From Rasky
Rick And Bobbie



Now On The First Day Of The Week
Very Early In The Morning
They And Certain Other Women With Them
Came To The Tomb Bringing The Spices Which They Had Prepared
But They Found The Stone Rolled Away From The Tomb

Then They Went In And Did Not Find The Body Of The Lord Jesus
And It Happened
As They Were Greatly Perplexed About This
That Behold
Two Men Stood By Them In Shining Garments

Then
As They Were Afraid And Bowed Their Faces To The Earth
They Said To Them
Why Do You Seek The Living Among The Dead?
He Is Not Here
But Is Risen!

Remember How He Spoke To You When He Was Still In Galilee
Saying
The Son Of Man Must Be Delivered And Into The Hands Of Sinful Men
And Be Crucified
And The Third Day Rise Again

And They Remembered His Words
Then They Returned From The Tomb
They Told All These Things To The Eleven And To All The Rest

Luke 24:1-9


Empty Egg

Jeremy Was Born With A Twisted Body
A Slow Mind
And A Chronic, Terminal Illness
This Had Been Slowly Killing Him All Of His Young Life

Still
His Parents Had Tried To Give Him As Normal A Life As Possible
They Had Sent Him To Saint Theresa's Elementary School
At The Age Of 12
Jeremy Was Only In The Second Grade
Seemingly Unable To Learn

His Teacher Doris Miller Often Became Exasperated With Him
He Would Squirm In His Seat
Drool And Make Grunting Noises
At Other Times He Spoke Clearly And Distinctly
It Was As If A Spot Of Light Had Penetrated The Darkness Of His Brain
Most Of The Time However Jeremy Irritated His Teacher

One Day She Called Jeremy's Parents
She Asked Them To Come To Saint Teresas For A Consultation
The Forresters Sat Quietly In The Empty Classroom

Doris Said
"Jeremy Really Belongs In A Special School"
"It Isn't Fair To Him To Be With Younger Children
Who Don't Have Learning Problems"
"There Is A Five-Year Gap Between His Age And That Of The Other Students!"

Mrs. Forrester Cried Softly Into A Tissue While Her Husband Spoke
"Miss Miller" He Said
"There Is No School Of That Kind Nearby"
"It Would Be A Terrible Shock For Jeremy
If We Had To Take Him Out Of This School"
"We Know That He Really Likes It Here"

Doris Sat For A Long Time After They Left
She Stared At The Snow Outside The Window
Its Coldness Seemed To Seep Into Her Soul
She Wanted To Sympathize With The Forresters
After All Their Only Child Had A Terminal Illness
But It Wasn't Fair To Keep Him In Her Class
She Had 18 Other Youngsters To Teach And Jeremy Was A Distraction
Furthermore He Would Never Learn To Read And Write
Why Waste Any More Time Trying?

As She Pondered The Situation
Guilt Washed Over Her
"Oh God" She Said Aloud
"Here I Am Complaining"
"My Problems Are Nothing Compared With That Poor Family!"
"Please Help Me To Be More Patient With Jeremy"

From That Day On
She Tried Hard To Ignore Jeremy's Noises And His Blank Stares
Then One Day He Limped To Her Desk
HeWas Dragging His Bad Leg Behind Him
"I Love You Miss Miller" He Exclaimed
He Spoke Loud Enough For The Whole Class To Hear
The Other Students Snickered And Doris's Face Turned Red
She Stammered "Wh-Why That's Very Nice Jeremy"
"Now Please Take Your Seat"

Spring Came
The Children Talked Excitedly About The Coming Of Easter
Doris Told Them The Story Of Jesus
She Emphasized The Idea Of New Life Springing Forth
She Then Gave Each Of The Children A Large Plastic Egg
"Now" She Said To Them
"I Want You To Take This Home And Bring It Back Tomorrow"
"I Want You To Put Something Inside The Egg That Shows New Life
"Do You Understand?"

