Godstruck Ministries 4 Kids March 2015 Newsletter

Blessings Blog: Tempting Truths

Temptation comes in so many different forms. By virtue of a box of cookies, candy or a luscious frosted cake sitting on the counter, one can be tempted to indulge. My recent experience has been with the cake. My friend, Vickie, made me a huge cake for my birthday. We had a decent amount of company to help us make our way through it, but there was still a large portion left by the end of the evening. Each day that it sat on the counter (the box was too big to put elsewhere), the cake and silky frosting was calling out to me. I made sure that I only took slim slices, and I did stick to after dinner dessert only, but a couple times I took a little swipe of the icing and the moist, fudgy cake leavings on the cake board. When a new group of visitors didn’t finish it off, I put the rest in a plastic container and placed it in the fridge. With one last swipe on the board, I disposed of the original container. We left on a planned trip, and I was hoping our family that was left in the house would eat the remaining cake while we were gone.

In regard to temptation with food, depending on what else has been eaten or how much is taken, yielding to a desire can be benign, or there could be a problem - a sin committed. The temptation itself is not a transgression. In this case, it is giving in to an over-indulgence that can often lead to trouble. Of course there are other actions to which we may be tempted that will walk us right over the line, but the Bible is clear that not one of us is a stranger to temptation’s lure. In fact, the Bible teaches that Jesus Himself was tempted. It was very real and came through direct contact with Satan, but Jesus was the victor over him and the situation. As in all that was recorded about the Lord, He left us an example, which we would be wise to imitate.

The Bible teaches that during His forty days in the desert, Jesus was tempted by Satan three times. While not exclusive, the temptations He faced deal with three major areas in which we all can be tempted. Satan enticed Jesus in the area of provision when he said, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3 ESV). Hungry from forty days and nights of fasting, Jesus used Scripture to stay the course and not yield to the enemy’s schemes. Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4 ESV). Satan tried to trap Jesus regarding position when he himself quoted Scripture to tempt Jesus to jump from the highest point of the temple to prove that “If you are the Son of God” the angels would come to His rescue. Jesus quoted a verse from Deuteronomy 6:16, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:7 ESV). Then, Satan attempted to lure Jesus into worshiping him by holding a promise of power out to Him: “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Be gone, Satan!’ For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him” (Matthew 4:8-10 ESV).

Very often, we yield to temptation as we try to procure provisions, position or power. Jesus showed us that Scripture is an effective tool to fight against those temptations that can so easily trap us. But, Jesus recognized that we would give in to our temptations far more often than we would be victors over them. We continue to seek to fulfill our fleshly needs with things that not only will not satisfy, but those choices are sin that keep us separated from God. And so, Jesus chose to take all of the resultant sin upon Himself so that we would be able to live with Him and the Father in eternity. It is our cause for celebration throughout the Easter season! When our temptations get the better of us, we who trust in Jesus as Savior are covered by His precious blood. While we might suffer consequences from our choices, our confession of faith and of our sins will allow us to continue to be renewed, and we will enjoy a heavenly home when our time on earth is through.

To fight temptation, a believer should be aware of his own weakness, continue to stay in communion with God, and use Scripture to rebuff the enemy so that he may stay the course. Praise the Lord that when we give in to temptation, Jesus has already paid the price for the “sin that so easily besets us.” Make that truth the center of your celebration this Easter.

Family Activity: An Egg-cellent Endeavor

In many households dying hardboiled eggs is a part of the Easter tradition. Coloring eggs predates Christianity, and in pagan rites and rituals it stood as a symbol of the start of spring and a season of new life. The egg was adopted into the Christian celebration of Easter as a symbol of new life in Christ through His death and resurrection. In the Orthodox tradition, eggs are dyed red to represent the blood that Christ shed on the cross.

In the western culture, many who dye eggs as a part of their Easter celebration participate out of habit and/or for the enjoyment of the activity. Perhaps this year you and your family can hold to this custom but find in it a deeper meaning. Consider dying at least some of your eggs red using one of God’s natural colorants that He has provided. Use your eggs as an opportunity to discuss the new life a Christian has in Jesus Christ. On Easter day you can play a little game that reinforces the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead, thus providing us with eternal life.

Dying Eggs Red - A Natural Method

I spoke with a friend of mine who worships in an Orthodox church. She mentioned the use of yellow onionskins to color eggs a deep red. I was a bit skeptical, but as I did some research, I found that this is a common practice in Orthodox traditions. Only a few inexpensive ingredients are needed. While peeling the onions may be the most difficult part of this project, the onions themselves do not have to be wasted, as they can be chopped and frozen in freezer bags for use at a later time. (Tip: Cut onions under cold running water, chop near a running ventilation fan, and keep young children away from the area while getting the onions prepared for storing. According to Lifehacker, wearing goggles or freezing the onion will also help.) You may be able to ask the produce manager at your local grocers if you can have the onionskins that have been left behind in the onion bin or the shipping containers. In the future, saving the skins as you use onions over a period of time will likely provide enough for this project. Kept dry, onionskins can last for quite a while.

