimes the sheer weight of this day nearly paralyzes me. How do I translate into child language the life-changing importance of this Easter weekend? How do I lead my little flock into a celebration that appropriately honors the One who sacrificed ALL for us?
While our week has been filled with family activities and discussions pointing to the cross, today I simply want to provide a quiet picture of Christ’s amazing gift on Calvary.So, today, we will placed a single white carnation in a vase by our doorway. As we do, we’ll remember John the Baptist’s declaration when he announced Christ’s identity as Messiah: “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
We’ll discuss how God asked His people to offer a sacrifice for their sins- a perfect lamb without spot or blemish. Jesus was “the perfect lamb,” because He lived a life without a single spot of sin. However, we are like the sheep that weren’t acceptable to God, the ones were blemished and flawed, because we are marked by sin. We can’t make atonement with God because we are NOT perfect.So, Jesus said He’d take our place! He’d take OUR sins on His shoulders and go to the cross to make things right between us and God. Amazing Grace! The white carnation is a picture of Jesus, the perfect lamb.
“Yet it was our weakness he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so e could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all… He was led like a lamb to the slaughter…He had done no wrong and never deceived anyone…his life is made an offering for sin…” Isaiah 53:4-10
As we read the Isaiah verse, I will pour an entire bottle of red food coloring into the water that holds our white carnation. I’ll explain that the red is OUR sin that Jesus carried for us.Then we will leave the white carnation in its place and watch what happens. By Easter Sunday, the white carnation should be laced with red, a beautiful picture of how Christ took our own sins upon Himselfso we could be forgiven and free. Hallelujah! Won’t you join us in celebrating?
What a neat picture of what Jesus did for us! Even though we’re late for Easter, I will have to use this illustration with our kiddos. Thanks for shaing!