By Barbara Rainey
First posted on EverThineHome.com
Have you ever tried to solve a mystery? Or have you read a detective novel or two where you have no idea now it will end?
Some of the most fascinating detective stories are full of twists and turns that leave you surprised and hungry for more. Did you know that God’s story in the Bible is actually a series of clues? It’s true! And the clues in the Old Testament reveal one of the most mind-boggling mysteries of all time—the Messiah who would come one day to live on the earth and pay the ultimate price for our sin.
You see, with God nothing is random. Every detail is ordered with purpose. So His clues about the Messiah aren’t haphazard or left behind accidentally. They are purposeful and perfectly orchestrated.
As parents we long to influence our children toward truth, to connect with them in meaningful ways. When we teach them about Jesus we are taking our children’s hands and helping them touch the transcendent unseen. Bringing the reality of the eternal to our homes knits relationships together.
But how do we take our children there? Sometimes that feels like the biggest mystery of all.
Reading Bible stories is good. Praying with your children is also good. But so many of us long for interactive opportunities, too.
I remember well how busy I was as a mom of six. It was a challenge to create meaningful moments with my children. But we parents must find a way to do this, especially as we enter Lent season!
So I want to help you with six easy, practical little moments to love your family through Easter. Grab a magnifying glass and put on your sleuth jacket. A mystery going back thousands of years awaits!
We’ve created a six-part series called “Messiah Mystery.” Six weekly lessons, beginning on Ash Wednesday, will lead you and your family through Scripture, hot on the trail to discovering the true meaning of Lent and unearth the joy of Easter’s miraculous resurrection. Children of all ages can become detectives, unearthing clues that lead to the greatest mystery of all.
Here's an excerpt from the first lesson of Messiah Mystery.
Clues in the Garden
Are you ready to uncover the first clues to the Messiah Mystery? You’ll need to use your imagination. Put yourself in the story, walk around with the characters, let no detail escape you.
The experience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden must have been nothing short of spectacular. But far better than any smell or taste or sight was being in the presence of God, their creator. You see, one of the reasons God created Adam and Eve was to have a friendship with them. He tells us He made them in His image, like God.
This friendship with God is only true for mankind. God didn’t have a friend relationship with the animals, only with Adam and Eve. This is how life was meant to be. The garden was perfect because He was there. His presence and nearness is what made it good.
But Adam and Eve disobeyed. They believed the lie of the serpent, that God was withholding something good from them, that God didn’t love them. Have you ever believed this lie? Yes, you have. I have. We all have. And that is what sin looks like in our world: believing that God doesn’t love us, that we know better, that we would choose better for our lives than our loving Heavenly Father.
Because God is both perfect love and perfect justice, He must correct His children’s disobedience. And like any honorable king, God must also respond to evil. His discipline to Adam and Eve is the gift of pain so that they won’t forget what they did wrong.
At the same time, He shows His deep love by giving them a promise. Genesis 3:15 prophesies, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
This is God’s very first clue. “He shall bruise your head” means the Messiah will someday defeat Satan and win His children back! Believe it or not—in the very moment when paradise has been lost—God offers you and me comfort, hope, and a promise of Jesus.
As you ready your heart for Easter, thank God for how loving He is. In the midst of the very first sin, the very first time that people didn’t trust Him and His character—He was already planning to die so that we could be with Him again. He was already planning His merciful rescue of a hurting world.
That is Love.
Father, Thank You that you were not caught off guard by Adam and Eve’s disobedience. You had a plan in place from the very beginning, before the world even began. Because you loved them and you love us You prepared a way for us to come back to You, to know You, and to live with You forever. We stand in awe of You.
This is adapted from lesson one in the six-part Messiah Mystery series. You can order the entire package from our Etsy store.
This interactive curriculum is a great experience to teach your family about the long wait for the Messiah to come. Your kids will love the hands-on activities too.
May God bless you as you seek and find clues to the Messiah Mystery during the season of Lent.
Join us in becoming #Easterpeople …
For whom the cross is everything!
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