Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns!
Easter food
by the Revd Catherine Williams (revised, originally published in 2005)
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To explore the Easter story by using popular Easter foods.
Preparation and materials
- You will need to be familiar with the Easter story so that you can retell it during the assembly. Alternatively, you may wish to have a children’s Bible to read from if you prefer.
- You will need a hot cross bun and an Easter egg. The Easter egg should be hollow or have sweets inside.
Assembly
- Ask the children, ‘Are there any foods that you associate with Easter?’
Listen to a range of responses. - Explain that you are going to be thinking about two special treats that are often seen in the shops at this time of year: Easter eggs and hot cross buns.
- Show the hot cross bun to the children.
Ask the children, ‘Can anyone think why we eat hot cross buns at Easter?’
Listen to a range of responses, and then point to the cross on top of the bun.
Explain that the cross reminds us of Jesus’ death. Christians believe that, even though he had done nothing wrong, he died on Good Friday on a cross. Many years afterwards, a cross was drawn on top of the buns to remind people about this. - Show the Easter egg to the children.
Ask the children, ‘Does anyone know why we have chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Explain that Christians believe that, after Jesus had died on the cross, his body was placed in a tomb and a large stone was rolled across the entrance. Christians also believe that Jesus came back to life again on Easter Sunday and the stone was rolled away.
Eggs are a symbol of new life, so they remind us that although Jesus died, he came back to life again. - Retell or read the Easter story.
The people who visited Jesus’ tomb, and many of Jesus’ friends, had the best surprise ever when they realized that Jesus had come back from the dead and was alive again!
Time for reflection
Ask the children to close their eyes and imagine that first Easter.
Many people would have felt sad because Jesus had died. Imagine how Jesus’ friends must have felt on Easter Sunday when they realized that Jesus was alive again!
Pause to allow time for thought.
Point out that sometimes, we feel sad and sometimes, we feel happy. Christians believe that God is with us no matter how we are feeling.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for hot cross buns and chocolate Easter eggs.
Please help us to remember their special meaning: that Jesus died on the cross and then was raised to life for all of us.
Amen.
Song/music
‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Jesus Christ is now alive’ by Emu Kids, available at: https://youtu.be/ECYn7r-Zbbg (2 minutes long)
