An Introduction to our New Series
Question
- Have you ever gotten bad news?
- What is the best news you have ever gotten? Was it a surprise?
- In today’s Bible story, we are going to hear about the followers of Jesus. They got really bad news when Jesus died. But three days later, they got some pretty amazing and surprising news!
Bible Story
John 18:29-40; 19:1-42; 20:1-18
- INSTRUCTIONS: Look up the story in your Bible and read it together! You can also watch the weekly teaching video
- This Bible story covered a lot, but let’s see if we can recap it!
- Jesus was arrested and put on trial. Had He done anything wrong? No — even Pilate said so!
- What are some of the things they did to Jesus? They beat Him, made Him wear a crown of thorns, and made fun of Him. They yelled to have Him crucified (hung on a cross to die), even though He was innocent.
- Why do you think the people wanted Him dead? Because Jesus claimed to be God, and they said He was lying.
- Even though Jesus was innocent and had never sinned, He died on the cross to take the punishment for ours sins.
- But what happened after He died? He was put in a tomb.
- Three days later, Mary went to the tomb. What did she see? The body of Jesus was gone, and she saw two angels!
- How do you think Mary felt when she saw the angels?
- Then Jesus Himself appeared. How do you think Mary and the disciples felt when they realized Jesus was alive?
- Imagine getting the best news in the world. You would be so overjoyed!
- The news about Jesus coming back to life is great news! It means we can be forgiven for our sins and have a relationship with Him!
- When Jesus rose from the dead on the first Easter Sunday, everyone celebrated. Thousands of years later, we still celebrate Easter because we want to continue celebrating that Jesus is alive!
This Week's Big Idea
Every Easter, we celebrate Jesus' resurrection.
Activity
Footprint Clues
- INSTRUCTIONS: After watching the video above, use the footprint images below to find & read the Bible verse clues. We’ve included a summary of each footprint clue below as a key.
PURPLE FOOTPRINT: Read Psalm 103:19. God created the world He rules the world.
GREEN FOOTPRINT: Read Genesis 1:27. God created people in His image, to have a relationship with Him. BLACK FOOTPRINT: Read Romans 3:23. Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve sinned. From them on, all people were born into sin. Sin is disobeying God. We all do things God doesn’t want us to do. Sin separates us from God and keeps us from Him. RED FOOTPRINT: Read Romans 6:23. The punishment for sin is death. The Bible says someone has to die to pay for sins. Jesus, as the perfect Lamb (remember the Passover?) and He didn’t sin. But He took the punishment for our sins and died on the cross. YELLOW FOOTPRINT: Read Romans 10:9. Jesus made a way for us to have a relationship with God and to go to heaven when we die. We can choose to believe in Him and ask Him to forgive our sins. BLUE FOOTPRINT: Read John 11:25. Jesus died, but He didn’t stay dead. He rose from the grave, and we can have a relationship with Him! |
- The footprints lead us through the Bible to the big story of Jesus saving us from our sins. These footprints lead us to the cross, but then they lead us away from the cross, because Jesus didn’t stay on the cross! He’s alive today! Let’s celebrate together!
Worship Time
- Let’s take a moment to worship & celebrate that Jesus is alive right now!!
- INSTRUCTIONS: You can sing any songs you'd like, but for this lesson we like:
- For younger children: “Jesus Is Alive,” by Yancy
- For all ages: “Happy Day,” by Hillsong.
- For younger children: “Jesus Is Alive,” by Yancy
Activity
Fingerprint Cross
- Here’s an activity you could do at home today, or sometime this week, to remind us of the act of love Jesus did for us on the cross.
- Detectives use fingerprints to identify their suspects. Do you know why they use fingerprints? Every single person’s fingerprint is unique.
- In the same way, God made every single person unique. Jesus died on the cross for the whole world so it could be possible for every unique person to know Him.
- INSTRUCTIONS: Print out this Fingerprint Cross image or draw your own on any piece of paper. Using an ink pad, pat your fingers on the ink pads and fill in the cross with fingerprints. If you don’t have an ink pad at home, or can simply decorate the cross with bright and alive colors!!
- What does this tell us about Jesus? How do you feel knowing that Jesus died for you?
Memory verses
* INSTRUCTIONS: Work together throughout the week to review and memorize our two memory verses for this month.
For Pre-School/Kindergarten
Joshua 1:9
Parents You Can Use the Actions Below to Help Your Little Ones Learn the Words!
BE STRONG (flex one arm)
AND COURAGEOUS (flex the other arm).
DO NOT BE AFRAID (put arms in front of your face).
GOD WILL BE WITH YOU (point up, and then put hands on hips)
WHEREVER YOU GO (march in place).
For Elementary Students
Joshua 1:9 & 1 Corinthians 10:31
For Pre-School/Kindergarten
Joshua 1:9
Parents You Can Use the Actions Below to Help Your Little Ones Learn the Words!
BE STRONG (flex one arm)
AND COURAGEOUS (flex the other arm).
DO NOT BE AFRAID (put arms in front of your face).
GOD WILL BE WITH YOU (point up, and then put hands on hips)
WHEREVER YOU GO (march in place).
For Elementary Students
Joshua 1:9 & 1 Corinthians 10:31