Easter Baskets with a Twist

Inspired by Amanda at ohamanda.com's unEaster Baskets, we added another new tradition to our celebration of Easter this week.  We made the choice a few years ago that the main gift in Easter Baskets would always be about growing Bug & Basil's faith and remembering the true reason for the holiday.  So, it's usually a book or a new Bible as they grow.  This year, I loved the idea of using the baskets as part of our teaching of what Easter is about.

First, we collected rocks and talked about how sin hardens our hearts and keeps us from God.  Then, we labeled the rocks with some sins that we'd committed in about the last week and the kids put them back into their individual baskets.  We covered them with a red t-shirt and Bug quickly made the connection to Christ's blood which I thought was pretty cool.  We talked some more about what it meant that our sins were covered by Christ's blood.  We did all this just before bed and told the kids we'd see what their baskets held tomorrow.

They were SO excited to see their baskets this morning!  It was like Christmas morning.  When they came out to the kitchen they were greeted by three baskets.  We talked some more about why Jesus' basket had all their rocks and then dove into their baskets with glee :).  Bug was surprised to find out we'd filled their buckets because he thought Jesus might have done it - love the faith of a child!  I loved how it all made their Easter baskets much more meaningful.  

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”  1 Peter 2:24