Easter Talk

Here's a link to a short Easter Talk I gave at an school assembly using a newspaper.​
​http://childrensministerblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/easter-talk-good-news.html

0 Comments

Easter Ideas

Easter Ideas
1. Make a wire cross out of pliable wire. Barbed wire is more difficult to use and has a safety aspect if you’re making the crosses with children but it does capture the rugged look. 

2. On Good Friday we place a large wooden cross with a purple sash around it out the front of the worship area. Before Easter Day the cross is covered with ‘chicken wire’ and each person comes forward to place a flower on the cross symbolizing ‘new life’.





3. Egg Shell Gardens The egg must be broken at the small end, leaving more than half the shell intact. A small hole is made in the other end. The child’s name and the decorations are put on with crayon. Each child dips his own shell in warm dye and when dry partly fills it with dirt. A little peat moss is sprinkled on top and three or four seeds are planted in each shell. Choose some seeds that germinate quickly. Marigolds are good for this. Stand the shells in a tray of peat moss until the seeds come up, when each child takes his garden home. The peat moss holds the moisture and keeps the garden from drying out. For obvious reasons, it is well to plant a few extra gardens.

4. Reaching out at Easter. As a church prepare posies of flowers or home made biscuits with a card that explains the Easter message and distribute to... > Those who have had a bereavement since last Easter. > Those in nursing homes. > People you know who may not hear from their family. > As a ‘thank you’ to people who have helped you. 

5. Eggciting! Children love Easter egg hunts, especially the younger children. A hunt could also be incorporated into your Easter activities. Before doing so, it is important to explain to the children the significance of eggs in our Easter celebrations. Eggs remind people of new life. Discuss the different creatures that come from eggs i.e. Chickens, other birds, fish, butterflies, etc... Discuss the fact that on that first Easter Jesus was raised from death to have a new life and that we too can have a new life by following Jesus. 

6. To Get one of the children to bite into a hollow chocolate egg. Ask them what they can see inside. (Nothing). Point out that when Jesus friends returned to the cave/tomb where his body had been placed, they too found it empty, just like the insides of the egg. Jesus had been raised from the dead, he was no longer there.

7. Why we have Easter eggs? The egg symbolizing life after death, comprises the first meal after a Jewish funeral. Easter eggs, therefore, are meant to remind us that death is not the end. 

Looking for Christian Easter Pictures?

These free high quality Easter Pictures  could  be used to retell  Palm Sunday, Jesus trial, Jesus death and the The Resurrection.
www.freebibleimages.org

7 Days with the 7 Sayings from the Cross

Suspended between heaven and earth on a rough wooden cross, amidst his agony, Jesus utters seven densely packed sayings. Dying words usually are important, all the more so when, as in this case, it takes colossal effort to hoist your body up to breathe and hence to speak. Each saying is a window on the crucifixion revealing it meaning and significance.

Pastor Mark Loughridge provides a brief reflection on each saying—one for each day of the week in the lead up to Easter. 

Check out these recordings kindly made available by Milford Covenantor Church.

Easter Prayer

From the Gelasian Sacramentary, the oldest prayer book, compiled in about AD500 by Pope Gelasius:

'O God, we pray that the burden of sin which we carry in our souls may be dissolved for ever in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And, free from this deadly weight, may our souls raise with him to eternal life... We beseech thee that those who have been redeemed by his passion may rejoice in his resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thorns

Thorns by Don Stott, 2010

Ash Wednesday Liturgy

A liturgy for Ash Wednesday from Sacredise.com.

Ash Wednesday pdf

NOTE: This liturgy does not include a section for Communion. It is structured around the ritual of the ashes. It can easily be placed within another Communion Liturgy if this is desired 

Easter Planning

Easter planning resource links from the Evangelical Lutheran Church America.
http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Worship/Planning/Easter.aspx

Popular Easter Videos

Check out the free popular Easter Videos at Tangle.com

Easter Chant

Easter Chant

Hosanna ! Hosanna !

Hear the people cry.

Riding on a donkey

The King is passing by.

Riding to Jerusalem

Wave those palms and cheer -

Jesus the Messiah

The “Promised One” is here.

Crucify ! Crucify !

Hear the people shout !

Tell governor Pilate

To bring Jesus out.

Crucify ! Crucify !

Hear the people cry -

“He claimed to be our king,

Now he must die !”

“Forgive them ! Forgive them !

They don’t know what they do

I’m willing to die

On this cross for you.

I’m your king, Lord, Messiah.

It is finished ! I cry -

For your sins to be forgiven

God’s Son must die “

He’s risen ! He’s risen !

