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BIBLE .SIORYSummery: Matthe I 28:1-10, 16-20

All four Gospel ' iters tell the story of Jesus' resurrection. DetailsI

differ, but all tel the same message: Jesus lives!Details differ, butall agree that wo en were the first to hear that good news.

BIBLE BACKGROUNDFOR EADERS

Easter is the hig light of the Christian year. Jesus' resurrection isthe heart of the: hristian faith: Jesus IS alive!Because Jesus lives,we have the ne life God promised. The Resurrection is so centralto our faith that all four Gospel writers tell the story. Details differ,but the messag , is the same: Jesus lives!

Justice in Bible imes was swift and without appeal. Jesus was cru-ctfted on the sa e day that he was tried and condemned.

The Jewish prie I ts had heard the rumors of Jesus' claim to risefrom the dead 0

1 the third day. They asked Pilate to station guardsat Jesus' tomb. I hey also made sure the tomb was sealed so thatthe disciples co lld not sneak inside to steal the body and thenclaim that J esu 1 had risen.

Friends of Jesu had buried his body in haste. The Jewish sabbathbegan at sunset on the day Jesus died and continued for twenty-four hours. Je sh law dictated that no work could be done on thesabbath. The w ! men therefore waited until the morning after thesabbath before! eYwent to the tomb to giveJesus' body a properburial with oils nd spices.

Sorrow turned ~ joy. An angel at the tomb told the women thatJesus had beenlraised from the dead. The angel invited the womento come and se then to go and tell the good news.

Later, accordinJ to Matthew, Jesus met the eleven disciples on aI

mountain in Galilee. Jesus told the disciples he had all authority inheaven and on 1 arth. Then he commissioned them to go make disci-ples in all natio 1 s. The disciples did not go alone. Jesus, their

Ileader, promise to be with them.

Their stories dif er, but all four Gospel writers include Jesus'instructions to Ionttnue his work (Matthew28:19; Mark 16:14-15,Luke 24:44-49, I ohn 21:15-17). Most scholars believe the writer ofLuke also wrote Acts. Jesus' final instructions to his followersisalso recorded' Acts 1:1-8.

Permission granted to photocopy for local c urch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press. PowerXpress! Bible Experience Stations™

5!i'~HEPHERDTIII

(PllllOtocopythis page for each shepherd.)

Pray each week for the children under you care.

Model the behavior you want from the chif ren.

Assist the station leader as needed.IIMake sure that children use tools and equ ment in a safe manner.

Inl:eract with the children as they experien e the stations. Use the"tchk tips" as a guide.

If lrou want more contact with the children take leadership for theBi/ple story and the closing moments at ea lh station.

Grher with other shepherds for prayer ten minutes beforeclasstime.

'bout the Chil renclifildren may have questions about the Reas simply and honestly as possible.

IRfimember, it's acceptable to say, "I don't I

is il~hat,with God, all things are possible.

Help the children celebrate new life during this unit. And help themce:'lebrate ways they can use their unique ilities to go and tell thegOllodnews of Jesus.

Wif are using Matthew's story for this unit, but older children mayremember story events from the other Gos els. Do not rush to cor-rect the information they share - they m be giving an accuratead:count from one of the other stories. Refrl sh your own memory byrtding Mark 16. Luke 24:1-12. and John 0:1-18.

t::.reel the ChilII

H(li~lPwith nametags.

T1llank the children for remembering to bril g their offerings. Havethle children place their offerings in the off ring basket.

TclLkeattendance. Note any children who ar absent. Make plans toIIsend each absent child a note or card. Rec rd names, addresses, and

phone numbers for any children who are a tending for the first time.

Note: Children will use journals during th s unit. Before each session(or at the end of each gathering tim I), deliver the group's bas-ket of journals to the appropriate stl lion. After the sessionreturn the basket of journals to the esignated area.

Eaater: Go and Tell Permission granted to photocopy for local hurch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press.

II

YOUR FACTSCHECMatthew's sto y (28:1-10):OMary Magdale e and the other Mary went to the tomb on the

third day afteJesus died.

o In an earthqu ke an angel of the Lord rolled the stone back andsat on it. Terr fied, the Roman guards "shook and then becamelike dead me1' (Matthew 28:4). .

o The angel tol the women Jesus had been raised from the dead.

o Jesus appear I d as they ran to tell the good news to the disciples.They worship I d Jesus, and then passed along the message thatthe disciples I ere to go to Galilee.

