Hi! I am Rachel from Family Ever After. I love Easter, and I'm happy to be a guest on Amanda's blog!
Easter is a special time in our home, and this year I am making a concentrated effort to help my children understand why it is that we truly celebrate Easter. It is such a neat time to learn about the last week of Christ's life spent ministering on Earth. There is so much symbolism to be found...
Spring (newness of life),
the Sun (Jesus is the light of the world),
Easter Grass (mortality doesn't last forever, it withers like the grass, Christ offers Eternal Life),
Easter Eggs (newness of life, resurrection),
Lambs (Lamb of God, Good Shepherd),
Flowers (many important events happened in gardens- the Fall in the Garden of Eden, the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Resurrection in the Garden of the Empty Tomb).
In this blog post, I am focusing on the Easter Lily, and how it relates to the phrase, "He is Risen."
LESSON: EASTER LILY
Content-
Lilies are Easter flowers because they teach and remind us of Christ in 3 ways.
1. Consider the Lilies of the Field- Faith in Christ
While Jesus lived on the earth, he taught, through the imagery of lilies, about having faith in
Him: “And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they
grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: …Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the
field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe
you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What
shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? …for your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” Matthew 6:28, 30-33.
When we see the lilies, we can remember that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know us, and they know our needs. When we have faith in Jesus Christ, He will provide for us in all that we need.
2. Bulbs to Blooms- Burial to Resurrection
Lilies are flowers that grow from bulbs. Bulbs stay buried in the ground all winter, and in
spring blossom forth with beautiful life. Jesus was buried in a tomb for three days, and then
came forth in a perfect form, having immortal life. Lilies remind us of this miracle and
symbolize the hope we have of everlasting life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and provided a way for all of us to rise again after we die.
3. Trumpet Ushers in the Second Coming of Christ
Lilies are shaped like what instrument? (trumpets) “In the scriptures, trumpets are used to sound warnings, proclaim news, and herald visitors. Moroni holds a horn to his lips with his right hand, symbolizing both the spreading of the gospel throughout the world and the long-anticipated Second Coming of the Savior, which will be announced by trumpet-blowing angels” (“Looking Up to Moroni” by Wendy Kenney, November 2009 New Era).
The trumpet shape of the lily reminds us that trumpets will herald (announce) the second coming of Christ.
Matthew 24:31 “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Joel 2:1 “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.”
(Content compiled by Jen Lund)
Visual Aids-
a bouquet of Easter lilies or picture of lilies in a field
lily bulbs
picture of resurrected Christ
Moroni with trumpet
Audio-
listen to "Consider the Lilies" sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Printable-
Download this free 8x10 printable here.
Craft-
Make handprint lilies.
Supplies needed: paper, markers, glitter, yellow and green pipe cleaners, tape, scissors.
Directions: Trace hands on white paper. Allow children to color and decorate as desired. Cut out as many as you want for the lily blooms. Roll the handprint vertically to form a funnel shape. Secure the side with clear tape. Roll each finger down to form the curls of each bloom. Cut yellow pipe cleaner ~3” (1 for each bloom). Loosely curve the yellow piece to form a U shape. Wrap the top of a green pipe cleaner at the bottom of the U. Curl the ends of the yellow cleaner to form the center of the bloom. Insert the completed green stem into the center of the bloom and pull through. Display the
lilies in a vase or wrap with a ribbon.
I hope you find this useful, perhaps as a Family Home Evening lesson, or a Primary lesson in church. May you have a happy Easter!
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