Easter: The Resurrection

Wonderful News: Jesus is alive! Big Idea:

Jesus is alive!

Key verse: John 11:26 - Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if he dies.”

Thoughts for leaders What a week to have a party! This is the best part of the Easter story: Jesus is alive! The impossible has become true! Take time to celebrate this day with your group. If you can, throw a real party with party food & favours, and take time to celebrate not just the traditional “Easter” chocolate & eggs, but the true reason for the party: life! All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIrV” and “New International Reader’s Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Easter: The Resurrection

Supplies list: Attention Grabber - 2 tables - 3 chairs - Choir robe - Suit jacket - Doctor’s smock - Gavel - Papers

Small Group - Bible - Celebration foods (ie ice cream or chocolate Easter eggs) - prayer journals (optional)

Craft Table

Games

Memory Verse - John 11:26 Memory Verse printed on colourful paper (pages 11-17) - Scissors - Ribbon - Tape Teaching Time

- Hard-boiled eggs - Food coloring - Vinegar - Boiling Water - Rubber bands

- Printouts of Easter

No supplies needed

eggs (pg 20)

Or alternate craft: - plastic eggs - stickers - Easter treats

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Easter: The Resurrection

Set the stage as a courtroom scene: table and chair (with a gavel if possible) for the judge to sit behind, a chair beside for the witness, and a chair and table facing the judge for the lawyer.

Costumes: Choir robe for judge Fancy suit for lawyer Doctor’s smock for Luke Paper on lawyer’s desk Characters: Judge: Stern-looking individual, dressed in choir robe Lawyer: Professional looking, wearing suit jacket Luke: doctor/scientist, wearing white jacket Bailiff: bit part, can be dressed normally. The People versus Jesus Scene opens with lawyer sitting behind a table, and bailiff entering the room. Bailiff: All rise! Lawyer rises, Judge enters the room, and seats him/herself behind the bench. Judge: You may be seated. Lawyer seats him/herself, and bailiff moves to beside the Judge. Judge: The court is now in session. The case before us is The People versus Jesus, whereby Jesus is being charged with fraud in that he claims to have died and come back to life. Defence, you may call your first witness. Lawyer stands to address the judge, then sits down again. Lawyer: The defence calls Dr. Luke, your honour. 3 © 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com

Easter: The Resurrection

Luke enters the room and sits down on the witness stand. Bailiff approaches, and Luke raises his right hand. Bailiff: Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you, God? Luke: I do. Luke lowers his hand. Bailiff exits. Lawyer stands. Lawyer: Please state your name and occupation for the record. Luke: Luke. I am a doctor. A scientist, if you will. Lawyer: And what is your relation to Jesus? Luke: I have never met him. Not in person, at least. Lawyer: We submit Dr. Luke as an expert in this case, your honour. Judge: Proceed. Lawyer: Would you please tell the court how you came to be involved in this case. Luke: Yes, well, my good friend had been hearing these outrageous rumours about Jesus – of the miracles people said he did, and he became very interested. He is quite wealthy, your honour, so he had it in his mind to travel to Jerusalem to meet this Jesus. Then when he heard Jesus had died, he was quite upset. When rumours reached him that Jesus may have come back to life, he considered coming himself but decided against it. He hired me to investigate the rumours and report back to him whether or not Jesus was alive, and if this was all a hoax or not. Lawyer: So you were hired, as a scientist, to investigate Jesus for fraud. Luke: Yes, your honour. Lawyer: Have you concluded your investigation? Luke: Yes, your honour. Lawyer: And what were your findings.