All four Gospels resent some form of Jesus' Great Commission.Luke repeats his version of the Great Commission in Acts 1.

Matthew's st9 y (28:16-20):o Jesus appearq d to the disciples in Galilee.

o Jesus appear d to the disciples on a mountain.

o The disciples orshiped Jesus, but some doubted.

o Jesus told th he had authority in heaven and on earth.

o Jesus told th m to go to all nations and make disciples.

o The disciples I ere to baptize. They were to teach others to "obeyeverything th t I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20).

o Jesus promis d to be with his followersforever.

Permission granted to photocopy for local ch irch use. © 2001 AbingdonPress. PowerXpress! Bible Experience Stat.ions"

"'~sus told his disciples.to ten the good news

to others.

!;TATION SET I PPhotocopy the Main Idea, Objectives, Bible Background for Leaders,and Check Your Facts for each leader d shepherd (see pages 3-6).

Remove tables from the room. Push chi irs out Ofthe way.

Cut footprints from construction paperl or old wallpaper books. Tapesome footprints to the wall to form a fo t path. Turn some of the foot-prints into butterflies by placing two falltprints in opposite directionsand taping the two to the wall.

Add a sign: "Good News: Jesus Lives!"

1rNANTTO DO MORE?Place a large footprint rug (available at discount stores) in the doorway.Or cut a giant footprint out of colorful I loth or paper. If you use clothor paper, tape the footprint to the floor'

Ealster: Go and Tell Permission granted to photocopy for local, urch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press.

Resources:pages 3-6

Supplies:pages 3-6construction

paper orwallpaper

scissorstapemarkeroptional:

large footprintrug, cloth,or paper

CHECKSAFE

ld know the whereabouts of every child in thep, and they should know where to reach parentsergency.

o The church sh mld be a place of security-a place where childrencan count on ings and people being reliable.

o Shepherds shshepherd's groin case of an e

Resocrces:BiblespOJ3e 50

o Make sure the children have plenty of space to play games.Remove any a stac1es.

o Make sure ehi(ren use equipment in a safe manner.

BIBL STORY(10 minutes)

Invite the childre to the gathering circle.

Svpplles:plorsticegg

For Youn, er ChildrenHold your Bible28:1-10 in your

en to Matthew 28. Tell the story from Matthewwords.

Childrenhildren to read Matthew 28: 1-10 from their Bibles.

Go therefore and makedisoples of all nations.

(Matthew 28:19)

F r All AgesH~ d up a plastic Easter egg.

I dY: Eggs were a common springtime gift longbefore Jesus' lifetime. People knew that newlifewas hidden inside the egg. At the righttime the baby chick would break the shell andbegin life outside the egg. Christians see theegg as a symbol of Jesus rising from deathinto new life.

e story "The Empty Easter Egg" (see page 50).

Ask: What d you think the class members said to Philip? Howdo you ink this story ended?

(45 minutes)

Choose from he suggested activities as your time and thechildren's int I rest allow.

ACTI~ITY OPTIONS

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For All AgesII

C:.ood News EIIPrlrePdre:

Write each of the followingword pairs on s parate slips of paper.pl,!11ceeach of them in a different egg.

Go thereforeand makedisciples ofall nations.(Matthew 28: 19)

Pl1rcethe eggs in a grass-filled Easter bas ' t.

Gather the children in a circle. Place the J sket on the floor in thecJ:lnterof the circle. .

II

S~:'lY:Matthew 28: 19 says, "Go therefore anations." These words have been broinside the eggs.

d make disciples of allen into pairs and placed

Give these game instructions:

1. Cup your hands.

2. The good-news-passer will place egg in five people's cuppedhands.

3. If you receive an egg, try to guess w ich two words are hiddeninside.

4. When I give the signal, open your e . and read the words aloud.

5. If you guessed correctly, you will be he next good-news-passer.

6. But before the next round, our grou must say the verse in thecorrect order.

Tips: Open all the eggs each time the chil ren play the game.

