Scripture: Luke 24, with emphasis on verses 34 - 53
Memory
Verse:
“If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” -- Romans 10:9
Concepts:
· Jesus helps us understand
the Bible.
· Jesus wants us to teach
others about God.
·
Jesus
promises to help us teach others about God.
Objectives:
1. Older children will locate
the story of Jesus’ resurrection and appearances to his followers in their
Bibles. Younger children will learn that the story is in Luke.
2. The class will learn the
details of the events told in Luke 24.
3. The class will discuss
Jesus’ appearance to the 11 disciples and his ascension as told in Luke 24:
34-53, with emphasis on the concepts above.
Procedure:
Welcome and
Introductions: (10:00)
1.
Greet
the children and introduce yourself.
2. Open with a brief prayer
Scripture/Bible Story:
1. Grades 1-2 will not use
Bibles, but do open yours to show them where the story is. For grades 3-5, make
sure everybody has a Bible. The shepherds will bring extra Bibles. Help the students to find the book of Luke.
(Get the shepherds to go around the room and help with this.)
2. If necessary, review the
organization of the Bible: The Bible is divided into two big parts, the Old and
New Testaments. Each part is made up of books, which are divided into chapters
and verses. The New Testament books are about Jesus. The first four books of
the New Testament are the Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
If they still need help finding Luke, show them that if they open their Bible
in the middle, they’ll usually land in the book of Psalms in the OT. Point out
that the book name is at the top of each page. After finding Psalms, if they
then take the pages on the right side and divide them in half, they’ll land
somewhere in the Gospels. From there they should be able to find Luke.
After they’ve found Luke, help them find chapter 24 and tell them this is one of the places where the story of Jesus’ resurrection is told in the Bible. Some of the children will confuse chapters and verses. Show them that chapter numbers are the big ones, and also are at top of every page.
3. Pass out the “Resurrection
Eggs.” You have two sets of 11 eggs, so there should be enough for each child
to have one, although some children might have identical eggs. Review the
story, using the eggs in one of two ways:
a. Tell the children not to open their eggs until they are told to. As you read
the story, at the appropriate time, ask, “Who has the small pink egg?” and let
them open it and show what is inside. Probably best for younger kids.
b. Let the children open their eggs before you tell the story. As you read the
story tell them to raise their hand when they recognize the place in the story
that applies to their egg.
Story
Summary
When Jesus was buried, some of the women who had followed him watched as his
body was put in the tomb. Then it was time for the Sabbath, so they rested for
a day. Very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb, carrying the SPICES (large yellow eggs) they had
prepared to put on Jesus' body. When they got there, they found the STONE (small pink eggs) had been rolled
away from the entrance of the tomb. So they went in, but they did not find
Jesus’ body. The tomb was EMPTY (small
blue eggs).
Suddenly two men in shining white clothes stood beside them. The women were afraid, but the men said, “Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive? Jesus isn’t here! He has been raised from death.”
The women went to the 11 disciples and told them what had happened. The disciples thought it was nonsense and didn’t believe the women. But Peter ran to the tomb and looked in and saw only the BURIAL CLOTH (small cream eggs) that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. So he wondered what had happened.
The same day, two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. As they were talking about what had happened, Jesus came near and started walking along beside them. But they did not know who he was.
Jesus asked, “What were you talking about?”
The two men looked sad. Then one of them asked, “Are you the only person from Jerusalem who doesn't know what happened to Jesus of Nazareth? He was a powerful prophet who pleased God and all the people. Then the leaders had him arrested and sentenced to die on a CROSS (small yellow eggs). We had hoped that he would be the one to set Israel free! But it has already been three days since all this happened.
“Besides that, some women in our group went to the tomb but did not find the body of Jesus. They said they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. Some men went to the tomb and found it just as the women said, and they didn’t see Jesus either.”
Then Jesus asked the men, “Why can’t you understand? Didn’t you know that the Messiah would have to suffer before he was given his glory?” Jesus then explained everything written about himself in the Scriptures.
When the men came near the village of Emmaus, they begged Jesus to stay with them, saying, “It’s already late, and the sun is going down.”
So Jesus went into the house with them. When he sat down to eat, he took some BREAD (large yellow/green eggs), blessed it and broke it. Then he gave it to them. Suddenly they knew who he was! But he disappeared. The men got right up and went back to Jerusalem, found the 11 disciples, and told them what had happened.
While the disciples were talking, Jesus appeared and greeted them. They were terrified, because they thought they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus said, “Why are you so scared? Look at my hands and feet and see who I am. (HANDS—small orange eggs; NAILS – large purple/yellow eggs) Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones.”
The disciples were so happy and amazed they couldn’t believe it. Then Jesus asked, “Do you have something to eat?” They gave him a piece of FISH (large red eggs), and he ate it while they watched.
Then Jesus talked about the SCRIPTURES (large purple/green eggs) and helped them understand them. He told them: “The scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. They also say that all people of OTHER NATIONS (large blue eggs) must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So you must tell everything that has happened.”
Jesus led his disciples to Bethany, and then he raised his hands and blessed them. As he was doing this, he left and was taken to heaven. His disciples went back to Jerusalem and were very happy. They spent their time in the temple praising God.
Application:
Collect the eggs in a basket. Have the children stand in a circle for a game of Hot Eggs (instead of Hot Potato). Pull an egg out of the basket at random. Have the kids pass the egg around the circle. Options:
a. Play music and have them stop passing the egg when you stop the music.
b. Count, and have them stop when you get to 10.
c. You might have a better idea! Feel free to improvise with the form of the game.
