Explaining Easter Events to Children

Book-He is Risen by Patti Rokus

Easter is HERE! What a joyful time of new beginnings, and renewed faith in Jesus Christ. But having conversations about each of the events surrounding Easter, with children, is not always easy. When I decided to use rocks and pebbles to tell the story of Easter to children, I knew it had to be surrounded in love, or else the horrifying events of Jesus’s suffering could overwhelm them. They did me as a child.

I spent two months crafting the one sentence that would explain the whole thing. Why did Jesus come to Earth? I posted that question on Facebook, and the answers were inspiring! I often wept reading them, feeling the Spirit of God testify again and again of the divinity and love and power of Jesus Christ. After consulting theologians, colleagues, and mothers, I finally landed on the one that felt the simplest and yet enough:

“Jesus came to earth to bring us healing and joy, and to lead us back home to God.”

To begin the story, I did special rock art sculptures showing Jesus with children, loving them, caring about them; and a sculpture of Jesus hugging a child (first video above). After setting the stage of all this love, then I went into the last week of the Christ’s mortal ministry–the brutal story. Angels must have helped me, because I wept through the creation of most of it, watching the rocks come together to testify of Christ in powerful ways. Indeed the stones are crying out as Jesus said they would in Luke 19:40.

Now that the book is out (miraculously #275 out of 8 million books on the Amazon selling list), I’m animating those same rocks, to further depict the stories, and to inspire children everywhere to make their own rock art of the stories of Jesus. They are doing it! I’m getting pictures from around the world of their art!

You can see all the short videos on my website, youtube, or facebook. Below are a few favorites: