But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.”
Luke 24:1-6
Our Holy Week Family Devotional is brought to you by the Next Gen Ministry. We pray you and your family spend time reflecting on the life of Jesus this week.
Today’s Devotion
Today is the day we’ve been waiting for. Jesus is alive! Christians call this day Easter, or “Resurrection Sunday” because Jesus is risen! The word “resurrection” means to rise from the dead—and that’s exactly what Jesus did!
The women came to the tomb the morning after the Sabbath. Here, they saw that someone else had already rolled the stone away! After going inside the tomb and seeing that Jesus’ body wasn’t in there anymore, they thought someone had stolen it. They didn’t know what had happened. The Bible tells us they were afraid.
But suddenly, two angels appeared and asked the women why they were looking for a living person in a grave! This must have surprised the women…but then they remembered what Jesus had said about rising from the dead.
The angels then told them the good news they had wanted to hear! “He is not here, but He has risen!” Jesus was stronger and more powerful than death. He proved it!
Because Jesus rose from the dead, those who believe in Him as Lord and Savior are also promised to live with Him forever after our bodies die on earth. Easter Sunday is a special day when we celebrate and tell the world loudly that Jesus is alive! Resurrection Sunday proclaims, “Jesus is risen!”
Talking Points
• Why is it important for our family that Jesus is alive?
• After the women who visited the tomb realized that Jesus was alive, they went and told other people the exciting news! Who do you need to tell that Jesus is alive?
Family Activity
Supplies needed: plastic eggs, birthday candle
Have a “Jesus Hunt.” Hide Easter eggs around the house. Make all but one of them empty. Hide the candle egg well so they likely find it last. Tell the kids they are to look for the candle. Every time they find an empty egg, they should yell, “Not here!” Then, once they find the candle egg talk about how Jesus has risen and today we celebrate that He is the light of the World. He may not be with us physically today, but we can still celebrate His light that never burns out.