When the action stops, have the child holding the egg open it and tell what part of the story it symbolizes. Then have that child step out of the circle; repeat the game until every child has a chance to open an egg. The kids who are out of the circle can help with playing music, counting together, picking eggs out of the basket, collecting used eggs.
For the eggs with contents that relate to the crucifixion, emphasize their mention in the Resurrection appearances.
SPICES – women brought spices to the tomb to put on Jesus' body
STONE -- had been rolled away from the entrance of the tomb
EMPTY EGG – Jesus’ body was missing from the tomb
CLOTH – When Peter ran to the tomb, the only thing he saw was the burial cloth that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in.
CROSS – Jesus died on a cross. The two men on the road to Emmaus were upset about this and were talking about it.
BREAD – When Jesus broke bread and gave it to the two men in Emmaus, they recognized him.
HAND – Jesus showed the disciples his hands so they would believe he was really Jesus.
NAIL – Jesus’ hands and feet were nailed to the cross. When he appeared to the disciples he told them to look at his hands and feet so they would know who he was.
FISH – When Jesus asked for something to eat, the disciples gave him a piece of fish and he ate it while they watched.
SCROLL – Jesus
talked about the scriptures with the men on the road to Emmaus and also with
the disciples afterwards, and helped them to understand.
WORLD MAP – Jesus
said the disciples were to tell the people of all nations the good news about
him and the forgiveness of sins.
Reflection
Time:
Gather
the children back in a circle for a discussion. Have the older children open their
Bibles to verses 36-53 and find the answers to the questions in their Bibles:
When
Jesus appeared to the disciples, first he convinced them that he was not a
ghost. How did he do that? Showed them
his hands and feet, told them to touch him, and ate a piece of fish. (Verses
36-43)
After
Jesus had convinced the disciples of who he was, he talked to them and helped
them to understand the things that had happened. What did he say the scriptures
said about him? That the Messiah was to
suffer and die but would rise from the dead on the third day. (Verse 45)
What
do we mean when we talk about the “scriptures”? The Bible. Our Bible, in the Old Testament, contains the books that
Jesus was talking about when he talked about the scriptures. Our Bible also contains
the New Testament, books about Jesus that had not been written yet. Jesus
helped the disciples to understand their scriptures and he also helps us to
understand our Bible.
Jesus
said the scriptures told the disciples to do something. What were they to do? Tell people in all the nations that they can
repent and be forgiven of their sins. (Verse
47) Jesus wanted the disciples to teach other people all over the world the
good news about him, and Jesus also wants us to teach others about God.
Jesus
also told the disciples: I will send you the one my Father has promised, but
you must stay in the city until you are given power from heaven. (Verse 49) This meant that the Holy
Spirit would be with the disciples and help them to spread the good news about
Jesus. The Holy Spirit is also with us and helps us teach others about Jesus.
Recite
the Bible memory verse learned in the Great Hall. “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” -- Romans 10:9.
This is the good news that Jesus wants us to share with other people.
Pass out the journal pages and ask the
shepherds to pass out pencils/markers. (TIP: Fill in the “Workshop” blanks
ahead of time; else the children will spend the entire journal time spelling
out “Antioch Arcade.”) Optional: Give the children an Easter egg sticker or
some other memento to paste in their journal.
Ask the children to
write or draw a picture of things they can do this week to share the good news
about Jesus. (People they can tell the story to, things they can do to share
Jesus’ love, help somebody else the way Jesus helped people, etc.) Tell the
older children to write at least three things to do or three people to talk to;
younger children, at least one.
Instead of having a closing prayer, ask the
children to sit quietly while you “commission” and bless them as Jesus
commissioned and blessed his disciples:
“Remember what you have learned here today
and share it with the people you meet. Tell other people the good news about
Jesus and show them God’s love. May God bless you and keep you and be with you
always.”
Grades 3-5: If you have extra time with
the older children, play a few rounds of "who can find the passage
first." Call out verses for the students to search and read when they find
them -- do this in pairs if you wish. Suggestion: Use these passages, which
tell the story of Jesus' appearance to the disciples and the Ascension in the
other Gospels.
Matthew 28:16-20
Mark 16: 14-20
John 20: 19-29
And the memory verse: Romans 10:9
Tidy and
Dismissal: Ask
children to help collect the eggs, Bibles, and other materials. Be sure that
the eggs are all in their baskets with their correct contents.
Note: I find
that the kids participate better if they get little rewards along the way.
Skittles are highly motivating for some reason. If I were leading this workshop
I’d give them a Skittle for finding the Bible passage, for opening their egg at
the right time, for taking their turn in the game, for participating in
discussion, for writing in their journal, a Skittle to everybody on the way out
the door, etc. I’d have several small jars of Skittles on hand and put the
shepherds in charge of distribution. (Better check with shepherds and make sure
nobody is diabetic!)
Teacher
preparation in advance:
1. Read the scripture passages.
2. Optional: Bring a CD or taped music for background music while you are gathering, music to start and stop the game, meditative music for Reflection time.
3. Write the scripture verse on
the white board or display it in the room some other way.
Supply List
Two
baskets with 11 eggs each (remember to fill the bread eggs)
Journal
sheets (fill in “Antioch Arcade”)
Extra
Bibles (the shepherds will bring them)
Maps
of the area
References
“Resurrection eggs” are plastic take-apart eggs with Easter symbols inside. Some of the eggs for this workshop are homemade and some are from a set purchased from Family Life familylife.com