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Easter: The Resurrection

Luke: Remarkable, actually. My sources confirm that Jesus did actually die. As you know, this court had sentenced him to death for claiming to be a king when, in fact, as we all know, Ceasar is king over Israel. There were some questions as to whether this was a fake charge, no offense your honour, since Jesus was not really involving himself in politics, but it was the decision of the court to sentence Jesus to death in any case. Lawyer picks up paper from table and brings it to the judge. Lawyer: The defence submits court rulings 30992 as evidence. Please continue, Dr. Luke. Luke: Yes, well, as you know, Roman soldiers are – ahem – experts in executions and rarely mess one up. In this case, there were several soldiers who confirmed Jesus’ death. In fact, when they took him down from the cross, they stabbed him just in case. He was definitely dead. This was confirmed by higher Jewish authorities who took the liberty of burying Jesus. Lawyer: So, in your opinion, there is no way that Jesus could have faked his death. Luke: No, sir. None at all. Lawyer: Could he have faked coming back to life? Luke: Well, your honour, that was my question as well. I thought perhaps it was a joke, or a look-a-like, or his brother or something, but my investigations lead me to believe he very much was alive. Lawyer: how is that possible? Luke: Only through God, I suppose. There simply is no other explanation. His friends claim to have seen him. Complete strangers have met him. He’s not a ghost – he eats fish and bread like any normal person. He’s not a look-a-like: people have touched his hands and seen the scars from his death. Over 300 people have seen him at different times. I personally, have not met him, but there are too many reports that are consistent with each other to dismiss. It seems the impossible has happened. It seems Jesus is alive! Lawyer: Forgive me, but why are you grinning? I thought you didn’t know Jesus? Luke: I’ve never met him, if that’s what you mean, but don’t you get it? Don’t you know what this means? This means Jesus really was who he said he was: it means he really is God! 5 © 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com

Easter: The Resurrection

Lawyer: So? Luke: So? So!? Jesus – God – DIED for us! It means he loves us! It means God is real and alive, and HERE! It means that he actually CAN forgive our sins, like he said he could! It means I don’t have to try to be good to get to heaven, because Jesus has forgiven me! It means my life can totally be changed – just like his friends have! I mean, have you MET Peter? The guy was a loser, and now that he’s following Jesus he’s becoming this big-time preacher: PETER! I can’t WAIT to see what he’ll do with me! In fact, excuse me, your honour, but I really have to go. Don’t you get it – Jesus is alive! I’ve got to follow him – I can’t wait to see what life will be like with Jesus in it! Luke runs out the room. Judge: Defence? Lawyer: Uh… sorry about that… Judge: Do you want to call your next witness? Lawyer: (still looking after Luke) Uh, yes… no – Excuse me, your honour, I think I’m going to follow this Jesus, too. Lawyer runs out the room.

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Easter: The Resurrection

It was early in the morning, and some of the ladies who had been friends with Jesus were going to his body to get it ready for the funeral. They were probably quiet & sad, the way we might be if our best friend had died. They knew his body is in a cave, called a tomb, and that a huge stone had been put across the entrance and there were even guards there, because the king wanted to make sure everyone knew Jesus was dead and wouldn’t steal the body. I bet the women were talking, and hoping that the soldiers would help them roll away the stone. It was too big for just one or two people to do: it would need everyone’s help. Maybe they were glad and relieved when they got to the cave and saw the stone wasn’t even there anymore. Maybe they thought someone had got there first to help get Jesus’ body ready for a funeral. Maybe they even wondered where the guards had gone, because when they got to the tomb, the stone had been rolled away & no one was around! The went inside the cave, ready to put spices on Jesus’ body and clean him up so he looked okay in the tomb, but when they got there, the clothes he had been wearing were neatly folded… and the tomb was empty! What do you think you would do? Would you call the police, and tell them someone stole the body? Would you go to the king and demand the body would get put back? Would you try to find the soldiers? Would you cry? The women didn’t know what to do, but Jesus’ body being gone made them very sad and very afraid. Then, out of nowhere, two men showed up: only they weren’t just men. They were huge, and it was like they were glowing – the Bible said they looked like lightening! The women were super scared! Then the men said a strange thing: they said, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? Jesus is not here, he’s risen! Don’t you remember when he said that he would be crucified and on the third day, he would rise again?” The women all of a sudden remembered: when Jesus had said that, they didn’t know what he was talking about. But now the first part had come true: Jesus had been crucified! Could it be true? Had the second part come true, as well? Could Jesus really be alive? 7 © 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com