"Yes Miss Miller!"
All Of The Children Responded Enthusiastically, All Except For Jeremy
He Just Listened Intently
His Eyes Never Left Her Face
He Did Not Even Make His Usual Noises
Had He Understood What She Had Said About Jesus' Death And Resurrection?
Did He Understand The Assignment?
Perhaps She Should Call His Parents And Explain The Project To Them

That Evening Doris's Kitchen Sink Stopped Up
She Called Her Landlord And Waited
An Hour Went By Before He Came By To Unclog It
After That She Still Had To Shop For Groceries
She Had To Iron A Blouse
She Also Had To Prepare A Vocabulary Test For The Next Day
She Had Completely Forgotten About Phoning Jeremy's Parents

The Next Morning 19 Children Came To School
They Were All Excited
They Were Laughing And Talking About What Might Be In The Eggs
They Placed Their Eggs In The Large Wicker Basket On Miss Miller's Desk
They Completed Their Math Lesson
Now It Was Time To Open The Eggs

In The First Egg Doris Found A Flower
"Oh Yes A Flower Is Certainly A Sign Of New Life" She Said
"When Plants Peek Through The Ground Then We Know That Spring Is Here"
A Small Girl In The First Row Waved Her Arms
"That's My Egg Miss Miller" She Called Out

The Next Egg Contained A Plastic Butterfly Which Looked Very Real
Doris Held It Up
"We All Know That A Caterpillar Changes And Grows Into A Beautiful Butterfly"
"Yes That Is New Life Too"
Little Judy Smiled Proudly And Said
"Miss Miller That One Is Mine!"

Next Doris Found A Rock With Moss On It
She Explained That Moss Too Showed Life
Billy Spoke Up From The Back Of The Classroom
"My Daddy Helped Me!" He Beamed

Then Doris Opened The Fourth Egg
She Gasped
The Egg Was Empty!
Surely It Must Be Jeremy's She Thought
He Probably Did Not Understand Her Instructions
If Only She Had Not Forgotten To Phone His Parents
She Did Not Want To Embarrass Him
She Quietly Set The Egg Aside And Reached For Another

Suddenly Jeremy Spoke Up
"Miss Miller"
"Aren't You Going To Talk About My Egg?"

Flustered
Doris Replied
"But Jeremy Your Egg Is Empty!"
He Looked Into Her Eyes And Said Softly
"Yes But Jesus's Tomb Was Empty Too!"

Time Stopped For Doris
When She Could Speak Again
Doris Asked Jeremy
"Do You Know Why The Tomb Was Empty?"

"Oh, Yes!" Jeremy Exclaimed
"Jesus Was Killed And Put In There"
"Then His Father Raised Him Up!"

The Recess Bell Rang
The Children Ran Excitedly Out To The School Yard
Doris Sat Down And Cried
The Coldness Inside Of Her Melted Completely Away

Three Months Later Jeremy Died
Those Who Paid Their Respects At The Mortuary Were Surprised
There Were 19 Eggs On Top Of Jeremy's Casket
All Of Them Were Empty

May The Easter Eggs Of All Your Friends And Family Be Empty Too

Author Unknown



Easter Story Cookies
To Be Made The Evening Before Easter

You Will Need

1 Cup Whole Pecans
1 Tsp. Vinegar
3 Egg Whites
A Pinch Of Salt
1 Cup Of Sugar
1 ZipLoc Baggie
A Wooden Spoon
Scotch Tape
Bible

Preheat Oven To 300 Degrees
Preheating The Oven Is Important
Don't Wait Until You Are Half Done With The Recipe!
Place Pecans In The ZipLoc Baggie
Let The Children Beat The Pecans With The Wooden Spoon
This Will Break The Pecans Into Small Pieces
Explain That After Jesus Was Arrested
He Was Beaten By The Roman Soldiers
Read John 19:1-3

Let Each Child Smell The Vinegar
Put 1 Tsp. Of Vinegar Into A Mixing Bowl
Explain That When Jesus Was Thirsty On The Cross
He Was Given Vinegar To Drink
Read John 19:28-30

