April 16, 2017 Fresh Winds Blowing (Easter Sunday) Go and Tell All Ages Focus Scripture Matthew 28:1-10 PURPOSE To experience the wonder of what God has done. Lesson Preparation q Read Matthew 28:1-10, and the biblical background sheet for April 16. q Place a yellow or white cloth, white candle, offering basket, and Bible on the worship table. Decorate the room to make it as festive as possible with yellow (or gold) and white streamers, balloons, fresh Spring flowers, Easter pictures, etc. Print Easter Greeting (see Opening) on newsprint for older children. q Option A: (Introduction) Bring Charlie Churchmouse, his house and chair (from Nursery/3-year-old class), and an Easter egg that Charlie can hold. q Option B: (Introduction) Gather a variety of different stones and put an Easter symbol or message on the bottom of each one using fine-line markers and self-adhesive stickers (e.g. Alleluia! He is risen. The tomb is empty, Jesus lives!, New Life! Symbols: butterfly, lily, sun with rays, egg, etc. You can repeat more that once if needed.) q Ask 2 women (could be teens) to play the 2 Marys. Find appropriate costumes. Make copies of the script Early Easter Morning from the resource sheet. q Bring Bibles for older children (optional). q Option A: Bring white paper and yellow construction paper, green pipe cleaners, green construction paper and florist s tape or green parcel tape. Make a sample lily. q Option B: Bring box lids, small paper cups, play dough (see recipe at end of lesson), clothespegs, material scraps, rubber bands, sand, sprigs of greenery, and small cardboard strips and markers for making title signs. q Option C: Make copies of the activity sheets Easter Maze and Easter Crossword Puzzle. Bring pencils and crayons. q Option D: Bring small sturdy paper plates, thread, clear tape, white paper cut in egg shapes, 15cm/6 in. squares of variegated tissue paper, black pipe cleaners, yellow construction paper (cut in circles and small triangles ready for gluing by young children). Make a sample mobile q Check the birthday list(s) if possible. q Optional: Purchase small wrapped Easter eggs and hide them around the room. (Keep track of the number so that you will know when all have been found.) Bring plastic baggies. q Pray that each child will sense the importance and mystery of the Easter story. Today s session is structured so that it could be used in a variety of different settings. Children could be in 2 separate groupings of younger children and older children. You could come together at the same time for the drama and return to separate areas for the crafts. You could choose to be all together for the entire session. Crafts could be set up as activity centers so children can choose the craft idea that most suits them. Crafts today may take a little longer than usual. 1 Opening Welcome all the children. Since this may be a different grouping than on other Sundays, with possible visitors, take time to get to know each one s name. Use name tags if this would be helpful. Choose a volunteer to light the candle saying We light this candle to remind us that God is always with us. Opening Song: Alleluia (sing as an echo song) (tune: Frère Jacques) Alleluia, Alleluia, Praise God! Praise God! Je-sus is risen, Je-sus is risen, He s with us again! He s with us again! Happy Easter, Happy Easter, Praise God! Praise God! We re an Easter people, We re an Easter people, Praise God! Praise God! Copyright Wood Lake Publishing April 16, 2017 The Whole People of God 1
April 16, 2017 All Ages continued Birthdays, Offering Prayer: O God, we thank you for this most special day of the year. Help us to feel the excitement and surprise that the disciples felt, as we too discover the good news of that first Easter morning. Amen. Ask the group if they know the special Easter word that we don t say at all during Lent and say as many times as possible during the Easter season. (Alleluia.) What does the word Alleluia mean? Teach the following Easter greeting repeating it several times until they know it by heart. Easter Greeting One: Alleluia! Christ is risen! Group: Christ is risen, indeed! All: Alleluia! Sing: We re Filled With Easter Joy (tune: The Bear Went Over the Mountain) We re filled with Easter Joy (3x) Alle - lu - ia! Alle - lu - ia, Praise God! (3x) We re filled with Easter Joy. 2 Introducing the Theme Option A: A Visit from Charlie Churchmouse (for younger children) (Since today s session is structured to include several age groupings, some children won t have talked with Charlie since they were in the 3-year-old class, and will be excited to see him again.) Teacher: Charlie: Teacher: Charlie: Teacher: Charlie: When I came into the room this morning to get things ready for our time together, Charlie Churchmouse was so excited he just couldn t wait for all of you to arrive. So we had better let him know that we are here. Let s call Charlie. Charlie... (Bring Charlie out of his house carrying an Easter egg.) Hi, everyone! I m so glad you re here. Did you see all the decorations that I put up for you? Today is such a special Day! Do you know what today is? (Give children a chance to respond to Charlie.) That s right. It is Easter the most important day of the whole year! Your decorations have helped us to see that today is very special. The room is beautiful. Thank you so much, Charlie. What do you have in your hand? That s an Easter egg. Easter eggs help us to remember the Easter story. Easter eggs remind us of the big rock that was put in front of the cave where they buried Jesus. It can remind us about what happened to that rock on Easter Day! Charlie, we are going to hear that story now. Would you like to hear it with us? O yes! Hearing the Easter story is