*Mission Accomplished: A Two-Week Family Easter Devotional

*Mission Accomplished: A Two-Week Family Easter Devotional by Scott James. New Growth Press, 2015. 64 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10
Recommended for: ages 4-8, ages 8-10

So often our church celebrations of the great story of Easter end with Easter morning: after attending various Passion week services, we arise early and go to the sunrise service, stay for a joyful morning worship service, and head home to fellowship with friends and family. What sets this new family devotional apart is that it starts the week before Easter and continues for a full week after Easter. The first week focuses on the events of the week preceding Easter in the Gospel accounts (Palm Sunday, the money changers in the temple, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion). The second week starts with Easter Sunday, moves through several resurrection appearances, and ends with our ultimate hope in the second coming of Christ coupled with our responsibility to go and tell the nations.

The format of this devotional is adaptable to a variety of family worship settings. Visuals artistically enhance the text; there are no illustrations of biblical scenes (hence there are no pictures of Jesus). Each selection begins with a selection of Scripture to read followed by a reflection in kid-friendly language. Questions to think about are included at the end of each reflection (along with answers!). Every other day/night features a simple craft activity that nearly everyone in the family (toddlers on up) will be able to do. The alternate days include several verses of a relevant hymn. The hymns are such that most adult readers will readily recognize them (for example, “When I Survey,” “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,”); however, music scores are not included. Families may wish to have a hymnbook to reference or even a resource like Net Hymnal for help with tunes.

This is a terrific resource for families who wish to go beyond the usual Easter information. Resurrection Eggs are a great activity, but we need to move our children beyond the basic events of the story and allow them to understand some of the real joy of Easter coupled with the need to go and spread the good news!

Cautions: none

Overall Rating: 5 (out of 5)

• Worldview rating: 5
• Artistic rating: 5

Categories: Christian, Devotionals, Holidays, Starred Review
*indicates starred review
Cover image from Amazon.