Good Friday...

I know that it has been awhile since I have been to the "Land of Blog" but after a very busy few weeks, I am happy to say that I am back!

Today is "Good Friday" which is a time to reflect on the passion, or suffering and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Just prior to Spring break, our school had what is called "A Visit to the Cross." First, we as a class filled out a little slip of paper of all of the things that we wanted to have the Lord forgive us for. Then we placed our slips in an Easter basket and took it with us to the chapel. Once we were in the chapel, we placed our basket at the foot of the cross and said a prayer of forgiveness and thanksgiving. It was a really precious time and the children really seemed to understand the "True" meaning of Easter.

I also had a friend who gave me a "Crown of Thorns" that her husband brought back from a trip that he took to Jerusalem. I was so honored that she shared it with me and I had to admit that when I saw it, I realized that I would never be able to truly understand how great, how wide and how deep God's love is for EACH and EVERYONE of us! It truly was a stoic moment when I shared this visual to the children because I saw in their eyes maybe for the very first time, the personal realization that Jesus truly had to suffer great pain for our wrongs but the beauty of it was that we could talk about the significance of redemption and that while Christ so desperately wants to forgive us, he also wants to have a relationship with us as well. The children were very enthralled and receptive and it made me realize that children can understand WAY more than what we give them credit for.

In the Bible, Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16

After we left our basket and had our time of sharing and prayer in the chapel, we talked a little bit about the Resurrection. We as a school, chose not to have Easter parties but will have "Resurrection Celebration" when we return. What will happen on Tuesday when we return, is that we will have our baskets with us and all of our slips have been stamped, "Paid in Full" and we will burn them in a bonfire and have our individual celebrations in each of our classrooms. The children really seem to understand the significance of what forgiveness and redemption is all about and are looking forward to this momentuous event . This is a tradition that we do every year and when we celebrate back in our class, I like to have a cake in the shape of a lamb for Jesus is known as the "Lamb of God" and he is also our "Good Shepherd."

As a shepherd, Jesus takes care of and looks after His sheep. His sheep are the people of this world who have accepted Him and believe He will take of them. Sheep are completely reliant on the shepherd to take them to where there is food and protect them from wolves and other predators that would enjoy devouring a sheep that was left unprotected. The sheep in Jesus' flock need not fear anything for He has never lost a sheep that was placed in His care.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep." John 10:11

"Happy Good Friday" and I pray that you ALL have the most wonderful and "Blessed Easter!"