2 s and PK April 15th/16th (20.2) Jesus Crucifixion and Resurrection Bible Passages: Matthew 26:36-28:10; John 18:1-20:18 Main Point: Jesus died on the cross and is alive. 2 s Memory Verse: Jesus is Lord. - Romans 10:9 Preschool Memory Verse: If you confess Jesus is Lord and believe God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9 Leader Preparation Your role as a leader in the classroom is the most important role in the Loop as you are the direct connection to the whole reason we gather - to share the love of Christ with kids at Park! If you are not prepared to lead well in your service, then that affects the experience of the children in your care. To help prepare for this lesson, use the following study guide to set the context for this week s lesson. And don t forget to pray before, during and after! God s law for the people was plain. Read Deuteronomy 6:5. But God s people, and all people, have broken the law. We have loved other things more than we love God. That is sin. Jesus purpose for coming to earth was to save us from our sin. (Matt. 1:21) Why did Jesus have to die? Why couldn t He just say, You are forgiven? God is just and requires due payment for sin. To simply forgive sin without requiring a payment would be unjust. According to God s Word, the payment of sin is death. (Rom. 6:23) But not only is God just, He is also loving. That is why Jesus was willing to die in our place. Jesus came to die to show God s love to us (Rom. 5:7-8) so that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) Jesus came to die so that we would be forgiven. (Eph. 1:7) Jesus came to die to bring us to God. (1 Pet. 3:18) Jesus died on the cross to satisfy the wrath of God toward sin. Jesus resurrection proved that God was satisfied with Jesus sacrifice, and forgiveness and life are found in Him. (See 1 Cor. 15:17.) If Jesus had died but not been raised up, He would have been like military leaders who died without a throne. (Acts 5:33-37) But Jesus conquered death, just as He said He would. (John 2:19-21) Jesus resurrection gives us hope for our resurrection. (Rom. 6:5) And Romans 8:11 says that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will raise our bodies to life. Jesus crucifixion and resurrection are not the end of the story, but the center of it. Everything that was written about Jesus in the Old Testament and spoken by the prophets was coming true. As you teach preschoolers this Bible story, emphasize the gospel: the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done.
Welcome // (15 minutes) Leaders: Pay attention to kids as they enter the room and be sure to greet them with a big smile! Make sure that you make each kid feel special when they arrive each week. Invite them to come sit or play with you. Learn their names. 2 s Preschool Before children arrive, set out toys to engage the kids when they are dropped off and turn on background music CD/flash drive. Remember that separation anxiety is common and normal with this age. The best way to combat this is to distract them with fun right away. Consider these activities: One leader singing songs with kids Having bubbles or bubble machine in one corner of the room Blocks or Cars set up and ready to play Playdough at a table Coloring- crayons and paper Set up the two activities below before children arrive, and turn on background music CD/Flash Drive. Kids can participate in either activity as they enter the room. 1. Activity page What You Need: activity pages, crayons What You Do: Invite preschoolers to draw an X over the item in each row that does not belong. What You Say: Last week we learned how people welcomed Jesus as their King when He came into Jerusalem. In today s Bible story, some terrible things happened to Jesus that you would not expect to happen to the King over everything. But everything that happened to Jesus was part of God s plan to rescue the world from sin. 2. Guess What s in the Bag What You Need: brown paper bag, small toy items that you will pull from the set of Resurrection Eggs pack: cross, crown of thorns, rock, white fabric, praying hands What You Do: Place each individual item in a lunch-size brown paper bag. Pass around one bag and let the children feel inside the bag without looking. After everyone has had a turn to touch the item, let children guess what is inside. Continue with each bag. Finally, pass around an empty bag. What You Say: The items in these bags are things we will hear about in today s Bible story. Why do you think the last bag was empty? [ Allow preschoolers to guess.] Listen to find out what else was empty in today s Bible story. TRANSITION TO CIRCLE TIME 2
Circle Time // (25 minutes) MUSIC While the kids finish playing, get the worship CD/DVD/flash drive ready. Decide which 3 or 4 songs you are going to sing today. Say: It s circle time! Come sit in a circle with us! We re going to sing some fun songs together that worship God! Why do we sing to God? ( Answer: To honor Him with our worship!) 