You will need:

A stainless steel pot large enough to hold the amount of eggs you intend to boil
A lid for the pot
Skins from five to ten medium to large yellow onions (I used seven)
Five cups of water
Two tablespoons of white vinegar
One dozen uncooked eggs (a few more if you will be sharing them - see the Living the Word section)
Additional water

The onionskins can be a little tricky to remove, but allow children to help peel off the paper-like outer layer as well as salvage any skins that might be left in the bag. Much of the skin will need to be removed by cutting and scraping with a sharp knife - adults and older responsible children will have to do this task. Children can measure the water and the vinegar and pour it into the pot. They can also add the onionskins.

Once the skins, the five cups of water and the vinegar are in the pot, cover it with a lid and put it on the stove. Bring the ingredients to a boil. When boiling, turn down the heat to medium and continue cooking for thirty minutes. Remove the pot from heat and let it sit to cool to room temperature. The dye will not look red at this point. Be patient!

Place the eggs in the cooled dye mixture. Add water to completely cover the eggs. Cover the pot again and bring to a boil. When the mixture begins to boil, set a timer for twenty minutes. After twenty minutes, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for about ten minutes. Next, place the pot in the refrigerator on a trivet to protect the shelf surface. As the mixture cools, check the eggs periodically by lifting them with a slotted spoon.

Once the desired color is achieved, remove the eggs from the liquid. Using the yellow skins produced very dark brick-red eggs for me. Wipe the eggs dry with a paper towel or a dispensable cloth. Use a small amount of edible oil and a paper towel or old cloth to polish and shine the eggs. This is another step in which children can participate.

Store the finished eggs in the refrigerator. Unless the eggs are being boiled, are in the first part of the cooling process, or are being wiped and shined, make sure the eggs are always under refrigeration.

The Traditional Greeting and a Little Game

On Easter morning the eggs can be placed on the breakfast table. Each family member can choose an egg. One person will greet another with the glorious statement, “Christ is risen!” The respondent says, “He is risen, indeed,” as the two tap their eggs together. This can be a time when the resurrection story is read from Matthew 28, Mark 16 or Luke 24. In each of these accounts an angel (two in Luke) speaks the words, “He is not here, but has risen.” Talk with your family about what that means for believers and how we can look forward to being with Jesus forever!

For those who are open to possible mayhem during their Easter breakfast, there is a little game, tsougrisma (means clinking together or clashing) that is played in Greek homes. Each player holds his red egg and taps the end of the egg on the end of another player’s egg. The object is to see who can break an opponent’s egg without cracking his own. Once an egg is cracked that player sits to eat, and the victor moves on to try to crack the eggs of others. Whoever is left with the intact egg at the end is declared the winner.

Enjoy the festivities and celebrate the truth that Christ is risen, indeed!

Information taken from the following websites:

the kitchn (per the website, the spelling of 'the kitchn' is correct)
Nourishing Minimalism
Greek Food
Orthodox Easter
Greek Reporter
The Food Timeline
Wikipedia

Living the Word: An Egg-straordinary Invitation

Now that you have some pretty eggs to share, plan to use these as invitation tools for neighbors, co-workers, friends or family for your church Easter services. Put the name of your church and the times of services on an egg; write, “He is risen” on another. Giving the eggs with a few home-baked or foil-wrapped treats will be a fun and special way to ask someone to worship with you on Easter Sunday. This could be his time to commit or recommit his life to Christ. What a wonderful gift it would be to you both, to have a loved one or an acquaintance receive the gift of salvation on the day we celebrate Christ’s resurrection and our sure hope of eternal life!

Acts Chapter Ten tells the story of Cornelius, a Roman army officer, who feared God and was devout in his prayers and giving to others. God saw his heart and actually caused him to see a vision of an angel who told him to send for the apostle Peter. As Cornelius’ servants were on their way to see Peter, Peter also had a vision teaching him that all animals that God made were clean and available to eat. When Cornelius’ servants came to Peter, he realized that his vision also taught him that salvation was not just for Jews, but for Gentiles as well.

Peter went with the servants to Cornelius’ house. “Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him but Peter lifted him up, saying ‘Stand up; I too am a man.’ And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered” (Acts 10:24b-28 ESV). Peter told them that he understood that God accepted anyone who would come to Him for salvation, and then Peter preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who were there. “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles... And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 10: 44-45, 48 ESV).

As Cornelius was faithful to invite others to hear the Good News, God was faithful to grant salvation to those who heard. May God use your willingness to reach out to others for Him to bring them into relationship with Him through His Son. Blessed Easter to you all!

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As the theme verse for Godstruck Ministries 4 Kids, Colossians 3:16 speaks to the heart and soul of why this ministry exists. Our mission is to help children hide God’s Word and principles in their hearts through His wonderful gift of music.