Remember
Breath Prayer (From Jesus Storybook Bible “Going Home”)
Breathe In: God loves His children
Breathe Out: Yes, He really does
Song:
Remember the Liturgy
Do you remember what we learned?
Jesus died the death we should have died for sin
Jesus took our punishment so that we could be close to God again
Practice the Following Jesus Liturgy (With our youngest kids, only focus on the portion that we’re currently learning)
Leader: Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” We believe this is true because of the Gospel. What is the Gospel?
All respond
God always Loved us and gave us His Son Jesus
He lived the life we couldn’t live
He died the death we should have died for sin
Reflect
Explore and Rehearse Key Concepts
“I’m really here,” Jesus said. And he really was.
Jesus had come back with a brand new body.
Jesus had a real body, but this body was better. It had come through death and couldn’t get sick or be killed again.
Not only were sad things coming untrue. They were becoming new again.
Jesus said, “I am the savior of the world.”
Jesus said, “There is a place for you, I’ll get it ready.”
I don’t know the way there!
Yes, you do. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Read: "Going Home" (Jesus Storybook Bible)
Discover through curious questions:
Who can retell the story we just heard?
What did Jesus do when he came back?
How did his friends feel?
Where did he go and where is He now?
What do you think about the “place” God is preparing for you?
Where is it? How do you get there? What is it like?
Respond
Experience (Ages 4+):
Option 1 Creative: Act it out
Roles
Narrator - Someone who introduces the scene and reads pieces of the story
Disciples - Friends and followers of Jesus
Jesus - of course!
Angels - announcing that He will come again
Prepare
You probably only have 20-25 min, so don’t over complicate this. If you have fabric for dress up clothes you could prepare a few pieces for people. Bed sheets can be draped over shoulders for robes for angels 🙂
Breaking the story into 3 acts, encourage the kids to role play what they remember.
Play and Improvise
Act 1: Scared and sad
Disciples are in a room grieving Jesus’ death. They are remembering their friend, sad that He died and scared.
Key lines: Jesus’ friends were afraid so they were hiding in an upstairs room with the door bolted shut. But that didn’t stop Jesus…
Act 2: Walking through walls
Enter Jesus who joins the disciples, eats, sits and stays a while. The disciples act amazed and are overjoyed!
Key Lines
Jesus - “Peace be with you.”
Narrator - “They were startled and frightened thinking they saw a ghost.”
Jesus - “Look at my hands and my feet. Touch me and see.”
Jesus - “Do you have anything here to eat?”
Narrator - “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scripture.”
Act 3: Going Home
Jesus stayed with the disciples for 40 days, healing people and preaching the Kingdom of God. Then He is taken up into the cloud. The disciples are amazed.
Angels come and tell the disciples that He ascended to heaven and will come again.
Key lines
Jesus - “I am going to send you what the Father has promised.”
Narrator - “While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.Then they worshiped him.”
Angels - “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here staring. The same Jesus who was taken from you will return again someday!”
Encounter:
Turn on a worship song and prepare a peaceful space.
Have the kids close their eyes and envision what it would have been like to be in the room with their friends, sad and scared that Jesus had died and been buried, when suddenly he walks into the room.
How would you have felt? What would you do?
Draw your response
Invite the kids to talk to God about how they would feel. Talk to one another about your pictures. Go around the room and let everyone share.
Close
Rehearse the Gospel in as much as we’ve learned
God always loved us and gave us His Son Jesus.
He lived the life we couldn’t live.
He died the death we should have died for sin.
God raised and seated Him as Lord.