Monday FunDay (week 9)–Easter Fun Continues

Happy Easter Monday to you!And welcome to home base for Monday FunDay, a carnival dedicated to swapping simple, amusing–maybe even silly–everyday ways you enjoy good, clean fun.

To participate in Monday FunDay, just post a story, idea, or explanation at your blog of how you and/or your family has livened up Mondays (or any day).Then link up via Mr. Linky below (if you don’t have a blog, simply explain your idea in the comments) and we’ll collect all the ideas in one place. Again, please remember: ideas must be squeaky-clean, family-friendly fun.Ann’s Family Friendly Monday Fun:Leading up to Easter Sunday, we use a set of plastic Easter eggs put out by Focus on the Family called “Resurrection Eggs.” Each egg contains a simple symbol representing one of the events leading up to the Resurrection.For example, the first one has a little metal donkey in it, to symbolize the Triumphal Entry. There’s a cup for the Last Supper, a die for when they divided up Jesus’ clothes, and so on until you open an egg with a little piece of linen, another with a stone, and finally an empty egg.Two years ago, the kids were taking turns opening the eggs and reading the little devotional with related Bible verses. Our youngest, The Boy, couldn’t read yet, so he could only open the eggs. An argument broke out over who would open the next-to-last and final eggs. The next-to-last was the stone, which was not only weighty when held, but also produced a satisfying thumpity-thump sound when shaken. The last one, being so lightweight and void of thumps when shaken, was not an option for our youngest. He threw a minor fit, and in the name of peace and Christian love, also prompted by some “looks” from Mom and Dad, the other person gave in.The Boy would open the egg with the stone, and then she would open the last egg, the empty egg.We read about the stone, and he opened it happily, turning the stone over and over in his hand.Then it was time. We opened the final egg.”Awwww, it’s empty!” the youngest complained. What a let-down. All the others had a little toy inside. He made a face and shook his head.”That’s right,” we said, “it’s empty. Just like the tomb!””What?”Everyone jumped in and exclaimed things like, “The egg is empty because the tomb was empty.””The tomb was empty because Jesus wasn’t there.””He wasn’t there because He’s risen! He’s not dead; He’s alive!”His eyes grew wide as saucers and he gasped. Then he smiled and squealed, hopped off his chair and ran three times around the circular pattern through the kitchen, dining room and living room. As he ran, he shouted, “He’s alive, He’s alive, He’s aliiiiiiive!”We were so surprised, we actually laughed–not at him, but at how wonderful to see someone respond with such childlike wonder and amazement to the Good News. We had just read about Mary, running to tell the disciples the good news, and then here was this spontaneous and related response from our own four-year-old.Jesus said we had to become as little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Seeing The Boy run with breathless excitement at the thought of Jesus being alive left the rest of us laughing and shaking our heads.This year was more subdued. Two years wiser, The Boy knew that the last egg would be empty; that the tomb was empty and our Savior is alive. When I said, “He is risen,” The Boy didn’t get up and run, but he did laugh and say, “He’s risen! He’s alive!”That’s a really long story to lead up to my Monday FunDay idea. Thank you for humoring me.We decided there were some critical scenes or moments left out of the Resurrection Eggs.With gratitude to Playmobil for making very small, detailed items–small enough to fit inside an Easter egg–we have expanded the elements so that we can open more eggs.More eggs = more fun! What’s more, the fun doesn’t end on Easter morning!It is the climax of the story, so we aren’t attempting to “top” Easter morning and the empty egg–I mean, tomb–but we thought it might be interesting to carry it on through to the Ascension.For what it’s worth, here’s what we added to the collection:

1. The pre-fab kit came with a metal donkey for the Triumphal Entry.
2. We added a little brown table, for the cleansing of the temple.
3. We added a teeny, tiny little coin and some bars of gold to represent the widow’s mite and the rich people’s offerings.
4. We found a pretty little pitcher from the Playmobil collection to represent the jar that held the perfume with which Jesus was anointed. Matthew recorded the Lord saying that wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her. He made it pretty clear, so we thought we’d best add her.
5. The pre-fab kit came with three metal coins to represent the 30 pieces of silver Judas took to betray Jesus.
6. The kit came with a cup for the Last Supper.
7. We added a little slice of Playmobil bread.
8. We added a sandal for the washing of the disciples’ feet. For next year, I think I’ll try to find a tiny piece of terry cloth to look kind of like a towel.
9. The kit came with praying hands for Gethsemane.
10. We added a sword for when Peter cut off Malchus’ ear.
11. The kit came with a leather rope, to represent the flogging.
12. It came with a metal crown of thorns.
13. It also came with a metal cross made out of nails.
14. It came with one die to represent casting lots for Jesus’ clothes.
15. For next year, we want to add the sign, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
16. We added a cloth to be the curtain of the temple that was torn in two.
17. EDITED: The kit came with a spear, for when Jesus’ side was pierced.
18. The kit came with white cloth, to be the linen Jesus’ body was wrapped in.
19. It came with the stone.
20. And the empty egg.
21. We’re adding a door–we think we can use either a LEGO door or a Playmobil door–for when Jesus’ appeared to the disciples, when they were afraid and hiding behind locked doors.
22. A fish, for the miraculous catch as well as the fish that the resurrected but not yet ascended Jesus was cooking on coals on the beach.
23. The girls suggested a cotton ball to represent the cloud into which Jesus disappeared when he ascended.

Clearly, we need two egg containers!Anyway, that’s how we’ll be having fun this Monday–by extending the Easter story.How about you?

Instructions for the WordPress Mr. Linky (which is different than the ones you’ll see on WFMW and other Typepad or Blogspot blogs):1. Write your post. Type up your Monday FunDay edition and post it at your blog.2. Come back to this post and click on Mr. Linky. A window will pop up.3. Type in your name (or blog name) and if you like, you can include a short “teaser” for your idea in parenthesis. Something like this:

Ann K (adding post-Resurrection eggs)

3. Paste in your url. Below the spot for your name, there’s another for the url of your own post. Copy the url for your own Monday FunDay and paste it in (including the http:// part of it).4. Press Enter. That’s it! It should be saved by Mr. Linky.To see what others have posted, click on Mr. Linky and pay a visit to the fun bloggers who have joined in!It’s fun to have fun, but you have to know how![Check out previous Monday FunDays]