Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’

Jesus Walks on Water

Friday, October 31st, 2014

jesus-walks-on-waterWhen Jesus walks on water, the disciples think they are seeing a ghost. They cry out in fear. It is night, and they are in a boat, presumably fishing. At first they probably wonder whether their eyes are playing tricks on them, but when Jesus gets closer, they are certain there is a human form coming to them on top of the water.

My kids drew pictures to illustrate this biblical scene. In the top picture, the disciples are looking out of their boat to the Lord, while lightning and thunder rages on the sea.

Jesus-on-waterPeter is so excited to see Jesus when He identifies who He is. Peter says, “If it’s You, tell me to walk to You on the water.” Jesus does so, and Peter steps out of the boat with incredible faith that causes him to actually walk on water.

Peter walks miraculously on top of the water.

This fact is overlooked by most people who tell the story, who focus on the fact that eventually he begins to sink because of obvious gravity and an apparent lack of faith. When Peter stepped out of the boat at first, he had the faith to walk on water. But the knowledge of gravity caused him to sink because he was shocked at himself, that he was actually walking on water.

Let’s enjoy the moment of Peter walking on the water, even though the miracle only lasted a few steps.

Jesus-in-the-stormPeter begins to sink, and he cries out to Jesus to save him from drowning. Jesus reaches out and pulls him up out of the water, returning him to the boat. The other disciples are probably thinking they’ve gone insane, watching two people walking around on top of deep water, which is impossible. Because Jesus was God, He had control over nature and was able to do anything He wished. And poor Peter felt like a failure for sinking even though I give him points for being gutsy enough to step out of the boat in faith in the first place!

peter-walks-on-waterIf your children are too young to draw, here is a coloring page of the scene:

Here is a printable craft to help kids remember the story:

Here is a super cool black light activity, depicting Jesus walking on water:

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Crown of Thorns

Friday, October 25th, 2013

crown-of-thorns

To understand the suffering that Jesus endured before going to the cross, you can make a crown of thorns. Don’t even try to do this with children, or they will cry. Make it yourself, and then have the children gently touch the thorns to understand the pain that comes from being pricked by thorns.

crown-of-thorns-2

You will need rose stems, kitchen shears, and hot glue. Clip off some stems from your rose bushes, especially in the late fall when you need to cut them back anyway. You might want to wear gloves. I didn’t. As I made this simple 5-minute craft, I was choked up because I imagined what it must have felt like to wear a crown of thorns and have the crown pushed down on your head. Of course, blood dripped from the head of Jesus when this happened.

crown-of-thorns-3

Strip off the leaves, and cut small sections of the thorny rose stems. Now hot glue them into a circle. You are finished.

This was the most painful craft I’ve ever made, but I’m glad that I did it without gloves because I feel closer to my Savior, who suffered unspeakable agony on the cross just so that I could be saved from my sin.

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Journey to the Cross Outdoor Easter Play

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

journey-to-the-cross“Journey to the Cross” is an outdoor Easter play that our family has attended for the last few years. You walk down a path representing the life of Jesus, especially the last week of His life. The Last Supper, the betrayal by Judas, the Garden of Gethsemane, the crucifixion, and the resurrection are all depicted as if it were really happening. The costumes and scenery are also well-done. We recorded it so that others could feel the experience: