Only Jesus Has the Power to Save

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

A four-week

series

A four-week

BIBLE VERSE Eggbert, the Easter eggsseries -plorer, uncovers a new part of the “Only Jesus has Easter story each week in an Easter egg. This four-part series the power to shows preschoolers that God sent Jesus to save the world, save,” Acts 4:14 and that only Jesus has the power to save.

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SERIES OUTLINE

An Easter Parade for Jesus, Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus Eats a Special Meal with Friends, Matthew 26:17-29

The Cross, Matthew 26-27

Jesus Is Alive, Matthew 28:1-10

EASTER WITH EGGBERT Preschool Week 1

SERIES CONCEPT Eggbert, the Easter eggs-plorer, uncovers a new part of the Easter story each week in an Easter egg. This four-part series shows preschoolers that God sent Jesus to save the world, and that only Jesus has the power to save.

BIBLE TRUTH An Easter Parade for Jesus, Matthew 21:1-11

BIBLE VERSE “Only Jesus has the power to save,” Acts 4:12.

SUPPLIES • Bible • 3 giant Easter eggs filled with a plush donkey, a small coat, and a palm branch • Easter vest, Easter egg hat, magnifying glass, duster brush for Eggbert • Easter basket, table

NOTES • All yellow highlighted text are cues for visual and audio sides. Assign a volunteer to play slides. • Each week Eggbert will enter dressed in an Easter vest and Easter egg hat. • Put Bible, magnifying glass, duster brush, and eggs from previous weeks in the Easter basket. • Hide 3 giant Easter eggs on the stage or around the room. Each egg will have a prop inside to help tell the Easter story. Place props on the table after you’re done with them. • This week kids will go to Circle Time and make palm branches and then return to the stage area for Big Group.

CIRCLE TIME Kids will color a palm branch to reinforce the story.

TEACHER DEVOTIONAL Read: Matthew 21:1-11 Imagine a parade—loud, fun, crowded and full of excitement. The parade to welcome a king - the Messiah must have been a parade times 10. The Bible tells us that praise filled the streets for Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem. Crowds of people threw out their coats and waved palm branches, both signs to honor a victorious king. This was Jesus plainly announcing his identity. No longer did he ask his disciples to be quiet about who he was. Instead, he entered the city like a king.

However, Jesus was a different kind of king. He was also humble. Instead of riding in on a majestic horse, this king chose something quiet; something gentle. He came riding in on a baby donkey.

The people watching this scene unfold knew the words of Zechariah 9:9, “… Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” And right before their eyes was Jesus, the exact fulfillment of this prophecy written down 500 years earlier.

This powerful image should’ve clued them into the fact that Jesus would be a different kind of king and Messiah - not a king of war who would end their oppression from Rome with a violent revolt, but instead a humble king of mercy and peace, who was coming to deliver them from an even greater, darker oppression - their sin.

But, the people were weary and hungry for battle, and they missed the purpose of Jesus that day. Five days later they were shouting different things at Jesus, and instead of welcoming him into the city, they were spitting on him as he walked up a hill with a cross, to die.

As much as we may want to believe we would’ve seen the significance of the way Jesus entered Jerusalem, this story should also remind us of all the times we have missed the forest for the trees.

Had the people then realized what Jesus was really bringing—salvation for everyone forever— the parade may have been even more spectacular. Someday we’ll have that parade. The Bible describes that in Revelation 7:9-10 “… a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb [that’s Jesus], clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, …”

Can’t wait.

God is eternal and faithful. How do these two qualities comfort you?

WELCOME Welcome boys and girls. I’m so glad you’re here! Before we get started, let’s review our room rules so that we can have the most fun. (Go over room rules. Sample rules: join in, be a friend, be safe, leaders rule.)

WORSHIP Ok, let’s all join in right now and stand up for worship. Let’s do our best singing so we can let God know how much we love him! (Play a few songs for kids to sing and dance to.)

FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD (Share with kids how God asks us to love all his children through giving and praying. Talk about a global or local outreach program and encourage kids to give by collecting an offering.)

