Easter Tea Party

Inspired by Jessica at Shower of Roses, inspired by Alice, we had another tea party!  The boys were thrilled.  They had a blast.

~ The Stone~

 

English Muffins. 

"Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb." John 20:1-3

~ Linen Cloth and Napkin ~

White table cloth and napkins. We originally planned to do this on Divine Mercy Sunday, so we were also going to use a red runner. We ended up not doing it on Sunday, so I didn't dig through the Christmas stuff to find the runner ;) When we read the passage for this offering, we passed out napkins.

"Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself." John 20: 6-7.

~ Two Angels ~

Strawberry Jam and cream cheese for with the English muffins.

"[S]he saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet." John 20: 12.

~ The Gardener ~

Hide a favorite treat under a bed of lettuce leaves.

The kids even are some of the lettuce!  Well...The Professor did anyway

"Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" John 20: 15-16


~ Peace be with You ~

Bread cut into a dove shape (actually a duck shape since that's the cutter I had on hand :) )

"When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19

~ Receive the Holy Spirit ~

Having soothed them with His peace, Jesus next told the apostles, "Receive the Holy Spirit." To represent the burning love of the Holy Spirit and help the kids anticipate the celebration of Pentecost, we created a snack that looks a bit like flames.

White and yellow cheese with a sliver of grape tomatoes on top.

"When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20: 22-23

~ The Twin ~

Rolled up ham, placed on the "dove" bread.

"Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came." John 20: 24

~ Thomas' Thumbprint Cookies ~

Pepperidge Farms Verona cookies could also be used.

These represent Thomas' vow not to believe, "[u]nless I see in his hands the print of the nails and place my finger in the mark of the nails," (John 20: 25).

The kids helped make them and did the thumbprints themselves.

These were sooo yummy!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup jam

Beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract, continuing to beat until blended in. Turn the mixer to low and add flour one tablespoon or so at a time until combined. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and roll the dough into balls about an inch in diameter. Put the balls on a cookie sheet at least two inches apart.

Now here is the part that will remind the children of St. Thomas. Allow them to use their own thumbs to make a well in each ball of dough. Put about a quarter teaspoon of jam in each impression. A ruby red jam, such as strawberry or raspberry, would remind the children of the wounds of Christ.

Bake for 15 minutes until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, and then set on a wire rack to cool.

 "Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." (John 20: 27.)

~ Many Signs and Wonders ~

We used up some of the leftover Easter candy that was lying around :)

It represents the many wonderful signs Jesus performed before his disciples.

"Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book." (John 20: 30.)

It was a lot of work, but it was worth it.  I'm looking forward to doing another one of these, but probably not until Advent :)