Messy Easter 2020

 

Our usual monthly Messy Church gatherings are on hold, but we're still celebrating Easter with Messy Church at Home. We're telling the Easter story in stages over at our Messy Church YouTube channel.

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter to you all.  Jesus conquered the grave and God's Rescue Plan - to be re-united with His children (us) has been fulfilled.  As Christians, this is a day of celebration.  Jesus said 'Death is not the end of you. You can live forever with your Father in Heaven because I have rescued the world.'

Crafts:
Stone Painting - Empty tomb, He is Risen
Stone, markers or paint

Make your own Easter garden
Pebbles, earth, flower pot. 

Some playdough or colouring
https://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/search?q=he+is+risen

Storytime
Maggie and Pete Chiverton read  ' A Happy Day' from Open the Book, the Lion Storyteller Bible.  Click here.

Rainbow prayers
Focus - to reflect on how clouds and sunshine need to be present for a rainbow to appear.  To thank God for his promises fulfilled and to trust in the rainbows yet to come.

Bible reflection
'Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant (promise) between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.'
Genesis 9:16

What you need

• Large sheet paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pens or pencils

Draw a large rainbow scene complete with a sun and a few clouds.

Pray
A rainbow can fill the sky, spanning great distances like God's far-reaching love for us.  Write prayers along the arches of the rainbow as you think of the hope of God's promises. Or write a prayer in the cloud shape, asking for God to be with you or in the sunshine thanking God for something in your life. 
Light often follows seasons of darkness such as Coronavirus, as the rainbow symbolises God's promise of hope fulfilled.

Blessing
I pray that God's eyes will watch over you, his arms will protect you, his hand will lead you and his love will fill all of your hearts. Amen.

Happy Easter - He is Risen!! Hallelujah!

 

 

Good Friday

On this day nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus was betrayed and put to death on a cross.  This is difficult to get our heads around. Why did Jesus have to die? How was this part of God's Rescue Plan?

This is a sad day, a dreadful day so why is it named 'Good Friday'? It's GOOD in the sense that it is holy, but also because Jesus was our' personal rescuer'. With his death, sin also died enabling us to re-unite with God once more (as it was intended in the beginning).  Nothing can separate us from the love of God.  Jesus paid the price for our sins.

Craft: (loads of crafts coming for Easter Sunday...brace yourself and do some quiet, contemplative colouring... click here

Storytime
Different ages, stages and tastes.  Try the following...
Our very own Maggie and Pete Chiverton from Christ Church, re-telling 'The Dreadful Day' from Open the Book, Lion Storyteller Bible.

Perhaps read the Jesus Storybook bible ' The sun stops shining' based on Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19 or another children's bible.
Or watch it here.

Although this is sad and quite overwhelming in terms of the gruesome nature of Jesus's death; allow them an insight into what is to come (don't feel you have to keep it as a cliffhanger!) You can tell them that this is not the end of the story, the happy part will come soon.  Patience...

It also gives us a good opportunity to talk about death, sadness, missing someone.  Although somewhat trickier to then explain that unlike us, Jesus comes back to life.  Oh well, we love a happy ending albeit impossible to understand and explain.  The miracle that is Jesus.

Prayer - shining the light of God
Focus - to pray for God's light to shine in dark places.  To stand together so that we might be a light in our community.

Bible reflection
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:7

What you need

• Cardboard sheet
• Scissors
• Tea-lights (real or battery)
• Matches
• Chalk

Cut out a large cross shape or draw a cross on pape or on the floor with chalk.

Pray
Hold an unlit tea light and start to pray.  Consider ways you might be able to shine more actively in your community.  Think of specific people who do not yet know the light and love of God.  Light your candle, place it on your cross.   All have a go...
Shine like a flame in the world, reflect the light and love of God in your words and actions.  Encourage fellow believers in your mission to be a beacon of light in your community.

Blessing
May the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-25

 

 

Maundy Thursday

I hope you're keeping well and staying bright despite the totally strange circumstances.  We want to celebrate Holy Week with you all so we've put together some video stories (thanks to Maggie and Pete Chiverton), some crafts links and an object lesson.  We've already shared the first of these to mark Palm Sunday.  We'll be sending out two further emails to take us through and up to the celebration of Easter Day this Sunday.

Holy Week
Palm Sunday- the day when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, riding on a donkey.  The crowd were elated, excited and waved palm branches to welcome him.
Maundy Thursday - the day/evening when Jesus and his friends shared an important meal - The Last Supper and when Jesus told his disciples that he would be put to death the following day. 
Good Friday - the day that Jesus is put to death on a cross.  Sin dies with Him.
Easter Sunday - the day that Jesus rose again.  Death is defeated.  Jesus conquers the grave.  We (you, me, Joe Bloggs) can live with God in eternity as sin no longer separates us from God.

Maundy Thursday - The Last Supper Crafts
https://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/search/label/Maundy%20Thursday
https://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/2014/03/last-supper-play-dough-ma...

Prayer - Hope shining in the darkness (taken from 80 Reflective Prayer by Claire Daniel)

Focus - Jesus is the light of life and brings hope in dark times. The world can seem dark, but when we follow Jesus we have the light of life, amid even the hardest times.

Bible reflection
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.'
John 8:12

What you need

• Yellow sticky notes
• Black board or black paper

Write the verse above on your sticky notes.

Pray
Find a black surface (material, chalkboard), look at it, so dark that no light can be seen through it.  As you pray, add a yellow sticky note to your black board.  Ask God to bring light into the dark and difficult situations known to you or being experienced by the world today eg Coronavirus.  Even with just one yellow sticky note, the darkness is pierced with light, a symbol of Jesus' victory over death and sin.  Pray that you might find ways to be a light in your world, sharing the hope of Jesus with others.  Trust that God can bring light where there was none.

More craft ideas:
Rock Art - paint some stones or use marker pens - very therapeutic and addictive (be warned).  Not arty? Try writing positive words: Faith, Hope, Love.
Use these as story starters...I wonder why they shared bread and wine? What do we like for our Supper?  Why was this a special supper?

 

Cross Art - a slightly sombre cross - done with finger paints, or try cotton buds or cotton wool balls.  Jesus was put to death on a cross.  This was a slow and extremely painful death.  It was also very public so humiliating to be seen in a vulnerable state. Jesus was prepared to die for us.  The nails didn't hold him there.  It was his love for us.

A penny cross - Jesus paid the price for our sins (also doubles as a lovely maths lesson)

 

Rustic cross - sticks and string (Simples! but effective)

 

And finally, I'd thoroughly recommend this book: The Big Book of Bible Questions. 

Questions from children e.g. Who made God? What do Angels look like? How did Jesus feed 5000 people at the same time?