ALIVE
WELCOME TO WEEK 3
Did you know Jesus is alive? What great news! Awesome news! News that is too good to keep to yourself! The disciples thought so too! They were excited about that news when they realized Jesus had rose from the dead. This week we will remind ourselves of why we celebrate this time of year, Jesus is alive!
BIBLE STORY
Let’s see if you can figure out which of my statements are true and which ones are false. I’m going to say a few statements, if you think it is true, I want you to pop up from a crouched position. If you think the statement is not true, stay crouched down.
TRUE/FALSE statements from the Bible story of resurrection
Jesus was crowned as king of Israel while he lived on earth. (False)
The disciples knew Jesus was going to die. (False)
People waved branches and shouted hosanna as Jesus entered the city. (True)
Jesus was placed in a tomb when He died. (True)
People marched around the city 7 times after Jesus was crowned. (False)
Jesus is still in the grave. (False)
Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem on a donkey while people shouted hosanna and waved branches. They wanted Jesus to be their reigning king, but they did not realize He was not going to be king right then. They did not realize what was about to happen. Jesus was going to die for their sins so they could live forever with Him. This week we will see how Jesus conquered death. When He died even His disciples did not understand it, but when they saw Him conquer death, they understood more fully what He had been telling them all along.
Read or listen to the scripture Luke 24:1-12
After Jesus died, what did the women do at the grave? (Took prepared spices and went to the tomb)
When they came to the tomb, what did they find? (The stone was rolled away)
What did they find when they entered the tomb? (That Jesus’ body was not there)
Who appeared to the women at the tomb? (Two men inn clothes that gleaned like lightning)
What did the men tell the women? (Why do you look for the living among the dead, He is not here, He is risen)
What did the women do after they left the tomb? (They told the 11 disciples and others who were with them what happened)
What did the disciples do? (They did not believe them)
What did Peter go and do? (Ran to thee tomb and found the stripes of linen lying by themselves)
BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY
Activity
Hide small stones or jelly beans around a designated area for your child to find. Show them the “stones” they will be looking for. Help them collect the stones by shining a light on the path for them to follow. Have them collect all of the stones in a basket. These stones represent our sins. We all have sins, but Jesus helps us find them and get rid of them. When we celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection, we remember that He died for all of our sins so that we don’t have to. He helps us see the wrongs we do and then offers us forgiveness.
Materials: Small stones or jelly beans, flashlight, basket to collect stones
Alternate
Let’s take a taste test. I want you to try this and describe what it taste like. Give your child something bitter to taste like parsley, coffee, or horseradish. That was not a wonderful taste, was it? It taste rather bitter. What Jesus endured was bitter, and painful, but He suffered the cross because He loves us and wants to save us. Now, let’s try this bitter food with something a little more pleasurable. Pair the bitter food with something sweet like apples and honey or sugar and milk for the coffee. Now that we have eaten the bitter with the sweet, it taste a little better. In life we will have bitter moments or experiences, things we are not even sure we can bear, but Jesus is the sweetness that makes the bitterness endurable. His death on the cross and his resurrection allows us to have a closeness with God we otherwise could not have. Therefore, we are able to endure the hardships, or bitterness, of life.
Materials: Bitter food such as parsley, coffee to taste or horseradish. Sweet foods such as apples and honey, sugar and milk
Independent activity:
A handprint cross. On a sheet of yardstick or construction paper, use masking tape to create a cross in the center of the paper. Use a variety of paints, each person dips their hand in the paint and stamps it around the paper. Once the paint is dry, gently lift the tape to reveal the clean part of the paper in the shape of a cross. Jesus knows each one of us and died for every single person. Just as our fingerprints are unique to us, God knows each one of us as our own person and died for each person.
Materials: Large sheet of card stock or construction paper, variety color of washable paint, masking tape.
ARTS & CAFTS
CRAFT 1
Coloring page
Materials: Printed coloring sheet, crayons
Craft 2
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
FOLLOW-UP
How did Jesus’ friends feel when he was in the tomb?
Who was waiting at the tomb Sunday morning?
How did Peter feel when he heard the news Jesus was not in the tomb?
What does it mean to be resurrected?
Did Jesus know he was going to die?
Why did Jesus die for us?
When Jesus rose from the dead, what did He conquer?
What good news about Jesus could you share with others?
Practical Application at Home
Before beginning this activity, print the following sheet and cut sentences into strips. Place the strips of paper into a box and then wrap the box nicely so it looks like a gift.
Jesus gave us a gift when he died on the cross for us.
Present a nicely wrapped gift on the table. If you have another person to complete this demonstration, present the gift to them, if not, pretend as though the gift is for you from God.
Have your partner present the gift to you.
Point out how nice the gift looks and how pretty it is. Thank them for the gift but never pick it up from the table, leave it there and admire it from a distance.
Have your partner offer it to you again and describe how excited they are for you to have it and how they picked it up just for you.
Continue to thank them, even offering to pay for it while your partner to continues to convince you to take the gift and open it.
You know, God has presented us with a gift as well. We can be happy about the gift and excited about the gesture, but what did I fail to do with my gift? I didn’t open it! I didn’t take it! When someone gives us a gift, its free, we just need to say thank you and accept it! We can accept our gift by taking it and using it. Let’s open our gift now.
When you open the gift, read the strips of papers inside the box. God wants to give us all of these things, for free! We don’t have to pay God back, we don’t have to earn it and we don’t have to save it for later. That is the good news of the gospel. Jesus died for our sins so He gave us the gift of salvation, forgiveness, and acceptance. Can you think of any other gifts God gives us that were not mentioned from our box?
We can share this gift with others. Think of a person you would like to share the love of God with, whether they already know Jesus or not. Think of a gift you think they would enjoy. Wrap the gift and add a card that tells them this gift is given out of love, just as Jesus’ gift to us is given out of His love for us. Present the gift to them, or leave the gift in a place they will find and be surprised!
Additional Resources
Outings to Reinforce Lesson
Enjoy the cool weather and take a nature walk. Observe the things God created and how they work together in His plan. What part do each of us play in God’s plan for us?