Has anyone ever told you a story completely out of context or started a story in the middle rather than the beginning? Both can be very frustrating. What often happens in either of these cases is the original meaning of the story gets distorted or minimized.           

As we think about teaching the “Easter Story” over the next few weeks, we need to consider how to present the accounts in such a way that kids understand they are not a series of isolated events. The Easter account is the climax of the biblical narrative. It is a part of a story that started many years ago. When we teach “Jesus is alive” on Easter morning, we are communicating the fulfillment of prophecies that happened years before. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind: 

1. God has been working out His plan for humanity’s redemption since the beginning. Connecting the death and resurrection of Jesus to the creation narrative gives kids an understanding that the events of Easter have been a part of God’s plan since sin entered the world.

    

2. Emphasize the Bible is one story with a central theme. A theme of the Old Testament is that Jesus is coming—it sets the stage for the events in the New Testament. We cannot fully understand the significance of Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection without understanding the problem of sin presented in the Old Testament.

    

3. Remember that God is the main character of the Bible. He reveals Himself to us through the person of Jesus. The Easter account is about God making a way for humanity to be reunited with Him. 

1. Show kids how the ministry, birth, death, and resurrection are prophesied in the Old Testament. For example:
   • Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23 (Jesus will be called “Immanuel”)
   • Isaiah 53:12 and Matthew 27:38 (Jesus will be crucified with criminals.) 

What are some things you have done to present the accounts of Easter as part of the overall biblical narrative?