“All About those Egg,
‘Bout those Eggs, Where’s Jesus?”*
If you’ve been around BBC Kids the last month, you might
have noticed The Great Egg Race 2015 has been in full swing.
We’ve sent home flyers, bombarded social media, and even
offered ice cream to collect our over 3,000 filled Easter Eggs.
Why so many eggs? Because at 3,000 plus eggs, there is a
near negative chance of any child going home with little or nothing. And as a
mom and minister, I can only imagine that frustrated car ride on Easter Sunday
with an upset child.
As a CM, I talk to other CMs who face the Easter Season just
like I do. There is a great debate about egg hunts in my circle of CM friends.
Do we bow to social convention and hunt eggs on Jesus’ day? Do we use this
opportunity to reach new families? Do we ignore it all and forbid eggs?
I won’t solve the debate.
But we’re having an egg hunt.
But as I sat in our Connect room surrounded by nearly 3,500
plastic eggs with the faint smell of chocolate in the air, dividing them into
categories of 500-600 eggs, I began thinking about Easter Sunday.
Easter is our Super Bowl. People will pack the house.
Dressed in their Easter best that mom made them wear, ties, stockings, new
shoes from Payless, and 2 billion pictures for the grandparents later, they
will come rolling in…Many haven’t been here since Christmas.
I will see so many new faces. Bright smiles and timid
children behind mom’s new skirt because myself and my staff are quite possibly
brand new to them. Sunday School will be new. Discovery Club will be new. KidZ’
Zone will be new.
The story will be new.
You see we are having an egg hunt. But it could possibly be
a soggy mess outside. We could just hand out eggs.
But I really don’t care about eggs…300 or 3,000 or none at
all.
But as the Children’s Minister of Ballardsville Baptist
Church, here is what I can promise…
I can promise that before the baskets, candy, eggs, racing,
running, and candy…Did I say candy? Before all of that, your child will
experience Easter.
No rabbits. No eggs. No candy…
Real Easter.
The Easter that screams Satan lost the battle. The Easter
that says sin is ugly and dirty. The cross was horrific. The Savior was
perfect. The Resurrection is real.
We won’t shy away from the crucifixion. We don’t sugarcoat
the Gospel. Christ died on a cross. But He is alive and He wants a relationship
with you. The heart of the Gospel, the heart of Easter, the Salvation of the
Sinner, and we are gonna teach it in every class, to every age, EVERY HOUR!
Ø Romans 5:8 “But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this way; While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.”
My child is one. He doesn’t understand half of what I’m
saying yet, but he loves it when his daddy pulls out The Gospel Project
Devotion book and reads every night. We are reading about Holy Week. We will
read about the death, burial, and resurrection.
I’ve heard people say we shouldn’t teach Easter to our children.
Death is scary. Crucifixion is horrific. And it is, but we shouldn’t shy away
from teaching it. How we present Easter to our children will be guarded with
age-appropriate teaching, but thoroughly vetted with Biblical truth. But we will teach it… but the story doesn’t
end at death.
It doesn’t end at all.
Jesus is alive. He conquered death. And He is living NOW.
So what will they have this Sunday?
They will probably have eggs…But before the madness of candy
rush, our kids from the smallest to oldest will hear their BBC Kids teachers
proclaim the Gospel. Seeds will be planted. Growth with happen. We are praying
for softened hearts, open minds, receptive listeners, and great harvest.
We’re praying for you. We’re praying for your children. We’re
praying for the Harvest of ready hearts. We’re praying for a mighty move of
God.
And on Sunday, from every room, in every service, at every
hour, we will teach The Gospel of the Savior’s sacrifice and resurrection to
your children.
Because that is Easter. That is why we have BBC Kids. And
that is what we love to do.
Where is your focus this Easter? Are you worried about
Easter baskets or Sunday Morning clothes?
The Savior loves you. Come as you are. He is waiting for
you.
Mrs. Elizabeth Horne
Children’s Minister
Ballardsville Baptist Church
Numbers 6:24-26
*We are not affiliated
or affirming of any secular song connected with these phrases in parody.