2 s STORY TIME Preschool STORY TIME Say: Today s Lesson comes from God s Word, the Bible! Why do we read the Bible? (Answer: To know God s Word in our hearts!). Read the following text while showing the children this week s Bible Story Picture. The text will be printed on the back of the picture in your supplies: After Jesus and his friends had entered Jerusalem ( remember Palm Sunday last week! ), they went to a garden at night to pray. Jesus was praying alone, when suddenly a group of soldiers came. The soldiers began to arrest Jesus and take him away. All of Jesus friends ran away. They were afraid. The soldiers led Jesus away to the governer, Pilate, who sentenced Jesus to die for saying He was a king. Then the soldiers nailed Jesus to a wooden cross, and put a crown of thorns on his head. These hurt Jesus very badly. They raised the cross up high so Jesus was hanging for everyone to see Him. They put a sign above Jesus head that said, King of the Jews. Then darkness covered the land, and Jesus died up on the cross. After Jesus died, he was buried inside a tomb, which is like a cave, with a large stone rolled in front of the tomb so that no one could get in or out. Three days after Jesus had died, two of Jesus Say: Today s Lesson comes from God s Word, the Bible! Why do we read the Bible? (Answer: To know God s Word in our hearts!). Watch today s teaching video OR read the following text while showing the children this week s Bible Story Picture: After Jesus and his friends had entered Jerusalem ( remember Palm Sunday last week! ), they went to a garden at night to pray. Jesus was praying alone, when suddenly a group of soldiers came. The soldiers began to arrest Jesus and take him away. All of Jesus friends ran away. They were afraid. The soldiers led Jesus away to the governer, Pilate, who sentenced Jesus to die for saying He was a king. Then the soldiers nailed Jesus to a wooden cross, and put a crown of thorns on his head. These hurt Jesus very badly. They raised the cross up high so Jesus was hanging for everyone to see Him. They put a sign above Jesus head that said, King of the Jews. Then darkness covered the land, and Jesus died up on the cross. After Jesus died, he was buried inside a tomb, which is like a cave, with a large stone rolled in front of the tomb so that no one could get in or out. Three days after Jesus had died, two of Jesus 3
friends, both named Mary, went to the tomb. They were very sad and they wanted to visit Jesus body. When they got there, there was a big earthquake as an angel came down from heaven. The angel rolled away the stone and said, Do not be afraid! You are looking for Jesus, but He is not here! He has been raised from the dead, just as He said He would. The women were so happy! Jesus wasn t dead anymore- He was alive! Just then, Jesus appeared in person and said, Good morning. Do not be afraid anymore. Go and tell my friends to go to Galilee. I will meet them there. And the women worshipped Him as their King. The most important thing that ever happened in the whole wide world, is that Jesus was raised from the dead. Jesus never did anything wrong, but He was punished because we are sinful. God forgives our sin because Jesus died for us. And so we praise Jesus because not only did He forgive our sins, but He is our King who is alive forever! After the story, ask the children the following review question: Let s answer today s important question about today s story: 1. What did the angel tell Jesus friends named Mary? ( Jesus is raised from the dead. He was alive!) 2. Who rescued us from our sin? (Jesus) friends, both named Mary, went to the tomb. They were very sad and they wanted to visit Jesus body. When they got there, there was a big earthquake as an angel came down from heaven. The angel rolled away the stone and said, Do not be afraid! You are looking for Jesus, but He is not here! He has been raised from the dead, just as He said He would. The women were so happy! Jesus wasn t dead anymore- He was alive! Just then, Jesus appeared in person and said, Good morning. Do not be afraid anymore. Go and tell my friends to go to Galilee. I will meet them there. And the women worshipped Him as their King. The most important thing that ever happened in the whole wide world, is that Jesus was raised from the dead. Jesus never did anything wrong, but He was punished because we are sinful. God forgives our sin because Jesus died for us. And so we praise Jesus because not only did He forgive our sins, but He is our King who is alive forever! After the lesson, ask the children the following review questions: 1. Where was Jesus body put after He died? ( in a tomb) 2. What was put in front of Jesus tomb? ( a large stone so no one could get in or out) 3. Who went to the tomb on the third day? ( Jesus two friends named Mary) 4. What did the angel tell Jesus friends named Mary? ( Jesus is raised from the dead. He is alive!) 5. Who rescued us from our sin? (Jesus) MEMORY VERSE Say: Now, let s practice this month s memory verse that comes from God s word, the Bible! 2 s VERSION Jesus is (touch middlefinger to each palm, sign for Jesus) Lord. (make an L with your thumb and forefinger) Romans 10:9 (open your hands like a book) PRESCHOOL VERSION 4
If you confess Jesus is Lord (touch hand to lips and move away from mouth) And believe God raised Him from the dead (touch hand to head and move up towards Heaven) You will be saved. (draw hands up from the ground towards the sky) Romans 10:9 (open your hands like a book) OFFERING Pass around the offering bag or bucket to collect any offering for today. Say: Why do we collect offering? (Answer: To pass the blessings God has given us back to His church!) PRAYER & SNACK Say: Why do we pray? (Answer: To open our hearts to God and talk to Him!) Tell the children to close their hands and bow their heads. After praying give each of the children a graham cracker and some water while you review the day s lesson. TRANSITION TO ACTIVITIES Application Activities // (30 minutes) Choose from the following review activities that best fits the age of your class. 2 s Preschool 1. Coloring Page What You Need: Coloring page and crayons What You Do: While children are still seated at the table from snack time, start handing out coloring pages and crayons. While children are coloring, review the memory verse and today s Bible story. 