SERIES: AND THE JOURNEY TO THE CROSS LEADER S GUIDE 2nd- Lesson Overview Today we re talking about the most important day of the year- Easter! Easter is the day Jesus rose from the dead to give us new life. In this lesson, we ll talk more about why this new life is so important to us. But, in order to appreciate Easter, we need to remember what Jesus went through before this important day. Over the last few weeks, we ve learned about the hard stuff Jesus went through in order to get to the cross to pay for our sins. He was falsely accused, totally mistreated and suffered a painful death on the cross. But, all of that suffering led to this great day we call Easter, the day that we celebrate when Jesus wins! See, God s plan for Jesus was to die to pay for our sins. But the other part of the plan was for Jesus to rise again to give us a new life. Because of Jesus, we are made right with God and have the ability to say No to sin and Yes to living for God. Big Idea Easter means we can have new life. Key Question What does our new life look like? Memory Verse Romans 6:4b And, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Classroom Agenda 1. (5 min) PLAY: Let kids start working on Activity Page #1. 2. (5 min) WARM UP: What are the favorite things you like to find in your Easter basket(tip:easter is a great day of celebration so it s fun to get candy and other goodies. But, we can t forget that Easter is really about Jesus.) 3. (5 min) PREVIEW: Write out the Big Idea, Memory Verse, and Key Question on a whiteboard. Have the kids copy it down on Activity Page #1 (if applicable). 4. (20 min) LARGE GROUP: Gather for songs and videos with other kids. Then return to class to finish this guide. 5. (2 min) RECAP: Read the Lesson Overview (see above). 6. (3 min) KQ: Answer the Key Question. (Answer: The freedom to live for Jesus every day. (The Bible says that our sin problem keeps us from having a relationship with God. So, Jesus came to fix that sin problem by paying the price for our sins. And, Jesus rose again to give us a new life in him. When we invite Jesus into our hearts, he lives in us and helps us to live for God. Through Jesus, we can say No to sin and say Yes to doing what honors God. Plus, we get to live in heaven with Jesus some day!) Bonus Questions: What happened on Easter? How does Jesus help us to live a new life? 4-5th: How has Jesus helped you? 7. (5 min) EXPLORE: Read Romans 6:13. What used to have control over us? What does it mean that we can live a new life? (Answer: Sin used to have control over us. Sin is wanting to go our own way and not God s way. But, Jesus came to set us free from being controlled by sin. Through Jesus, we can have victory over sin. A new life means we can live to honor God. We can choose to do the things that make God happy.) 8. (10 min) PLAY: Choose a group activity from Activity Page #2. 9. (5 min) CLOSE: Share prayer requests and pray as a class. Encourage kids to use the Family Guide at home with their parents - and remind them to go online to pursuegod.org/kids to find this week s lesson video. 1
ACTIVITY PAGE #2 Teacher instructions: Choose an activity for your classroom. OPTION 1: CROSS CRAFT Instructions: Give each kid two big craft sticks and a Cross template (page 5). Have kids color the craft sticks with markers however they like. Then, have kids glue the sticks together to form a cross. Then have them glue Jesus on the horizontal stick and Lives on the vertical stick. As the kids work, remind them that Jesus died for their sins and rose to give them new life. Supplies needed: Large craft sticks (2 per kid), Cross template (pg. 5 pre cut, 1 set per kid), Glue, Markers Bonus Activity: True or False See who s the quickest to answer correctly. 1. Jesus died on a cross. (T) 2. Easter means we can have new life. (T) 3. Easter is about bunnies and candy. (F) OPTION 2:EASTER EGG HUNT HIDDEN MESSAGE Instructions: Before you start the game, make sure that each egg is filled with a word (page 6). Then have all the kids put their heads down and close their eyes. Then hide the eggs around the classroom. When you say, Go! have kids look for the hidden eggs. Once all the eggs are found, have kids open the eggs to find a word inside. As a class, work together to get each word in the correct order to reveal the hidden message. The message is, Jesus was raised to give us new life Supplies needed: Plastic Easter eggs (8 per class), Egg template (pg. 6, precut, 1 set per class, place a word in each egg) Bonus Activity: Fast Facts See who s the quickest to answer correctly. Jesus died on a (cross). Easter means we can have (new) life. The (Bible) is full of God s truth. 2
SERIES: AND THE JOURNEY TO THE CROSS FAMILY GUIDE 2nd - 3
ACTIVITY PAGE #1 Instructions: Solve the puzzles. Big Idea Key Question Memory Verse Romans 6: b And, just as was raised from the by the glorious of the Father, now we also may live lives. 4
SERIES: AND THE JOURNEY TO THE CROSS BONUS TEMPLATE 2nd- 5
SERIES: AND THE JOURNEY TO THE CROSS BONUS TEMPLATE 2nd- WAS RAISED TO GIVE US NEW LIFE 6