Let everyone who guesses correctly e a good-news-passer.

Return the word slips to the eggs a shuffle the eggs beforeeach round of play. I

Most children will memorize this ve e during the course of thegame.

Ellster: Go and Tell Permission granted to photocopy for local 0 urch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press.

Supplles:five plastic eggs of the.same color

slips of paperpenE<lster basket

For An AGosp

esI Whisper

Gather in a circl . Tell the children they are to pass a whisperedmessage around he circle.

To the child on y ur left, whisper:

"Jesus has 1 en from the dead. Go and tell," the angel said.

To the child on y ur right, whisper:

"Gomake . ples," Jesus said,not long afterhe rose fromthe dead.

Ask the last perJ ns receiving each message to repeat what theyheard. If the mesl ages are garbled, tell them the original message.

Pass messages a ain. To the child on your right, whisper:

God's Son. Tell that news to everyone.

To the child on y

ior is truly God's Son. Christ offers new life to

Ask the last per-sons receivingeach message torepeat what theyheard. If themessages aregarbled, tellthem the origi-nal messages.

Pass the sign la uage for "tell" to the right.

Nowask the chill ren if they know what messagethey passed.

Explain the han

SdY: The early d sciples told others the goodnews that esus rose from the dead. They also told aboutJesus'teac ings and the things he did.

The good nl

ws traveled from one town to another and from onelanguage t another.

The stories and teachings of Jesus are found in Matthew,Mark, Luke and John.

Permission granted to photocopy for local c urch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press. PowerXpress! Bible Experience Stations"

Next, pass the si n language for "Jesus is alive"to the left.

For An Ages5i.hoe RelayASj1keveryone to remove one shoe and placd the shoes in a pile. Form twolines.

Gil~eThese lnstructions:1. Look at the shoe of the person behinr you.

2. Run to the shoe pile and find the she

3. Run back to your team.

4. Place the shoe on your teammate's foot and (ifnecessary) tie the shoe.

5. Clap high fives with the player now earing both shoes and shout."Go and tell!"

6. Your teammate now becomes the ne runner.

PleWcontinues until everyone on a team is I earing the correct shoes.

Say: Jesus told his followers to go to all n tions and make disciples. TheII good news spread from town to town I d from language to lan-

guage. Those first followers traveled ostly on foot. Travel was noteasy. Roads were dusty and rocky. T e disciples faced danger fromrobbers and from people who did not ant the Christian message tospread. But Jesus' followers obeyed ,'s command anyway. Manypeople became disciples of Jesus.

For An AgesCi;ood News Pi~elineAslkeach child to roll construction paper t~ make a tube. The tubesshll:oUldbe wide enough for a Ping-Pong bal to pass through. Have eachchild secure each end of his or her tube wi h a paper clip.

Di"~de into two teams. Have each team lor

1,a straight line.

E1ch child should have a tube in one han and the other hand behindhi~·I;or her back.

E11chteam will race to pass a Ping-Pong b I through all the tubes onthir::irteam, while their empty hands remail behind their backs.

Thleteam must start over if the ball is droked or if someone uses anenilptyhand to pass the ball. I

Asl,k: Was it difficultto use only one hand? id your team have to start over?I What problems do you think Jesus' f910wers faced as they obeyed

Jesus' command to go and make di ciples of all nations?What makes it hard for you to be Je I s' follower?

Eaat.er: Go and Tell Permission granted to photocopy for local c!rch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press.II

Supplies:none

Talk Hps:The friends of Jesustold theg90d neevsabout Jesus. by talkingwith othersondibywriting letter~. Whatare some ways wecan use today to tellpeople the good newsabout Jesus?

Supplies:construction paperpaper clips. ".

.two ping pong balls

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Resources:two Bibles

S~llpp1ies:36·ihch strands of redymn and blue yarn,one for each child

Ielk Iips: .How can we help getthe good news to peo-,pie who live in other'

,countriesf

How can we help getthe good news topeo-pie who live in ourneighborhood?

red and greenconstruction paper

scissorstapechoirs

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,:: .."", """'1, ..•~'."'.. . •.•tA

for All A! esCarry the GospelDivide into two tams, the reds and the blues.

