The Resurrection is like...

When I was a child we spent most of our Easter Sundays in Florida, and attended some church where we'd never been. Over the years I heard many children's sermons about objects that tell the story of the Resurrection. I always enjoyed these, so I thought I'd share a few from my childhood plus a new one I've found:

The Legend of the Sand Dollar

The sand dollar is a beachcomber's dream shell find. Generally you only find fragments of them, but they are widely available in gift shops in Florida. I found a website with four versions of the legend. This is the version most familiar to me:

Upon this odd-shaped sea shell
A legend grand is told
About the life of Jesus
The wondrous tale of old

The center marking plainly shows
The well known Guiding Star
That led to tiny Bethlehem
The Wise Men from afar

The Christmas flower, Poinsettia
For His Nativity
The Resurrection too is marked
The Easter Lily, see

Five wounds were suffered by our Lord
From nails and Roman's spear
When He died for us on the cross
The wounds show plainly here

Within the shell, should it be broke,
Five Doves of Peace are found
To emphasize this legend
So may Love and Peace abound

The Easter Lily

There are different versions of this legend as well.

Every year, on the first Sunday after the first full moon, churches are filled with exquisite Easter lilies. Churches at Easter time grace the altars and surround the cross with Easter Lilies, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This importance rests even more clearly on a legend that the blood of Jesus, as it fell from the cross, was by a miracle transformed into flowers which filled heaven and earth. The Dogwood An old and beautiful legend has it that, at the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood was comparable in size to the oak tree and other monarchs of the forest. Because of its firmness and strength it was selected as the timber for the cross, but to be put to such a cruel use greatly distressed the tree. Sensing this, the crucified Jesus in his gentle pity for the sorrow and suffering of all said to it: "Because of your sorrow and pity for My sufferings, never again will the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a gibbet. Henceforth it will be slender, bent and twisted and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross -- two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints -- brown with rust and stained with red -- and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see this will remember." Resurrection Cookies This is a teaching activity for children. It could be adapted for use as a children's sermon if the ingredients were simply brought into the church and displayed.