OK, last night we had a special TreeHouse event. It was called “It’s more than a bunny!” and it was an experiential room by room journey telling the story of Easter. Each station was in a separate room with a staff person dressed up in New Testament attire. We wanted the kids to experience what it could have felt like to be alive during the Passover Feast week. I just want to take a little bit and tell you about the night. (I want to apologize before hand because I will not be able to adequately describe the actual events that took place. This whole presentation took weeks of planning and the whole day to set it up. If I had video of the events or pictures I would include them to help you truly experience each room to it’s fullest but since I don’t you’ll just have to bare with me.)

It started with the kids going to a room where they heard the story about the sacrificial lamb (which included a real live baby goat), a brief history of the Passover, and a little about some guy named Jesus who had been traveling around teaching and preaching. The story was told by a little girl (it was one of our staff pretending to be a younger girl) named “Hannah”. The focus was on the lamb as the sacrifice and how it signified the payment for sin as well as the importance of the Passover Feast for the Jewish nation.

In the next room the kids met “Peter” the fisherman/disciple. He talked about the Upper Room with Jesus, the Garden of Gethsemane, the failed attempt to “rescue” Jesus from the guards in the garden, and ended with seeing Jesus taken away to be put on trial. He talked about Jesus as a personal friend, someone who he could trust and talk too, as well as describing the events of the betrayal in the garden. The focus of “Peter’s” talk was to show that Jesus was the Christ, not just another guy, and that He choose to die on the cross. It was not an accident. It was intentional and purposed.

As they entered the third room they were introduced to the wife of Pontius Pilate. She talked about the trial and beating of Jesus. She went into detail describing the horrible physical effects of the whippings, beating, and the cross on Jesus’ body. She also voiced the struggle Pilate had in putting Jesus to death as well as the response from the angry religious leaders. She also gave the kids a chance to recognize the free gift Jesus offers each person who believes in Him. She ended with Jesus on the cross, which led them to the fourth room.

The fourth room was dark. The only light in the room came from the fireplace and the 20 or so small candles around the room. This room was for reflection and confession. It gave them the chance to think about what they’d learned, heard, and seen. It also gave them a chance to take time to confess any sins they were aware of in their life. As they felt ready they could take their papers up to the fire and burn them, symbolizing the removal of their sins. The focus of this room was to enter into the presence of God with a humble attitude, presenting their sins before Him and asking for forgiveness of their sins.

The final room they transitioned too was the main room where we talked to them about the resurrection. The fact that Jesus is a risen Lord is huge when you compare Christianity to other world religions. We serve a risen Lord and that point was really emphasized. We also gave them a chance to accept Christ as their Savior during a time of worship and singing. The evening was capped off with the Lord’s Supper being celebrated as a group. We told them the Biblical requirements for partaking in the Lord’s Supper and then gave them an opportunity to participate in it just as Jesus and the disciples had.

The whole night went really well and a lot of the kids gave us great feedback. They really liked the whole experience and said it helped them gain a clearer understanding of the true meaning of Easter.

It’s not all about candy, bunnies, egg hunts, and getting dressed up. I hope we were able to get that point across throughout the evening. Many of the kids say they know what being a Christian is about, and in their head they may know it, but when it comes to living it out so many of them go the opposite way. Their lifestyles, thoughts, and actions can often cause you to scratch your head and wonder what they were thinking. Yet, when I look at my life I can often see the same pattern I see in some of the kids. I say one thing and yet live out something else. It’s really annoying but most of the time I don’t see it until after I have done it.

I want to challenge you all to take a look at your life and see if there are things you do that are the opposite of what you say you believe. We are known by our fruit and if we are producing bad fruit than we are not living the life we are called to do live.

I hope you all have a great Easter! Enjoy the weather (if it’s nice at your house because its not gonna be good outside weather here!!) and enjoy spending time with your family!