Give red yarn to I ne team and blue yarn to the other. Ask teammembers to tie t e yarn around their foreheads. (Theymay need to

Ihelp one anothe )

Have the two tea! s walk around the room, mixing together, whilecontinuously re i ating the key verse:

Go therefore d make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28: 19).

Shout, "Freeze!" ave everyone spread out, leaving as much space aspossible betwee players.

Give These In, tructions:Let's see whi ! h team can carry the good news faster.

II will give a B ble to one member of each team. When I say, "Go,"I

take the Bib to another member ofyour own team, then sit down.When you re! eive a Bible, take it to another team member, then

sit down.You cannot ove until you are given a Bible.

The last perso standing on your team takes the Bibleand sits down.

for All A, es

!d~n! two I ams. Give each child on one team a half sheet ofred constructio~ paper. Give each child on the second leam a halfsheet of green c I nstruction paper. Have each child use scissors tocut a circle out !f the paper.

Tape the circles 0 chairs and put the chairs in a large, open circle.Remove one cha r with a red circle so that you have one fewer chairthan children. ve everyone stand in the middle of the circle.

Ask: What does!a green light mean? (go) What does a red lightmean? (st ) Each time I yell "Go!"run to a chair. Whoever isleft stand' I g can only be safe if he or she sits on the lap of aperson sit;· g on a green light (circle).

Begin the game. I Each time remove a chair with a red circle.Continue play u til you have removed all the chairs with red circles.

Sdy: Jesus told is disciples to go! Jesus gave them the green lightto carry on his work. Jesus' followers were to go and tell per-sons eve here about Jesus and make them his disciples.

Permission granted to photocopy for local hurch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press. PowerXpress! Bible Experience Stat ions"

Adapted from © 1999 Abingdon Press.

cathlonfor An Agesfood News DPrepdre:

Fill the bottom of a metal or plastic bo 1with small round rocks.

Fill the bowlwith water and place it in e hall beside the doorway.

Place a basket of small round rocks in he center of the room.

Use yardsticks to create a spoke-like p ttern leading out from thebasket.

Cut ten large butterflies from construe ion paper or wallpaperbooks. Cut apart the instructions for tie Good News Decathlon(see page 49).

Glue an instruction to each butterfly.

Arrange the butterflies in a 1-10 order d tape them to the wall.

A'llr" k: Do you know what a decathlon is? (I n athletic contest whereeach person completes ten track and ieid. events)

SCllY: Your challenge is to complete a Goo News Decathlon.Watch out for other contestants. I

Watch out for the supplies in the mi I dle of the room.The butterflies give instructions.Complete the activities in the correc order.When you finish all the events, sit a the end of a yardstick in

the middle of the room.

N11Dte:Adults will need to read the instru tions to younger children.

Si,lY: In a decathlon, as in life, people hav different abilities. Theywork at different speeds. But everyo e does their best. Godwants us to use our abilities to do 0 r best in telling othersabout Jesus.

Permission granted to photocopy for local c urch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press.

Resources: .Biblespage 49

Supplles:yardsticksbowlwaterbasket of small round

rocksconstruction paper

or old wallpaperbooks

bowl"waler .. smoll round rocks'io~rna\s

pendls

CLOSIN (5 minutes)

Fill the bottom of a met 1or plastic bowl with small round rocks. Fill thebowl with water.

Have the children sit in l circle around the bowl. Distribute journals andpencils.

Early on the first illable to roll the heawas easier than the:

ster the women worried that they would not bestone away from Jesus' tomb. But their jobexpected. The stone was already rolled away.

Later Jesus told his ollowers to go to all nations and make disciples.

Jesus did not promil e that the job would be easy. He knew thatthe roads they trave ed would be rocky, difficult, and sometimesdangerous. But Jes I promised to be with them.

Take a rock from th~ bowl of water. Then sit quietly, touching therock.

When you are ready, raw a picture in your journal that tells aboutJesus' followers tellin] others about the good news.

. stations™, Bible ExperiencepowerXpress.

© 2001 Abingdon PresS.I urch use.

. . g anted to photocopY for toea 'PernllSslOn r

~OOD NEWS ECATHLONTiape each of these instructions to a diJfere t butterfly cutfrom construction paper orubllpaper books. Hang the butterflies aro I d a wall of the room.

