Our family has started a new Easter tradition this year. Beginning last Sunday (Palm Sunday) our family has spent time each night learning about the events in the last week of Jesus Christ's life. The first night we did it I thought, maybe some of my siblings or Steve's siblings would want to do the same. So I posted what we did on our family facebook pages. The next day I thought, maybe some of my friends and extended family would like to do it as well. So I posted it on my wall in Facebook. I have been doing that every day this week. I am sitting down to type today's (Thursday) post and it is too complicated for a regular FB post. Also I have put a lot of time gathering information from different places along with my own thoughts and ideas. I would like a better place to save this info than Facebook. So I copied and pasted everything I have done up to this point into this post. From here on out, each day will be its own post. This post is from Day 1: Palm Sunday-Day 4: Rest in Bethany. I took ideas from the book A Christ Centered Easter, this post on My LDS Life, and from me very own noggin.
I posted this in our family pages last night, but thought I'd share out in the open in case anyone else is interested.
Sunday
We started our week long Easter celebration tonight. We read in Matthew 21:1-11 about Jesus entering the city on a donkey. We also read this interesting article from the Friend about the significance of the palms.
We are hanging a picture on the wall of each event in the last week of Christ's life as we learn about it. I will try and post earlier in the day in case anyone wants to join us.
Link to Friend story:
https://www.lds.org/friend/1996/03/palms-for-the-lord?lang=eng
Monday: Cleansing the Temple
Matthew 21:12-16
Why did Jesus cleanse the temple? How do you feel when you are at the temple? How would you feel if there were people on the temple grounds selling merchandise and acting inappropriately?
"Inspiration comes more easily in peaceful settings...Irreverence suits the purpose of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both mind and spirit...Reverence invites revelation." -Boyd K. Packer
What can we do this week as a family to "cleanse our temple"? What changes can we make in our home, what can we give up to make our home more peaceful this week?
Here is a link to a video that show the temple cleansing: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/jesus-cleanses-the-temple?lang=eng
Every day this week our family is focusing on a different event in the last week of Christ's life. Join along with us!
Tuesday
Parables & Teachings
If you only had a few days to live, what would you do? Jesus spent time with his disciples and taught them any important principles in the temple and on the Mount of Olives.
He taught them: "And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive." Matthew 21:22
When asked which was the greatest commandment Jesus taught, "Thou shat love the Lord they God with all they heart, and with all they soul,and with all they mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself." Matthew 22:36-39
Video: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/the-greatest-commandment?lang=eng
One of the ways Christ taught was in parables. He told stories that had familiar characters and settings, but they taught a deeper meaning. To someone listening with the spirit, they could understand the meaning of the parable. To others, it was just a story.
After discussing what a parable is we are going to watch some of the following videos about the parables Jesus taught in his final days.
Parable of the Talents: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/the-parable-of-the-talents?lang=eng
Widow's Mite: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/jesus-teaches-about-the-widows-mites?lang=eng
Ten Virgins: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/the-ten-virgins?lang=eng
Tuesday
Parables & Teachings
If you only had a few days to live, what would you do? Jesus spent time with his disciples and taught them any important principles in the temple and on the Mount of Olives.
He taught them: "And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive." Matthew 21:22
When asked which was the greatest commandment Jesus taught, "Thou shat love the Lord they God with all they heart, and with all they soul,and with all they mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself." Matthew 22:36-39
Video: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/the-greatest-commandment?lang=eng
One of the ways Christ taught was in parables. He told stories that had familiar characters and settings, but they taught a deeper meaning. To someone listening with the spirit, they could understand the meaning of the parable. To others, it was just a story.
After discussing what a parable is we are going to watch some of the following videos about the parables Jesus taught in his final days.
Parable of the Talents: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/the-parable-of-the-talents?lang=eng
Widow's Mite: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/jesus-teaches-about-the-widows-mites?lang=eng
Ten Virgins: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/the-ten-virgins?lang=eng
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Every day this week our family is focusing on a different event in the last week of Christ's life. Join along with us!
Wednesday
Rest in Bethany
There is no scriptural record of Christ's activities on this day of the week. It is assumed that he spent the day in Bethany.
Matthew 26: 6-13 https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/26?lang=eng
While Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came and poured on his head an ointment of spiknard. This was a very expensive oil and was used in Temple worship at that time. It was also used for the sick. The disciples asked why she would waste something so valuable. Jesus told them not to trouble the woman about it. He said that she poured the ointment on his body for his burial. We are going to talk about how special and sacred oils were in the time of Jesus. They were used in the temple and also as medicines to heal the sick. They also used them to prepare a body for burial. I have some essential oils and I am going to bring those out to smell and talk about. The fact that this woman would pour out a bottle of expensive oil on Christ's head, shows her love and devotion to him. It must have been a great sacrifice for her. Contrast her generous outpouring of love with Judas Iscariot.
Matthew 26:14-16
Judas Iscariot conspired to betray Christ for 30 pieces of silver. At the time of Christ, 30 pieces of silver was the price commonly paid for the price of a male slave. Judas was willing to trade the life of the Son of God for this price.
I know that this picture is not one that actually goes along with the story, but hey, there is a woman and she is standing by Jesus. It's the closest thing I have in my house. (We are making a time line of pictures for each day)
Wednesday
Rest in Bethany
There is no scriptural record of Christ's activities on this day of the week. It is assumed that he spent the day in Bethany.
Matthew 26: 6-13 https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/26?lang=eng
While Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came and poured on his head an ointment of spiknard. This was a very expensive oil and was used in Temple worship at that time. It was also used for the sick. The disciples asked why she would waste something so valuable. Jesus told them not to trouble the woman about it. He said that she poured the ointment on his body for his burial. We are going to talk about how special and sacred oils were in the time of Jesus. They were used in the temple and also as medicines to heal the sick. They also used them to prepare a body for burial. I have some essential oils and I am going to bring those out to smell and talk about. The fact that this woman would pour out a bottle of expensive oil on Christ's head, shows her love and devotion to him. It must have been a great sacrifice for her. Contrast her generous outpouring of love with Judas Iscariot.
Matthew 26:14-16
Judas Iscariot conspired to betray Christ for 30 pieces of silver. At the time of Christ, 30 pieces of silver was the price commonly paid for the price of a male slave. Judas was willing to trade the life of the Son of God for this price.
I know that this picture is not one that actually goes along with the story, but hey, there is a woman and she is standing by Jesus. It's the closest thing I have in my house. (We are making a time line of pictures for each day)
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