what Easter is all about. (Put Charlie in his chair.) Option B: Stone Surprises (for older children) Invite children to look at the various rocks sitting on the purple cloth. Purple is the colour of Lent of the time leading up to Easter. These are plain rocks like the big rock that was in front of the cave or tomb where Jesus was buried on Good Friday. But today is Easter and that first Easter Day was full of surprises for Jesus followers. Ask the children to each choose a rock and then turn it over to find a special Easter surprise message. When all the children have a rock, set the white or yellow/gold cloth over top of the purple cloth. Ask the class, one by one, to share their message and then set their rock, message side up, on the white/gold material. Did any of them have an Easter egg hunt at their home this morning? Eggs can also remind us of new life that God gives. God gave Jesus new life and he came out of the tomb, like a baby chick breaks out of an egg. 3 Exploring the Theme Today we are going to hear the story of that first Easter morning told to us by 2 of the women who were there both called Mary. So let s meet them now. (Move to the area where the dramatic conversation is to take place, or if you are doing it in the same spot, go to the door and invite the 2 special guests to join you.) 2 The Whole People of God April 16, 2017 Copyright Wood Lake Publishing
April 16, 2017 All Ages continued Dramatic Conversation: Early Easter Morning (Use dialogue as outlined on the resource sheet.) A Time for Wondering... n I wonder what the frightened soldiers did after the women left?... n I wonder how the disciples felt when the 2 Marys told them what had happened?... n I wonder what will happen next?... (Older children might like to turn to the gospel account and read Matthew 28:11-15a.) 4 Integrating the Theme Option A: Easter Lily Show children the sample that you have made. Talk about how the lily is shaped like a trumpet and trumpets used to be used to announce the entrance of a king or to call people s attention to an important message. So Easter lilies appear to be announcing the news that Jesus has risen. Have each child trace their hand (with fingers spread apart) onto white paper. Take a small rectangle of yellow paper (that fits into the palm of the traced hand as shown) and cut it like grass. (See illustration.) Glue it onto the hand. Then curl each finger around a pencil away from the yellow paper. Roll hand shape at the wrist to form a lily-shaped flower. Attach to pipe cleaner with tape. Cut out green leaves and tape to the stem. Print an Easter message such as Alleluia or He is risen on the leaf. Give the lily to someone as a special Easter present. Option B: Easter Scene Table Center Hand out box lids or large meat trays, and small paper cups. Invite children to cut a door in the paper cup and then press play dough over the cup to turn it into a cave. Set it on the box lid. Place 2 clothespegs into a ball of play dough as a base. Cut a hole in the center of a rectangle of cloth and place the cloth over the head of the clothespeg and secure at the waist with a rubber band. Add a small piece as a head covering and secure with another rubber band. Draw some eyes on the clothespeg head. Repeat for the second Mary. Sprinkle some sand in the box and add some shrubs by sticking little pieces of greenery onto little balls of play dough. They might add a little sign He is risen! to the scene. Suggest that they use it as a table center at home during the Easter season. Option C: Activity Sheets Set out activity sheets, pencils, and crayons Option D: Easter Symbol Mobile Show the children the mobile that you have created. Talk about the meaning of each of the symbols (see unit introduction). Set out materials. Invite children to decorate both sides of the paper egg. The butterfly is created by folding the tissue paper fan style and then wrapping the black pipe cleaner around the middle letting the 2 ends be antennae as shown. Invite older children to cut a sun with rays and younger children can glue triangles around the edge of the circle to create the rays on their sun. Tape a thread to each symbol and then tape the other end to the paper plate to create a mobile. Add string for hanging. 5 Closing (Gather the children together around the worship table.) Prayer: O God, help us to be happy messengers who gladly share the good news of Easter like the two Marys did. Amen. Sing: We re Filled with Easter Joy again. Some churches may choose to have an Easter Egg Hunt for the children at this time. If so hand out plastic baggies for children to collect egg in. Encourage sharing. Play Dough 500 ml/2 cups flour 250 ml/1 cup water 250 ml/1 cup salt Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Slowly add water while mixing until the dry ingredients are uniformly moistened. Remove the mixture from the bowl and knead for several minutes. (For permanency, articles can be baked in a moderate oven at 325ºF [160ºC] for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.) Note: If adding food colouring, add it to the water. If using over and over again add a little cooking oil to keep it from drying out. Copyright Wood Lake Publishing April 16, 2017 Whole People of God 3
