Skip to main content

Why Christmas? / Why Easter






Why Easter? /Why Christmas? By Barbara Reaoch, Ilustrated by Carol Mccarty
http://www.shepherdpress.com/product/why-christmas/

Easter and Christmas are two seasons that speak of the coming of Jesus, his death and resurrection, and the hope we have as believers.  Yet, we often struggle to communicate these profound truths to our children.  In steps Barbara Reaoch, with books on Easter and Christmas that reach the hearts and minds of children with biblically faithful lessons designed to help children trust in the Savior.  The Easter  book combines 28 lessons with beautiful illlustrations by Carol McCarty to get at the heart of the story of Jesus, his death and resurrection.  Both books include times for scripture reading, truths, discussion, memory verses and singing.

I particularly thought that the lesson for Week 3, Day 16 was very insightful and encouraging.  At the end of the lesson on Jesus being taken to the Sanhedrin and to Pilate, Barbara writes in the Discuss section, “Discuss “mighty triumph” and victor.”  When it seemed that Pilate was in control how was Jesus triumphant.  How was Jesus the real victor during these trials (36)?”  We often think of triumph and victor in political and military terms, thus promoting the idea that force is the only way for kingship to be displayed, yet the kingship of Jesus was radically different.  Barbara brings out the kingship of Jesus and his response to Pilate in a most interesting way by contrasting the way of Jesus and the way of Pilate. 

The lesson on Luke 2.21-35 in Why Christmas was a very good retelling of Simeon and Jesus.  The truth that Barbara captures is that, “God forgives anyone who trusts in Jesus (44).”  Simeon had been waiting for a long time for the coming of the Messiah and when Jesus came joy came to this old man.  Barbara reminds children that it is not a select few who are able to believe in Jesus or the elite, but anyone who trusts in Jesus, putting their whole lives in his hands.  Barbara goes onto lead the children in a discussion regarding “all who heard it wondered,” signaling the great event of the telling of the coming King by the shepherds.  Barbara links the truth of the story with what the people might’ve been feeling as they heard this marvelous story, in turn, causing children to wonder what they might’ve felt if they were hearing this same story.

I really appreciate both of these books for their keen insights, ability to draw children into the story of Jesus, and the way Barbara gets to the main theme of each story.  Children will be challenged and blessed by these two books.  I plan to use these two storybooks in church and at home with my daughter.


Thanks to Shepherd Press and Cross Focused Reviews for the copy of these books in exchange for an honest review.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saving Casper

Saving Casper: A Christian and an Atheist Talk about Why We Need to Change the Conversion Conversation by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Casper-Christian-Conversion-Conversation/dp/1414364881 Many readers will quickly know the authors of this book from their previous release Jim and Casper Go to Church.  Jim and Matt’s new book entitled Saving Casper focuses on the way we talk about conversion in the church and the devastating ways we have pushed away atheists and other non-believers by our posture.  Both Jim and Matt traversed the national landscape, meeting in churches and asking hard questions about faith, conversion, and life. The basic premise of the book and travel is laid out here in their words, “Part of what Casper and I are trying to achieve when we speak to a group of Christians is to help people move a little bit on their “judgment meter.”  This capacity, while intellectually and often theologically uncomfortable,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Essential Christian Doctrine

  Essential Christian Doctrine , General Editor John MacArthur Pastor John MacArthur has for years been teaching the Word of God in both pulpit ministry, books, and conferences with an aim to displaying God’s revelation to his listeners in a winsome and foundational manner.  This new book, Essential Christian Doctrine takes an entire life of teaching and preaching and encapsulates the main contours of the Christian faith for its readers.  John in a systematic way highlights the most necessary teachings from Scripture including God’s Word, the Trinity, while also including sections on Man and the Future. One of the most helpful ways the authors bring to light biblical truth and theology is the way in which they group together particular themes.  In the section on the Holy Spirit, instead of a complex discussion of personhood, word pictures of the Holy Spirit are introduced in a discernible and profitable manner.  The metaphors for the Holy Spirit include fir...
Post a Comment
Read more

God's Grace for All of Life

The Romance of Grace by Jim McNeely III To be honest, when I received this book in the mail I had visions of what it might be like with a title like, ‘The Romance of Grace.’  The emotional rollercoaster and one-sided perspective on how our emotions fuel our faith was my presumption about the book, but this was the furthest thing from the truth as I started reading.  The Romance of Grace by Pastor Jim McNeely III is a careful look at the movements of grace in the way God pursues us with his love and his desire to get us to love him back.  McNeely writes, “We are entering a cosmic romance with a passionate lover, and He is interested in our heart’s truest desire.  His deepest objective isn’t to make us more moral; it is to get us to love Him back.  Virtue is the fruit, not the root” (18).  Why is this helpful?  For one thing, beginning with God’s initiating grace frees us from starting out on the wrong foot in the way we tell the story and...
2 comments
Read more