WELCOME TO WEEK 1

When Jesus died, his disciples and followers were very sad and did not understand what happened. How excited they must have been to see Jesus again and realize he was raised from the dead. Can you imagine how they must have felt? How would you feel if you saw Jesus again? Jesus overcame death, He is alive and wants to live with us forever some day soon!

Mark 16:1-8

BIBLE STORY

There are times we are very excited about what we see and then there are times we are afraid because we are unsure of what is going on. Use your emoji faces to show how you would feel in the following situations.

Seeing a snake while raking leaves.

Biting into an apple and eating a worm.

Watching fireworks at the park.

Hearing a loud POP while driving in the car.

Walking in the sand along the beach.

Putting your hand into your lunch bag and pulling out a bug.

Being stung by a jellyfish while swimming at the beach.

Walking through a spider web in the dark.

Seeing a large flock of birds fly toward your house.

Watching a kitten play with yarn.

Today we will hear a story that seems unbelievable but it is true! The women at the grave probably had many emotions. They were sad, afraid and excited. What they witnessed seemed to be unbelievable but was proven to be true. Let’s read the Bible verse today and see what happened at Jesus’ grave that shocked a few people.

Materials: Emoji faces- happy, sad, excites, crying

Read or listen to the Bible verse for this week Mark 16:1-8

Who bought spices for the tomb after Sabbath was over? (Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and Salome)

Why did they buy the spices? (They brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body)

Once they reached the tomb what did they realize they would need help with? (Removing the stone from the tomb)

When they reached the tomb what happened to the stone? ( It had been rolled away)

Who did the women see inside the tomb? (A young man dressed in a white robe)

How did the women feel when they saw the man? (They were afraid)

What did the man say to them? (Do not be alarmed, Jesus the Nazarene is risen; go tell His disciples and Peter; He is going ahead of you; you will see him there)

BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY

The women at the grave were afraid because they were not expecting to find Jesus’ body missing. They were surprised that He was gone and went to tell the disciples what they saw. What a wonderful feeling to realized your Savior is alive and has conquered death. 

Activity

Sometimes we are a part of something amazing or see something amazing and can not wait to share the good news with someone else. The women at Jesus’ grave were a part of something amazing and could not keep the news to themselves. We can also share this good news of Jesus! He is risen and is alive! Think about a time you have been a part of something amazing and you wanted to share the news with others. Share your amazing stories together and describe what you saw and how you felt.

Materials: family discussion time

Alternate

Spring is a wonderful time to watch things grow and rise out from the ground. Create these composting pots. Add seeds and dirt to the pots once they have dried and leave them on your counter in sunlight to grow small sprouts. Once the sprouts have begun, you can plant the entire pot into the ground and it will decompose into the soil.

Materials: Construction paper shredded, water, cup for molding or muffin tin, flower/plant seeds

Independent activity:

Read aloud story “Berenstein Bears and the Easter story” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP4rMIVHVhk

Materials: Listening device for read-aloud story

ARTS & CAFTS

CRAFT 1

Create a 3 cross sunset picture by cutting different colored construction paper into strips. Then glue the colored strips onto a black sheet of paper to make the background. Next using black paper,  cut out 3 crosses and a half circle. Glue the half circle onto the bottom of the page to become a hill and then glue the 3 crosses onto the hill. 

Materials: Colored construction paper (including black and white), glue, scissors, crayons

Craft 2

Coloring page

Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons

FOLLOW-UP

Who went to the tomb?

Why did they go to put spices on Jesus’ body?

How would you feel if you were at the tomb and Jesus’ body was gone?

How would you feel if an angel told you Jesus had risen?

How do you think the women felt when the angel told them Jesus had risen?

Would it be easy or hard to tell people Jesus had risen from the dead?

What good news do you have that you can easily share with other people?

Who would you share your good news with?

Practical Application at Home

We have good news to share with others! Just as the women at the tomb had good news to share, we have the same good news. Jesus rose from the dead and he will return to take us to be where He is. We can live for eternity with Jesus. That’s great news! Jesus conquered death and can give us life eternal. We can share that news with others so they can also live forever with Jesus. 

Print these stepping stones, cut them out and then place them in a path along the floor. Space them so your child can hop or reach each stone within their step. As they step on the stone, read each sentence starter and have them complete the statement or thought to help facilitate a prayer for witnessing to others. Example: Pray for… (“people to witness to”); ask Jesus to… (“know what to say”); Jesus show me… (t”he right time to share”); Jesus help me… (“have courage”); I can pray for… (a list of people to pray for)

Materials: Printed stepping stones, scissors

Additional Resources

Outings to Reinforce Lesson

Donate to a local food shelter or toy drive this Christmas season. As a family, volunteer together or pick out toys you think another child your age might enjoy.