Sunday, April 5, 2009

Easter Holy Week: A Great Time to Teach your Children

Hi Everyone!



This morning, as my children were eating breakfast and getting ready for Worship, we had a wonderful conversation regarding Holy Week. I hope you will take time this week to talk to your kids about the significance of Holy Week in the lives of Christians. A great Kingdom Kidz Club bible memory song to coincide with Easter is on Volume 2 and is John 3:16-J-Man. So many times, there is a disconnect between Jesus and the actual holiday we are celebrating. Here are some quick conversation starters.



Holy Week is the last week of Lent and the week preceding the celebration of Easter.



Today, Sunday April 5th--Palm Sunday --John 12:12-17 Palm Sunday is when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The dusty streets were crowded with people waving palm branches and shouting "Hosanna!" Reading the passage in John is a great way to help your children visualize what it must have been like.



Thursday, April 9th--Maundy Thursday


Not all churches celebrate Maundy Thursday. I was fortunate to be in a congregation that placed emphasis on this special time in Holy Week. Our Maundy Thursday services were a time to partake in communion, wash feet and worship together. This year, our family is having our own Maundy Thursday time at home. We will worship together, wash each other's feet and eat dinner together. So what is Maundy Thursday.

The Voice says, According to the Book of John, as Jesus and the Disciples were eating their final meal together before Jesus’ arrest, he washed the disciples' feet to illustrate humility and the spirit of servanthood. After they had finished the meal, as they walked into the night toward Gethsemane, Jesus taught his disciples a "new" commandment that was not really new (John 13:34-35):
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, you also ought to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Friday, April 10th--Good Friday --This is the day we remember all of the pain and weight Jesus carried on his shoulder's when he was beaten and nailed to the cross. Many churches celebrate Good Friday. Here's what we will do at home. We will take time to read Mark 15. This is a very sobering passage. If you have small children, you will need to gauge whether or not they are prepared for this passage. I have a white pillar candle that signifies Jesus as the Light of the World. This candle will be lit throughout the week when we are home to remind us of this Holy Week. After reading this passage, we will have a time of prayer and end by blowing out the candle. Extinquishing the candle represents Jesus' death-the Light of the World is now gone. That begins our 3 days to wait on our Savior.

Saturday, April 11th--Holy Saturday--This is a time where we meditate on the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Our candle will not be lit--we will also remember those people in our lives who have died.

Sunday, April 12th--Easter Resurrection Sunday--Jesus came back to life! He took off the burial cloth and moved the stone! He began to appear to those whom He loved! He became the Light of the World forever! We will do all of the Easter type of things you do on Easter, but we will also re-light our candle and go to worship celebrating that our Savior conquered the grave and with it became our Key to the Kingdom of God!

This week, take time with your family. The simple things mentioned above can make an huge impact on how your family views Holy Week and the price Jesus paid for our sins.

Happy Easter...

Kim Norton


Monday, March 9, 2009

I know...long time no hear from...:)

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note: Many Kingdom Kidz Club families know that I was diagnosed with Lupus in 1999. It was very severe and took a year of steroids to put it into remission. I have had occasional flare-ups over the years, but since January 2009, I have had a full fledged flare up. I would simply ask that you pray for wisdom and healing. I will attempt to post more regular updates in the weeks to come.

Keep growing and following hard after God...

Kim Norton CEO
The Kingdom Kidz Club