Add Egg Whites To The Vinegar
Eggs Represent Life
Explain That Jesus Gave His Life To Give Us Life
Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle A Little Salt Into Each Child's Hand
Let Them Taste It And Brush The Rest Into The Bowl
Explain That This Represents The Salty Tears Shed By Jesus's Followers
And The Bitterness Of Our Own Sins
Read Luke 23:27

So Far
The Ingredients Are Not Very Appetizing
Add 1 Cup Of Sugar
Explain That The Sweetest Part Of The Story
Is That Jesus Died Because He Loves Us
He Wants Us To Know And Belong To Him
Read Ps. 34:8 And John 3:16

Beat With A Mixer On High Speed For 12 To 15 Minutes Until Stiff Peaks Are Formed
Explain That The Color White Represents The Purity In God's Eyes
Of Those Whose Sins Have Been Cleansed By Jesus
Read Isa. 1:18 And John 3:1-3

Fold In Broken Nuts
Drop By Teaspoons Onto Wax Paper Covered Cookie Sheet
Explain That Each Mound Represents The Rocky Tomb Where Jesus's Body Was Laid
Read Matt. 27:57-60

Put The Cookie Sheet In The Oven
Close The Oven Door And Turn The Oven OFF
Give Each Child A Piece Of Scotch Tape And Seal The Oven Door
Explain That Jesus's Tomb Was Sealed
Read Matt. 27:65-66

Go To Bed!
Explain That They May Feel Sad To Leave The Cookies In The Oven Overnight
Jesus's Followers Were In Despair When The Tomb Was Sealed
Read John 16:20 And 22

On Easter Morning
Open The Oven And Give Everyone A Cookie
Notice The Cracked Surface And Take A Bite
The Cookies Are Hollow!
On The First Easter
Jesus's Followers Were Amazed To Find The Tomb Open And Empty
Read Matt. 28:1-9

Author Unknown


Some Easter Facts

The Easter Symbol Is The Moon

Did You Ever Wonder Why The Date Of Easter Sunday Changes Every Year?

Here's Why

Easter Is The First Sunday After The First Full Moon In Spring


In Egyptian Mythology
The Rabbit Is The Symbol Of The Moon
That Is Where The Easter Bunny Comes In


Jelly Bean Prayer

Red
Is For The Blood That He Gave
Green
Is For The Grass That He Made

Yellow
Is For The Sun So Bright
Orange
Is For The Edge Of Night

Black
Is For The Sins That We Made
White
Is For The Grace That He Gave

Purple
Is For The Hours Of Sorrow
Pink
Is For A New Tomorrow

A Bag Of Jellybeans Colorful And Sweet
Is A Promise
A Prayer
And A Loved One's Treat

Author Unknown




Everything I Need To Know
I Have Learned From The Easter Bunny

Don't Put All Of Your Easter Eggs In One Basket

Some Body Parts Should Be Floppy

Keep Your Paws Off Other People's Jellybeans

The Grass Is Always Greener In Someone Else's Easter Basket

An Easter Bonnet Can Tame Even The Wildest Hare

To Show Your True Colors You Have To Come Out Of Your Shell

The Best Things In Life Are Still Sweet And Gooey!

Walk Softly And Carry A Big Carrot

Everyone Needs A Friend Who Is All Ears

There Is No Such Thing As Too Much Easter Candy

All Work And No Play Can Make You A Basket Case

A Cute Little Tail Attracts A Lot Of Attention

Everyone Is Entitled To A Bad Hare Day

Let Happy Thoughts Multiply Like Rabbits

Good Things Come In Small Sugar-Coated Packages

Author Unknown


What Are Four Hundred Rabbits Hopping Backwards?
A Receding Hare Line

What Did The Rabbit Say To The Carrot?
Its Been Nice Gnawing You

How Is A Rabbit Like A Cornstalk?
They Both Have Big Ears

What Did The Bunny Want To Do When He Grew Up?
Join The "Hare Force"

Why Is A Leaky Faucet Like A Cowardly Bunny?
Because It Runs

What Part Of A Newspaper Does A Rabbit Read?
Lettuce To The Editor




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