Object: A large sponge and some water with a couple of drops of food coloring.

Good morning, boys and girls. Today we're going to talk about a special day called "Easter." Isn't Easter wonderful? It is one of the happiest days of the year. Jesus Christ came back from the dead on this day and promised that the same thing can happen to all of us. Easter is the happiest day of the year because we think about the promise of Jesus all day long and it helps us to remember it all year long. Just think, some day we will live with God forever. We will be a real part of God's real world. That sounds great doesn't it?

I want to help you think about Easter and what it means. Did you know that the Bible teaches us that when we die our lives will be hidden with Jesus in God? You and I know that Jesus came back from being dead and that he lives with God. We know that, don't we? (Let them answer.) It's true. I know that it is true. But where is Jesus? He came back to earth and we know that he went to live with God in his real world, but where did he go? That is the question.

Let me show you how I understand it. I have some water here that all of you can see. I am going to pretend that this is our world. The world that you and I live in has trees, flowers, buildings, cars, and all of those things. It also has people. The people are going to be these little drops that I am going to put into the water of our world. Those people are like you and me. We get all mixed up in the world. People, trees, buildings, cars, and all of those things are in the world. It looks kind of neat in this glass, doesn't it? (Let them answer.) But what happens when we die? It is like being spilled out of the glass when we die. That doesn't look like much fun, does it?

But God has a plan. God is this big sponge that I have in my hand. God comes to us when we die and kind of hides us in him. He takes us up from being dead and makes us come alive again. (Take the sponge and squeeze it out into another glass.)

Did you see how we were hidden in God? (Let them answer.) We are all together with God, and Christ is there with us also. That is the story of Easter. We do not just get spilled out of our world when we die. We are not left out. We are hidden with God as the water was hidden in the sponge. We are there with Jesus, and we stay there until God has his new world ready for us to live in in peace and happiness. That is why Easter is such a happy day. It is the best, because we know that when we die, we will be hidden with Jesus in God, where we can someday live in the best world ever.