Preparing

i was raised in a lutheran church, and as a result, was exposed to the liturgical calendar on a regular basis. though i was young at the time, i still remember being aware of what liturgical season we were in based on the changing color of the altar linens and the pastors robes every few months.

what this offered to me as i grew older was a structured way of feeling very connected, day to day, with Christ's kingdom past and present.

taking time to remember some of the most significant milestones in Christ's walk on this earth makes the gospel seem even more alive and real.

while our current church does not follow the liturgical calendar, it is something that i still value and appreciate. more recently, i have become more aware of the inherent importance it places on the preparation of one's heart.

during the season of advent, every heart is to "prepare Him room" during the weeks leading up to christmas...our celebration of Christ's birth.

lent provides another season of reflection..time to ponder the great sacrifice of our Savior on our behalf. to prepare for easter; the amazing celebration of our Lord's resurrection and what that means for us as believers.

recently, my mom encouraged me to give some thought to ways i could be practically teaching my kids about the meaning of easter, prior to the actual day.

in thinking about this, i was convicted about my own lack of preparation.

most of the time, easter sneaks up on me. suddenly, i am reminded that need to buy easter clothes, fill easter baskets, make food, etc.

all the man made to-dos of the holiday distract and i forget to prepare my heart.

to take some time: more than just the few days before easter, more than a cursory read of the easter story. some daily time to reflect on the magnificence of christ's sacrifice.

now, with little ones, it is becoming increasingly important to start helping them understand just how amazing that sacrifice was. but this takes time! it is not easy to explain to 3 and 5 year olds that jesus had to die on the cross for our salvation. these are big concepts for little minds.

yet, as we have been talking more and more about it over the last few weeks...i am amazed at just how much they are absorbing and how tender their hearts are. how thankful and grateful they are, even at such a young age, for what our lord did on their behalf.

so...this year we have taken some time to prepare a bit in ways i hope will help my children begin to grasp what easter is truly about.

this blog is mostly for me to look back on so that i can remember to take time for preparation. but maybe it will stir some other hearts reading as well.

our lent lamb calendar marking the days until easter

a few of our easter crafts...butterflies, crosses and empty tombs (not turkeys, contrary to my husband's first guess)

last summer, kai and audrey gave james a neat butterfly kit for his birthday. sadly, the caterpillars did not survive the trip in the mail d/t the heat, so the company graciously sent us new ones this spring.

over the last 2 weeks the kids (and i:) have thoroughly enjoyed watching the caterpillars grow from tiny little things to big furry creatures that then made cocoons.

and then we waited.

waited, and waited.

until yesterday morning...

three beautiful butterflies awaited us when we came downstairs. we actually let them go before i took this picture, so this is just the "house" they were in.

but what a neat visual lesson it was for the kids on "new life" and a great parallel to the easter story!!

and here are my three little learners...it has been a sweet season of teaching them about the lord and all he has done for us!!