What is hidden inside a resurrection roll? Absolutely nothing, BUT, symbolically, Everything. It is empty but that “emptiness” can change our life, fill our life, and give us eternal life.
Resurrection Rolls have been a family favorite for decades and I cannot count the number of times that I have made these for my family or for preschool groups to help explain the Easter story. Easter can be confusing for little ones to understand, and death may be a particularly difficult subject.
I used to love to use something called Resurrection Eggs to teach the Easter story to young children. Resurrection Eggs are a fantastic teaching tool. Each bright and colorful Easter egg is filled with a small trinket or treasure to help explain the Easter story: a small spear, silver coins, a tiny crown of thorns, a rock to cover the tomb, etc. One year, I passed out all 12 eggs and we were going through each one. The children were so excited as they sat and patiently waited until it was their turn to open their egg. We would carefully discuss and touch each trinket that was contained in each egg.
SO fun, that was until we got to the last egg. A precious little girl jumped up when it was her turn to open the last and most “special egg!” As she cracked it open and peered into the completely empty egg, she immediately burst into tears that her egg was empty, and she did not have anything to show.
Please understand no amount of Biblical explanation about the special wonder of the empty tomb would console her. She had been slighted with an empty egg. After the “great empty egg incident,” I decided to switch to Resurrection Rolls as my teaching tool for Easter and have had many satisfied preschoolers ever since.
I hope you will take some time to not just make these delicious rolls, but plan to go through the Bible story and make sure your kids understand that the empty tomb means more to them than anything else. It is the essential story of Easter. The most important part is that Jesus defeated death for us. He rose from the dead and left the tomb empty. He died for our sins, and he did all this to fulfill God’s promise. God promised to defeat the devil way back in Genesis, and Jesus was sent to cover all of our sins with His Holy blood.
Happy Easter. These rolls are a simple, childlike reminder of the empty tomb.
Get your little ones to help make these. They can help with each step. The good news is that they do not have to be perfect to be delicious.
Resurrection Rolls
1 package crescent rolls
8 jumbo marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 tablespoons brown sugar combined with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Line a cupcake or muffin tin with cupcake liners and spray with nonstick spray. This will help with cleanup.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Give each child a crescent roll triangle and explain that this represents the burial cloths Jesus was wrapped in after his crucifixion.
Give each child a marshmallow. This will represent Jesus, pure, white as snow and sinless. Allow the children to dip the marshmallow into the melted butter and then roll in the brown sugar and/or cinnamon. These represent the oils and spices that Jesus was anointed with after his death.
Get the children to wrap the marshmallow up in their crescent roll, being sure to completely seal the marshmallow in the dough. This will represent the soldiers sealing the tomb.
Put each roll in a well-greased muffin tin and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. This will represent Jesus in the tomb. Once rolls are lightly browned, remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.
The children can open their rolls and discover the tomb is empty. (The marshmallow melts) Read Matthew 26 - 28. Happy Easter.
Hallelujah, He is risen, He is risen, indeed. The tomb is empty, for He is not there, just as He said.
Lisa can be contacted at LisaIreland2013@gmail.com.
