I teach chapel at the preschool I work at.   We take the kids age 3-5 to the choir suite in the church and treat it like middle of the week church for them.   Today, after yesterday’s horrid weather here in the Metroplex, I was too drained to do it, but the church had one saving grace for me…. it had set up many stations in a hallway that went through Jesus’ last day on this earth, starting with the Last Supper all the way through the crucifixion.  I decided to take each class through the stages today instead of regular chapel.

The first station was the last supper…describing to the children the celebration of Passover, why we take the Lord’s supper at church.  The second station was a bag with some money… Judas’ fee for turning in Jesus.  We talked about how Judas’ kiss was Jesus’ betrayal.   The next stage had a whip in it … leather whip knotted with razor sharp small blades in it.  I explained to them about the lashings Jesus was put through.  Next stage was the crown of thorns.   I cannot imagine the agony my Savior was going through at the time.   We talked about the agonizing trek to the crucifixion site, carrying the cross on his back.  The church had an actual large cross there…. the nails…. they had big, thick nails for me to show the children how they were driven into Jesus’ hands and feet.   They had dice there… how they drew lots for Jesus’ clothing…. in the end, we sat down criss cross applesauce to talk about the rest of the story.  That’s where I broke down after the third time of telling the story….

You see, Jesus didn’t deserve any of that.   I told the kids that Jesus shouldn’t have been on the cross… I told them I should have been on that cross… lol, that really got their attention.   I explained to them, practically in tears, that Jesus bore my sin on the cross for me.  For all the sin I have, I am the one that deserves to die, not Christ.   But I told them of his great love for us, he CHOSE to die on the cross, to bear all of our sins, so that we don’t ever have to pay the punishment for it.  Talk about love.   Our PreK class got it the most of course.   I explained to them that nothing was require of us, except to believe that Jesus died for their sin.   No work is never required, all God asks us to do is believe that his Son is our Saviour.   Seems too easy, doesn’t it?

So as I stood there and reflected on it, I looked at that cross there in the hallway.  I imagined Jesus, on that cross, dying for me.  It’s too overwhelming to think of his sacrifice.   I don’t deserve it and neither do you.  But Jesus thinks we’re to die for, and he did.  I don’t know about you, but I am so grateful that he loves me that much.

So, on this Good Friday, take some time to reflect on your life.  Do you know Jesus Christ?  If you don’t, please feel free to email me in the Got Questions section.   It’s hard to wrap your mind around this kind of sacrifice, since it is hard to know if faced with this situation, what we would have done…. would you have died for your spouse?  your children?  your family or friends?   He chose to do it.  Out of love for us.   Thank you, Lord Jesus, for loving us so much.   Please help me, Lord, to help others to hear the Good News about you and eternal life with you and my Abba Father.  I love you, Lord.  Thank you is not enough, but it’s all I have.  Until we meet again……