LEADERS HUB
Year 1, Term 1, Week 7: Ideas for Middle Group
Week 7: Jesus is Here! - Easter Story
Lesson Objective:
Jesus died and rose again to pay the price for our sin and give us life.
Bible Passage:
Mark 15: 33-39, Mark 16:1-7
Memory Verse:
Matthew 3:1 - Sin pays off with death but God’s gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Story Idea: Object Lesson!
Object Lesson:
- Show the kids the police hat and handcuffs and ask if they know who uses them (a police officer)
- Ask them what a police officer does (gets people in trouble for doing the wrong thing - catching them so that they can pay the price for what they've done - maybe going to jail or paying some money)
- Tell them to imagine what it would be like if there was somebody who had done something really wrong and the police officer caught them in the act! They were stealing something that wasn't theirs and the police caught them!
- Now imagine what it would be like if the policeman handcuffed himself and went to jail instead, so that the robber could go free, and that he did it because he loved the robber... even though the robber had done the wrong thing!
- Explain that it sounds crazy, but that this is what Jesus did for us at Easter!
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Briefly re-cap the Easter story:
- Jesus came to Earth and lived a perfect life - He was the promised King from God that everyone had been waiting for
- Some people didn't like Jesus and they arrested Jesus and killed Him, even though He hadn't done anything wrong!
- They hung Jesus on a cross and insulted Him, and when He was dead they put Him in a tomb with a BIG rock in front of it
- Even though it sounds sad, this was all part of God's plan to fix our problem with sin!
- After three days, some of Jesus' friends went to His tomb, only to find the rock was rolled away and Jesus was gone
- An angel told them that Jesus had risen! He was alive!
Fitting it all together:
- God created us for a special friendship with Him
- We have all done the wrong thing by God and deserve to be punished by Him, just like a robber deserves to be punished by the police
- God loves us SO MUCH that He sent Jesus for us, and HE HIMSELF took our punishment - just like the policeman took the punishment for the thief!
- What incredible LOVE Jesus has for us, that He would die so that we could have that special friendship with God again!
Quiz Questions:
1. Who made us? God
2. Does God want us to love and know Him? Yes
3. Have we all done the wrong thing sometimes? Yes
4. Does our sin (the wrong things we do) affect our relationship with God? Yes
5. Why did God send Jesus to die for us? To pay the cost for our sin, to fix our relationship with Him
6. Why do you think Jesus would die for us? He loves us, He wants us to have a relationship with God
7. How does it make you feel to know that the God who created the world, cares for you so much that He had a plan all along to save you? Pretty special!
Game Idea: Pass the Parcel
- Before the lesson, prepare a game of pass the parcel by wrapping a prize in layers of newspaper or wrapping paper
- Print some heart shapes on coloured paper and cut them out, wrap a heart cut out and small prize (eg. wrapped lolly) in each layer
- Make enough layers so that each child will get at least one prize
- Have the kids sit in a circle and pass around the parcel while music is played
- The child who has the parcel when you stop the music gets to unwrap one layer to reveal a prize (some help may be needed for little ones)
- Try to stop the music at least once on each child so everyone gets a prize
Remind the kids that God loves EVERYONE and He wants us to be His friends. God sent Jesus to die for the wrong things we have done so that we could be friends with Him!
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Game Idea: Friday, Forgiven, Free
- Before you start, show the kids the actions for the three words and let them practice each one:
* Friday - Crouch into a ball on the ground (on Good Friday, we remember that Jesus died)
* Forgiven - stand with arms out by your side and palms forward (because Jesus died, our sins are forgiven - it's like we have a clean slate!)
* Free - Stand with arms up in the air like a star (We are free from punishment for sin - because of what Jesus did!)
- Have the kids move around the room to some music, when the music stops - call out a direction (Friday, Forgiven or Free)
- The kids should do the correct action as quick as possible - the last child to do the action is out
Remind the kids that Jesus died on the cross, which we remember on Good Friday, so our sins are forgiven and we are now free in Jesus! Woohoo!
Craft Idea: Cross Light Catcher
Before the lesson:
- Create cross outlines on the inside of laminating pouches (one per child) by taping sections of electrical tape, or drawing thick lines with a permanent marker
- Gather different colours of tissue paper and cut them into small mosaic pieces
- Gather glue sticks and scissors from the cupboard and a laminator
Have the kids:
- Glue mosaic pieces to fill the inside of the cross shape, cutting the edges where needed
- Close the laminating pouch and feed it through the laminator to seal
- Cut around the edge of the cross, leaving a sealed border
- They may like to write on the cross in permanent marker 'Jesus Saves!' or 'Jesus is Risen!'
