A Thoughtful Hour

Can you think of a time that someone did something super amazing for you that left you completely amazed and speechless? How did you feel at the time of the act of kindness as well as later when you thought of the person? I’ve been on the receiving end of these incredible gestures on various occasions. When I remember the warm and unimaginable moments my heart softens and fills with glowing admiration and love for these people over and over again–even a long time after the act took place.

Perhaps the most important act of love we could ever receive was Jesus sacrificing His life so we might have eternal life. Scripture tells us that “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13, NLT). Reflecting on Christ’s perfect sacrifice and perfect gift helps us grow in our love for Him. Ellen White shares, “It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. (White 83).

Here are some practical tips for all members of the family to spend that “thoughtful hour” of reflection on Christ’s life.

Activities for Children:
- Resurrection eggs. Use plastic eggs filled with symbols of the Resurrection story to tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Not a fan of Easter eggs? You may place the tokens in small gift bags. See this site for an example: https://biblegamescentral.com/resurrection-eggs/
- Resurrection rolls. Read this recipe for a super easy, fun, and tasty treat as an object lesson about the death and resurrection of Jesus: https://www.yummyhealthyeasy.com/easter-resurrection-rolls?utm_campaign=yummly&utm_medium=yummly&utm_source=yummly
- This day in history week. Focus on the last days of Christ’s ministry each day: His triumphant entry on one day; clearing the temple another day; the last supper on Thursday; the trial, crucifixion, death, burial on Friday; Jesus in the tomb on Sabbath; and end with His resurrection on Sunday.
- Creative reflection. Draw or dramatize scenes from the story of Jesus’ life.
Ideas for Teens and Older
- In their shoes. As a family, read the stories and discuss the stories from the perspective of key characters in each story: Jesus, disciples, person who received the miracle, onlookers, etc.
- Reflective Bible reading on the life of Christ. Read the gospels and journal your thoughts on each day’s reading. Journal prompts could include some of the following questions. What one thing did I learn about Jesus? What can I personally apply from this reading? Is there a prayer in this passage for me to pray? Try reading from a modern Bible translation or a chronological Bible or listen to the Bible reading from a dramatized audio Bible.
- Intensive study. Participate in the 90 day DA with DA challenge. A reflective daily study of The Desire of Ages with David Asscherick: DAwithDA – YouTube .