2. Sing a Song of Praise What You Do: Sing Jesus Loves Me or God Is So Good with the toddlers. If you are unfamiliar with the songs, check them out online. What You Say: God sent Jesus to earth because He loves us. Jesus died on the cross, but God made Jesus alive again. JESUS IS ALIVE! 1. Sins on a Cross What You Need: Painters Tape, markers, sticky notes What You Do: Use painter s tape to form a large cross on your classroom wall at preschoolers height. Invite preschoolers to tell you sins or wrong choices people make. Make it personal by asking preschoolers what they do wrong. If they point out what friends or siblings do wrong, gently redirect them to themselves. Write the sins down on colored sticky notes and guide the preschoolers to stick them to the cross. When the cross is covered with sin notes, put a sticky note labeled JESUS over each sin. What You Say: God forgives our sin because Jesus did on the cross to take the punishment 5
2. Stained Glass Cross What You Need: Contact Paper, Colored Masking Tape, Scissors, Tissue Paper Squares, Hole Punch, Yarn/String, bowls to hold tissue squares What You Do: Before class, to help this go more quickly, you can cut squares of contact paper ahead of time. Whatever size you want. On half of the contact paper, peel off the plastic to expose the sticky side. And then use the colored masking tape to make a border of a cross. If you have time, use a permanent marker to also write Jesus is Alive! on one side of the cross. When ready, give each child the contact paper that already has a cross on it. Set out the tissue paper squares and have children make a stained glass mix of colors by sticking the tissue paper inside the cross. When completed, place another sheet of clear contact plastic on top of the tissue paper to seal the artwork. Then go around and cut out the cross each child worked on. Hole Punch the top- children can help with this part if they want! And help children tie a piece of yarn or string through it so they can hang their cross in a window. What You Say: Today we celebrate that Jesus died on the cross and is alive, but the good news about Jesus is news we need to think about every day! You can hang your art in a window at home to help you remember that Jesus died on the cross for sin and God raised Him from the dead. for sin.i made sure we covered all of our sins, because when we trust in Jesus, He takes away the punishment for our sin and gives us His holiness. 2. Stained Glass Cross What You Need: Contact Paper, Colored Masking Tape, Scissors, Tissue Paper Squares, Hole Punch, Yarn/String, bowls to hold tissue squares What You Do: Before class, to help this go more quickly, you can cut squares of contact paper ahead of time. Whatever size you want. On half of the contact paper, peel off the plastic to expose the sticky side. And then use the colored masking tape to make a border of a cross. If you have time, use a permanent marker to also write Jesus is Alive! on one side of the cross. When ready, give each child the contact paper that already has a cross on it. Set out the tissue paper squares and have children make a stained glass mix of colors by sticking the tissue paper inside the cross. When completed, place another sheet of clear contact plastic on top of the tissue paper to seal the artwork. Then go around and cut out the cross each child worked on. Hole Punch the top- children can help with this part if they want! And help children tie a piece of yarn or string through it so they can hang their cross in a window. What You Say: Today we celebrate that Jesus died on the cross and is alive, but the good news about Jesus is news we need to think about every day! You can hang your art in a window at home to help you remember that Jesus died on the cross for sin and God raised Him from the dead. 6
3. Resurrection Eggs What You Need: Set of Resurrection Eggs What You Do: Make sure each egg has the correct symbol in it (you ll need to replace the ones that you used at the beginning of class). Have one teacher help by lining all the children up against one wall with their faces to the wall. Keep them occupied by singing a song, or counting as if playing hide and seek. Other teacher(s) in the room can quickly hide the 12 eggs. When done, have kids hunt for the eggs. Tell them to keep the eggs closed though! After all the eggs are found, gather as a group. If any child has more than one egg, have them share the eggs to spread it out so that no kid has more than 1 egg (unless you have less than 12 kids in your room). One by one, have the kids with eggs stand up and open their egg and share what is inside. You can use the booklet provided in the Resurrection Eggs to go deeper into the meaning of each object and read a story. Or you can just talk about it more freely with the children. The objects found in these resurrection eggs are: donkey, coins, cup/chalice, praying hands, whip, rooster, crown of thorns, cross from 2 nails, spear, white fabric, stone, empty white egg Free Play & Dismissal For the remainder of the hour, let kids have free play time. Begin cleaning up the room. And set any take-home creations where you or parents can get them easily at pick-up. 2 s Take Homes Coloring Page ASK ME sticker 7
Stained Glass Cross Preschool Take Homes Activity Page ASK ME sticker Stained Glass Cross Greeter should stand at the door with the attendance sheet. They should check the parents security tag at the door to confirm pick up of the correct child. If parent does not have security tag, greeter should send parent to the check-in desk for approval. Greeter should make sure child is wearing their Ask Me sticker and hand any take home creations to parents. 8