1. The women walked to the tomb.II Walk heel-to-toe around the out 'de of the room.

2. The stone rolled away. Use your ittle finger toroll a stone the length of a yards ick.

:3.The angel said, "He is not here. e has been raised."Complete five sit-ups.

<1.Jesus met the women as they ld t the tomb.They took hold of his feet and rshiped him.Kneel three times, touching so eone's foot each time.

!rS, The women ran to tell the goodI Run around the room three tim

~13.Jesus met the disciples on a m I ntain in Galilee.I Create mountains by doing ten J mping jacks.

'II{.The disciples worshiped Jesus.I Sing "Jesus Loves Me."

8. Jesus said, "Gomake disciples I f all nations."II Go to each corner of the room.

Touch your toes eleven times in each corner.

\I~LJesus said, "Baptize in the nam of the FatherI and of the Son and of the Holy 'pirit." Dip your

hand three times in the bowl of ater in the hallway.

10. Jesus said, 'Teach them to ob I y everythingthat Ihave commanded you." I arry a Bible andwalk heel-to-toe around the 0 tside of the room.

E11aster: Go and Tell Permission granted to photocopy for local hurch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press.

49

BIBLThe E

STORY TO TELLply Easter Egg

"Today," said I r. Johnson, "our class will have a differentkind of Easter gg hunt." He handed each child one of thoseplastic eggs th t opens into halves.

"Wewill not h t for Easter eggs; we will hunt for somethingto put inside 0 r eggs," Mr. Johnson continued. "Go outside,find something that is a symbol for new life, put it insideyour egg, and Iring it back to the room."

"Do I get one t! o?" asked Philip.

"Youbet!" said r. Johnson. Everyone in the class knew thatPhilip had trou le participating in some activities. Philip wasdifferent. And Iis differentness made it difficult to do thingsother children I id easily. The other children in the classaccepted Philip but sometimes they grew impatient with him.

The children r · in all directions to find their symbols ofnew life. Philip went too.

After a while th children returned to the classroom. Therethey placed the! eggs in an Easter basket in front of Mr..Johnson. Slowl! he opened the eggs to see what was inside. Aflower was insi :e one egg, a leaf in another, and grass and birdfeathers in the ther eggs. All these were signs of new life.

A butterfly flo ed out when Mr. Johnson opened Melissa'segg. "Beautiful" the children shouted.

Jason's egg co tained a rock. The children didn't under-stand how a r ck could be a symbol of new life. Jasonexplained that I e chose a rock because he wanted to be dif-ferent, and ne I life is different.

Finally Mr. Jo nson opened an egg with nothing inside. "It'sI

mine," said Ph lip.

"You didn't do t right, Philip," sighed Tom. "There's nothingthere!"

"I did do it rig It," Philip said. "It's empty-s-Jesus' tomb isempty. That's I ew life!"Adapted from a story in P I kets, April 1987, from a sermon by Rev. Harry H. Prichett Jr., All Saints Church,Atlanta, Georgia.

" ' -:,.~~j.,'.'." '.".../' .:.·j>,lri,., ',I ".

, . . • v: Permission granted to photocopy for local urch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press. PowerXpress! Bible Experience Stations™

TIle resurrected Jesus told his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, bap-tizing them and teaching them to obey all th Jesus commanded. Jesus combined

Ihis instructions with a promise: "Remember, am with you always"(Matthew28:20).

C:)BJECTIVE5:Children will explore the followingconcept

• Jesus rose from the dead.

• Through Jesus, God offers new life t I people everywhere.

• Jesus expected his followers to contii ue the work he started.

• What Jesus told his followers applie to Jesus' disciples today.

• Each of us has unique abilities we c use to tell the good news of Jesus.

Photocopy these sections for ALL your vol teers:

• Main Idea; Objectives (page 3)

• Bible Story; Bible Background for Le ders (page 4)

,. Shepherd Tips; About the Children; reet the Children (page 5)

,. Check Your Facts (page 6)

Eas ter: Go and Tell Permission granted to photocopy for local hurch use. © 2001 Abingdon Press.

I