See the joy on Mary’s face.

She came to the tomb

And now she must race

To tell the disciples -

“We don’t need to fear,

Jesus has been raised to life .

He’s alive ! He’s here ! “

(c) Don Stott, http://eliab.com, Feb 2002

This chant could be presented by different groups with a Powerpoint backing with a slide for each verse. You may use this chant in a worship setting but please attach the copyright attribution.

See more Easter Chants, stories and Easter Puppet skits at http://eliab.com

Easter Explorer

Easter Explorer- an intergenerational worship service for Easter.
This worship service is a celebration of the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection.
It provides an opportunity for people to explore what they believe
and it encourages interaction between children and older people.
Download the PDF here scroll down and click on Easter Explorer.

Looking for an Easter Family Service idea?

A Family Service address with considerable involvement is as follows:
Worship leader begins telling a story (let’s say about a lost rabbit) only to be interrupted by two young folk offering a chocolate Easter Egg (as a thank-you or whatever).

Worship leader thanks young folk, notices that it is an Easter Egg with sweets (say, chocolate buttons) inside, and asks children (and adults) if they would like to open it in church so that the egg and the sweets inside could be shared.

Invite a child out to open the egg but youngster finds out that the egg is empty.

The shocked congregation soon grasp the surprise of the disciples who found an empty tomb. Opportunity for details to be offered by worship leader.

On a pre-arranged cue the original two young folk come forward with an apology and with the bag of chocolate buttons. They thought that they would eat them themselves and that worship leader would never notice they were missing. They didn’t think it would be opened in church!

Those in the congregation particularly the children - who had been hoping for a sweet are pleased at the discovery of the chocolates. As they are shared, the congregation is in a receptive mood to reflect on the joy of the disciples when they discovered that Jesus was alive again.


This idea is from The Church of Scotland website. Prepared by Rev Douglas Nicol .
Other Easter resources are also available to download.

Easter March

Easter March

(American military style march)

Let me tell you what Easter means. (echo)
It's more than bunnies and chocolate beans.(echo)
God's Son was born and lived on earth. (echo)
Special child, miracle birth. (echo)
He healed and taught and lived God's way.(echo)
Till he was killed on Good Friday.(echo)

Not scared. (echo)
Blood shed. (echo)
Dead. Dead! (echo)

Not scared. Blood shed. Dead. Dead! (echo)

Placed into a tomb, he lay.
But Jesus rose up Easter day.
Alive! He lives. He's conquered sin.
Calls us all to follow him.
The offer's here for me and you
To put your faith in Jesus too.

Died for-me.
Set free.
Whoopee!

Died for-me. Set free. Whoopee!

(C)Don Stott, http://eliab.com, 2005

Easter Acrostic

The following outline was used as the basis for a talk about "What does Easter mean?"
Bible Reading: Matthew 28:1-10
Each letter was held up on a large card but you could use powerpoint slides as well.

E = Empty tomb. Stone rolled away.
A= Angel. "He's alive!"
S= Surprise! "He isn't here."
T= Tell. "Don't be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. They'll see me there."
E= Excitement. "Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. They...worshiped him."
R= Resurrection. "God has raised him to life." v.6

Don Stott , http://eliab.com, 2009

Easter Resource

I've just picked up a great resource full of ideas for Easter including drama skits, stories, poems, Easter service ideas and craft.

The publication is called "Easter cracked" and is published by Scripture Union. (93 pages)

http://www.scriptureunion.org.au (Aust.)

http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk (Britain)

http://scriptureunion.gospelcom.net ( U.S.A.)

Colours For Easter

An All- Age Worship Activity

You need : Green, Red,Black, White and Yellow balloon bunches or streamers or flags.

Call forward any of the congregation or children's group who are wearing a green top (t-shirt, jumper, sweater...). Give them the green props and ask them to stand in a group on the far left side of your stage or up-front area. Talk about how the colour green may remind us that Jesus came... and on the way he was welcomed into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Ask the green group to practice their phrase. Continue this process with the following colours and phrases.

"Jesus came- and suffered- and died- but came alive again- to bring new life...

GREEN ---- RED ---- BLACK --- WHITE --- YELLOW

Finally invite all those remaining in the congregation wearing other colours to add "for everyone" to finish the phrase. Those holding the balloons can form a rolling Mexican wave of colour as they circle the balloons in front of them as they say their phrase.

Easter Chant

Easter is...

Easter is a time of joy

For everyone, girls and boys.

Rejoice, be glad, let's all sing,

Jesus is our risen King!

Jesus is living!