EASTER FAMILY RESOURCES

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1 package of crescent rolls
8 large marshmallows (plus extras to snack on while you're waiting for the rolls to bake!)
3 Tablespoons melted butter
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
Parchment paper
Baking sheet
Bible (or use the script below)

PREP:

Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into triangles

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

While the oven is preheating, get out your Bible and open up to John 19 or find the Easter story in a children's Bible. Attached you'll find the script for how to tell the story, keeping it simple for little ones.

Say: "Even though Jesus was perfect and had never sinnedhe had never ever done anything wrong, some people did not like him. They wanted to hurt Jesus because he said he was God. They made Jesus carry a cross and they killed him. This made God very sad, but it was all part of His great rescue plan. When Jesus died, his friends took his body off the cross."

Do: Give your child a marshmallow.

Say: "This marshmallow represents Jesus body. Jesus died for you and for me, because we have sinned and we need to be rescued from our sin."

Say: "After Jesus died, his friends came and they put special oil and spices on Jesus body to get him ready for burial."

Do: Roll the marshmallow in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar.

Say: "Next, Jesus friends wrapped his body in special cloths, almost like a mummy. Jesus had died, and they were getting his body ready to bury."

Do: Roll the cinnamon sugar marshmallow up in a crescent roll (it won't look like a crescent roll). Press all of the seams firmly. Repeat for each of the crescent rolls. Place the rolls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Say: "Next, they laid Jesus body in a tomb. A tomb is like a big cave carved out of rock. Then big, strong soldiers rolled a heavy rock in front of the tomb so nobody could get in or out of the tomb. They even put a special seal over the entrance so they would know if anybody tried to move the rock that was in front of the entrance. Soldiers stood in front of the tomb to guard it day and night."

Do: Put the rolls in the oven and set your timer for 8-12 minutes. Let the rolls bake until they are golden brown. You might even let your kids stand guard in front of our oven "tomb".

Say: "Jesus was dead in the tomb for three days. Let's count to three: one, two, three. How many days was he in the tomb. That's right, three days."

Do: When the rolls are done baking, take them out of the oven and let them cool. I let mine cool for about 20 minutes, and that was perfect. The marshmallow will probably have exploded out of your rolls, but that's to be expected, that's why we put down the parchment paper. After the rolls have cooled...

Say: "Three days after Jesus had died, an angel of God appeared to one of Jesus' friends. He told her that Jesus was alive Jesus' friends decided to look in the tomb where they had put Jesus' body, but when they did, it was empty. Jesus had risen. And still today, Jesus is alive. Today he lives in heaven with God."

Do: Cut open one of the rolls. The marshmallow has melted, so the "tomb" is now empty.

Do: Eat your yummy rolls!

Say: "These rolls are sweet, just like the love of God. God made you and he loves you very much. And some day, if you choose to love and follow God, you will be able to spend forever and ever in heaven with him and Jesus. The Bible tells us that Jesus is our Great Rescuer. The Bible tells us that the only way to Heaven is through loving and believing in Jesus. We celebrate Easter, because Jesus died and rose again so that we could have a way to Heaven."