Mecklenburg Community Church

As Christians we celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We have found that it is important for kids to understand all the whats, hows and whys, so we hope this will help explain how and why Jesus rose from the dead.

“Did Jesus ACTUALLY rise from the dead?” That question is the heart of everything Christians believe. It is the question that must be settled. If the answer is "no, Jesus did not rise," then Jesus was just a man. His teaching may be useful but not transcendent. His miracles make for good stories but are nothing more than folklore. His impact was huge but ended after his death and continues through memory but nothing more. If the answer is "yes, Jesus did rise," then Jesus was much more than just a man, and everything changes.

His teaching is truth, and should be studied and obeyed. His miracles were real acts of a divine being, revealing the very nature of God. His impact lives on, as he does, directly influencing our world today. If Jesus rose from the dead, he isn’t just a man, he is God! That fact is the heart of the Christian faith.

Paul, a missionary of the Christian faith wrote, "If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless." (1 Corinthians 15:14 NLT) The entire Christian faith hinges on this one miracle, this one act of God. And, as Paul writes, "in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead." (1 Corinthians 15:20 NLT)

Easter Celebrates a Risen Christ

MecKidz has put together a short film that explores the events of the resurrection from a skeptical mind. Following two detectives, as they piece together the eyewitness accounts and evidence from the “Christ Scene,” trying to discover whether the evidence does point to Jesus ACTUALLY rising from the dead. They ask questions like:

Did Jesus actually die and was buried in a tomb?
Was the tomb REALLY empty? Or did they just go to the wrong one?
Could the followers of Jesus have stolen the body to make it “seem” like Jesus rose?
What did eyewitnesses actually see at the Tomb of Jesus?
Did ANYONE see Jesus alive after he died?

Sound interesting? Gather your family together and watch this journey into the evidence. Then, after watching the service, use the questions below for discussion!

THE RESURRECTION FILES: DID JESUS ACTUALLY RISE FROM THE DEAD?

If you have preschoolers, you can also watch our preschool specific service that includes fun dancing and the story of Jesus rising from the dead, but with simpler language and concepts.

PRESCHOOL SERVICE: JESUS IS ALIVE!

Discussion Questions

For older kids:

What do you think the story of Easter (The Resurrection) teaches us about God?
Why do you think it’s important that Jesus rose from the dead?
Now that you have seen the evidence, do you think its possible that Jesus did actually rise from the dead? If not, what makes you say that?

For younger kids:

Can you tell me the story of Easter? (Have them retell the story of the resurrection.)
How happy do you think Jesus’ friends were that he was ALIVE?
Do you think Jesus wants to be your friend forever?

Now that you have asked, “did the resurrection actually happen,” it’s time for the MOST important question: So what?

There is a verse in the Bible that explains WHY Easter and the resurrection matters to us. John 3:16 says "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life." Here is a fun video that can help you teach it to your kids!

On Easter, we celebrate the greatest event in human history, the resurrection of Jesus. The empty tomb declares that Jesus has defeated death once and for all. It declares that life – eternal life – is available in Him. It is the best news ever! The victory Jesus offers over death is available to everyone who chooses to accept it.

That is why Easter and the resurrection are so important.