Easter 2024 - 31 March and 7 April 2024

The story that was told at Easter to the children was of:

A little girl who collected the eggs from the hens that were on the farm where she lives with her parents. The hens all had white and and brown feathers and the eggs that the little girl collected were white and brown.

One day her father brought home a red hen. The little girl was very excited because she expected the hen to lay red eggs, but the hen laid white and pale brown eggs, just like all the other hens.

When Easter came around her father suggested that the parents dye a few eggs red and place them under the red hen. The mother thought this was absurd, but the father said there was a story behind his suggestion.

This was the story the little girl's father told. When Jesus was crucified one of the women at the cross was Mary of Magdala. Some months after the events of the first Easter Pontius Pilot was being replaced as the governor of Judea. May of Magdala decided to wait at the gate to Jerusalem to meet the new governor. When he was entering the city Mary stopped him and told him about the man, Jesus, who had been crucified and asked the new governor to be kind towards the followers of Jesus. The new governor replied that if he received a sign he would consider her request. What sign did he want? Mary had a basket of eggs with her and the governor said that if the eggs were to turn red it would be the sign he needed.

At that moment the sun shone onto the eggs and they appeared bright red. The governor accepted this as a sign and ever since eggs have been dyed red for Easter.

The little girl was delighted when she found red eggs under the red hen on Easter morning.

The wheatgrass that the children had planted on Palm Sunday had sprouted and was growing strongly. Hidden in the wheatgrass each child found a red dyed egg.

This was not the only surprise for the children; the Easter bunny had hidden chocolate eggs all around the back garden of the church. A diligent seach found enough eggs so that each child could take five eggs home with them.

Not all the children who planted wheatgrass on Palm Sunday were able to come to the Easter festival on Easter Sunday, 31 March, and so a second festival was held on Sunday 7 April.

Red dyed eggs hidden in the wheatgrass

Hunting for more chocolate eggs while the wheatgrass waits to be taken home.

Searching the garden for chocolate eggs

The second festival on 7 April

The wheatgrass grew wonderfully in 2 weeks and almost hid the red dyed eggs.