April 16, 2017 All Ages Resource Sheet Early Easter Morning A dramatic conversation for 2 women (Please learn the lines by heart as much as possible so that you can keep eye contact with the children. Don t worry about getting every sentence exactly as it is printed. What is important is that you get to know the feelings of the woman that you are playing and try to be that person.) One: Thank you very much for inviting us to join you in your class today. I am Mary Magdalene and I am one of Jesus closest friends. After Jesus healed me of a terrible disease I started following him everywhere. There were a whole group of us that used to go with him from place to place, and some of us got to know him really well. This is my friend Mary, who was part of our group too. Two: It s confusing, isn t it? We both have the same name. You get used to it after a while, but sometimes it s hard when people forget who you are, or think you re somebody else. One: But we came to tell you about Easter, not about our names. Look, I brought a rock to show you. It s not the rock, of course. But it s still a rock. Feel how heavy it is. (Pass the rock among the children.) Two: The rock they used at the tomb was so much bigger than that. It was just one stone but it filled the whole entry into the tomb! One: I thought my heart had turned to stone the day I watched Joseph of Arimathea lay Jesus body in the tomb and use the big rock to seal it closed. I felt so bad that I didn t think I would ever feel anything else again. Two: Joseph was very brave! After Jesus died he actually went to the Romans and asked for Jesus body so that it could be buried properly. One: He could have been killed too asking for the body of somebody who had been crucified as a criminal. Two: But he wasn t. He got Jesus body, and wrapped it in linen, and put it in the tomb that he had made for himself. One: (to Mary) Do you remember the look on his face as he struggled to roll that stone into the opening? Two: (to Mary) I just remember the soldiers standing around making jokes. (to the children) You see even though Jesus was dead the soldiers had been ordered to stand guard over his body to make sure that nobody stole it. One: All the other disciples had run away. We were the only two at the tomb. Those Romans just didn t understand how much we loved Jesus. Two: The soldiers sealed the tomb and then they stood guard over it. When I left that day I was sure that everything was over. One: I don t know how it works in your country, but in Palestine where we re from, people take time to rub special oils and spices over the body of someone who has died to prepare them for burial. Two: Because the sun was going down on Friday, and Sabbath was beginning... One: (interupting) We don t do any work on the Sabbath. Two: We had to wait until early Sunday morning to go back and prepare Jesus body according to our tradition. One: So Mary and I set out with the oil and spices and went to the garden where the tomb was. Two: At first it didn t look all that different. The guards were still there. The stone was still sealed into the hole, just as it had on Friday night. One: And then all of a sudden there was this incredible earthquake. The earth shook, there was an incredible sound, and there was an angel there! His clothes were bright white and light shone from his face. It was amazing! Two: The guards fainted. Right then and there. Seasoned Roman soldiers they were, but they d never seen anything like this before. One: I was scared too. The angel must have rolled the stone out of the way because he was sitting on it. He showed us that the tomb was empty, and he told us to go and tell the rest of the disciples that Jesus was no longer there. God had given Jesus new life. Two: Can you imagine! We didn t know what to make of it. I was scared and excited and confused all at the same time. But we did as the angel said. We started back to find the rest of the disciples and then something even more wonderful happened. One: Jesus was suddenly there with us on the road. He greeted us with a blessing of peace and I felt so very warm inside, I just wanted to hug him and never let him go. Two: Jesus told us that we were to give the message to all the disciples that he would come to see them very soon. One: Then, just as suddenly as he had come, he disappeared. Two: We hurried on, wondering what the disciples would think when we told them what had happened. One: In those days people didn t trust women with important messages. But Jesus was different. He always listened carefully to us and now he had given us a very, very important message to tell others. Two: Our deep sadness had turned to great joy. One: Well, we need to go on and tell other people our story. We want to share the good news we know about Jesus. Will you help us? Will you pass on the Easter message that God has given Jesus new life? Will you share the love that Jesus showed to us? (Wait for the children to respond, then exit.) 4 Whole People of God April 16, 2017 Copyright Wood Lake Publishing
April 16, 2017 Older Children Activity Sheet Easter Crossword Puzzle (Matthew 28:1-10) Across 1. What they put Jesus' body in when he died. 3. Who the women met on the road after they saw the empty tomb. 6. What caused the earth to shake. 9. The angels appearance was like. 11. The season of the church year that comes before Easter. 12. What the morning was doing when the 2 Marys went to the tomb. 14. Jesus is not here; he has been. 15. What the women were to do and tell his disciples. Down 1. What the guards did that showed they were afraid. 2. The name of the 2 women. 4. Another name for guards. 5. When the disciples go to Galilee they will Jesus. 7. Who rolled the stone away. 8. What the angel sat on. 9. The angel told the women to see the place where Jesus had been. 10. Because of Easter we call the day that Jesus was crucified Friday. 13. What the women were to do and tell his disciples. Copyright Wood Lake Publishing April 16, 2017 Whole People of God 5
April 16, 2017 Younger Children Activity Sheet Easter Maze (Help the 2 Marys find their way to the tomb, then colour the picture) 6 Whole People of God April 16, 2017 Copyright Wood Lake Publishing