Schultz Party of Four

For Good Friday at our house this year, we hosted several of our friends for dinner and a Tenebrae. Our pastor had put together a booklet that broke the story of the crucifixion down into nine sections based on a section in the book of Luke paraphrased for children. We had nine candles lit in the middle of the room, then each adult took one of the readings. As a reading was finished a candle was extinguished until the burial of Jesus in the tomb when the last candle went out.

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The kids did fairly well, though the girls were decked out in princess gear by that point, and the little boys were wondering what-on-Earth to do with themselves in such a girly house. The children took turns extinguishing the candles, which went surprisingly well - after Julia stopped attempting to start a rousing 'Happy Birthday' from the crowd. Carolyn and one of her best friends, Landry, each offered a prayer (which cracked me up, "God, thank you for our food, amen" from both of them...there was no food at this point).

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Truly though, this was a holy moment. Not only did we model for our children the importance of remembering and honoring the sacrifice of Christ on the cross - we as parents had the opportunity to reflect on the 'dark hour' Christ endured. Easter is all the more joyful when the bleak reality of the cross is first appreciated.