Easter: The Resurrection

The women ran back to find Jesus’ other friends, the disciples, and tell them what they had seen. But one woman, Mary, stayed behind and cried. A man came up to her and asked why she was crying, and she said, “They took Jesus’ body away. I want to get it back.” She thought the man must be the gardener. Then the man said her name, “Mary,” She looked up and – it was Jesus! And he was alive! She was so happy! “Now go tell your brothers,” Jesus told her, so she ran back to the disciples to tell them that she had seen Jesus! Now, this might sound too amazing to be true: not many people get raised from the dead! But Jesus proved he really was alive. He went and visited with his best friends, and he let some of them touch his hands where the nails had been. He showed up to talk to some other men and when he started teaching them, they recognized him and realized he was Jesus! He had supper on the beach with his best friends, and he even taught a crowd of over 300 people. It’s hard to trick that many people! And it wasn’t just once, either. He stayed on earth for a few weeks, just to make sure everyone knew that he had the power over death: he really was alive and well even though that was impossible! Now that people knew Jesus could do the impossible, they had to admit he really was God. And if God can raise himself from the dead, surely he could do all the other things he said he could do! That meant that when he said he has the power to forgive us from the wrong things we do, he really can do it! When he says that he wants to bring us to heaven to live with God, he really can do it! When he says he can give you peace and joy even when life stinks, he really can do it! Jesus isn’t lying or pretending to be someone he’s not. He’s not making fake promises, or telling us things to make us feel better. He’s telling the truth and he has the power to keep all his promises!

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Easter: The Resurrection

Bible for reference Celebration food (ie Ice cream or chocolate Easter eggs) Prayer journals (optional)

Leader: What are some promises from the Bible that Jesus has given us? Allow for answers. Some examples: • Romans 10:9 – that if we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts, we will be saved • Deuteronomy 31:8 – God is with us (so don’t be afraid!) • James 1:5 – God will give us wisdom when we ask • 1 John 1:9 – God will forgive us when we ask • 1 John 5:14-15 – God hears our prayers Leader: How do we know he has the power to do what he says? Allow time for answers. Leader: Let’s celebrate that Jesus is so powerful even death could not beat him! If your group has a favourite way of celebrating, go for it! If not, having a special treat together, like a bowl of ice cream or chocolate Easter eggs can be a fun way to celebrate.

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Easter: The Resurrection

Printout of John 11:26 on colourful paper (pg 11-17) Ribbon Tape Scissors Monthly verse: 1 Corinthians 15: 3b-4 : [This is the good news: that] Christ died for our sins, just as Scripture said he would. He was buried. He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as Scripture said he would be. Weekly verse: John 11:26 - Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live.” Activity: Print out the party banner on coloured paper, cut out and string around the room as a celebration that Jesus is alive! As you cut & string the paper, recite the verse together.

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Easter: The Resurrection

John 11:26 Memory Verse (7 pages)

I am the

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Easter: The Resurrection

resurrection and

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Easter: The Resurrection

the life.

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Easter: The Resurrection

Anyone who

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Easter: The Resurrection

believes in me

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Easter: The Resurrection

will live.

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Easter: The Resurrection

John 11:26

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Easter: The Resurrection

Option 1 (real eggs)

Hard-boiled eggs Food coloring Vinegar Boiling Water Rubber bands Mix 1 cup boiling water, 20 food coloring drops and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a bowl to create a dye for the eggs. - Have children wrap rubber bands around a hard-boiled egg. - Dip the eggs in dye solution - Give a few seconds to dry to the touch - Take off the rubber bands for a tie-dyed egg! Option 2 (plastic eggs)

Plastic eggs Stickers Easter treats

- Give each child a plastic egg - Decorate with stickers - Fill the egg with fun Easter treats.

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Easter: The Resurrection

Printout of Easter eggs (pg 20), cut out and hidden throughout your space. Alternately, hide real Easter eggs or candy instead.

Assign children to teams of 4-6 people (small groups work great). Assign each team an Easter/farm animal such as chickens, donkeys, roosters, cows, etc. Each team now must decide who are the “finders” and one person to be the “catcher.” Only the catcher is allowed to actually touch any Easter egg. Give a time limit, and on your mark, allow the children time to find the eggs. Once they find one, without touching it, they must make their animal noise until their “catcher” comes and picks it up. When the time is finished, children may trade their paper eggs for real treats!

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Easter: The Resurrection

Easter Eggs Printout

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