INTRO

Show Series Slide: Easter with Eggbert

Hello boys and girls! I am so egg-cited to be with you today! My name is Eggbert and I am an eggs-pert Easter eggs-plorer! Can you say “Hi Eggbert?” (Kids respond.) I spend all my time looking for eggs. It’s my favorite thing to do! My favorite eggs are Easter eggs! And guess what boys and girls? Easter is just around the corner! I am so egg-cited! There will be Easter eggs everywhere! Looks like I will need all of my eggs-plorer tools. Check them out! (Pick up Easter basket and start going through all the objects.)

Here is my egg-cellent egg finder tool … my magnifying glass! Hey, can you get out your pretend magnifying glass and look around the room with me? (Kids pretend to look around the room with a magnifying glass.) Great job eggs-plorers! Here is my super nifty duster brush. (Hold up brush.) Just in case the eggs need a little dusting off. Can you get out your pretend duster brush and dust off some eggs? (Kids pretend to dust.) Here is my favorite tool! The Bible! (Take Bible out of basket and hold it up.) It helps me be an expert Easter eggs-plorer! Because everything we need to know about Easter is in the Bible.

Today I am on the hunt for the real meaning of Easter and I could really use your help! I have to find three Easter eggs somewhere in our room because inside each egg is a clue! A super-duper egg-cellent clue about the Easter story. I’m just so egg-cited! Do you think you could help me with my Easter egg hunt? (Kids respond yes!) Egg-cellent! You can all be eggs-pert eggs-plorers with me!

(Take out magnifying glass and start looking around the room.) Ok eggs-plorers, take out your magnifying glasses and help me find those three Easter eggs. (Walk around room and have kids help you find Easter eggs. When you find one, bring it on the stage and then go out and look for another until you find three eggs. Play with the kids a bit, pretending like you don’t remember how many eggs to find, or you need help figuring out how

many eggs you’ve found and how many more you need to find. If kids won’t stay seated tell them you can’t keep hunting for eggs until everyone is sitting, and wait.)

Let’s count the Easter eggs we found: 1 … 2 … 3. Three! Looks like we’ve found all the eggs for our Easter story. What do you think is in them? Should we look? You think so! How about I have a few of you help me open these eggs and see what’s inside them. Would you like that? Ok! I am looking for my first helper to come and help me open Easter egg #1. I’m looking for someone sitting really quietly. This kid is as quiet as an egg. (For each egg choose kids and bring them on stage. Introduce them and then have them open the egg using different tools from your vest. Make sure to put the egg up on the toy box so everyone can see and then show the group what is inside the egg. Instruct the kid to sit back down and then read script from the Bible.)

BIBLE TRUTH Egg #1: Donkey Wow! What is this? Looks like a Stegosaurus. Nope. You’re right. It’s a donkey. I wonder what a donkey has to do with Easter. That seems silly. Let’s look in the Bible and find out. Donkey, Donkey … oh here it is. Listen to this.

(Open Bible and read script.) #1 A long time ago, right before the very first Easter, Jesus and his friends headed into a big city to celebrate a special holiday. When they got close to the city, Jesus asked two of them to find him a donkey. His friends did what he asked and brought Jesus a donkey. Can you give me your best donkey noise? (Make the noise eee-aww a few times with kids.)

I wonder what Jesus is going to do with the donkey? Who wants to help me open the next egg and find out? (Pick kid to come on stage and open egg.)

Egg #2: Coat Our second clue is a coat. Do you think it was cold outside and Jesus needed a coat? Maybe. Let’s look in the Bible and find out. Coat, coat … I found it.

(Open Bible and read script.) #2 Jesus got on the donkey and rode it down the hill into the city. A huge crowd welcomed him because they knew about all the special things he had done. Lots and lots of people started taking off their coats and laying them on the ground for Jesus and the donkey to walk on. It was like a parade! (Put the coat down on the table and the donkey on top of it.)

I wonder what the people did next! Does someone what to help me open the next egg? (Pick kid to come on stage and open egg.)

Egg #3: Palm Branch

Wow! Our third clue is a palm branch! I wonder if Jesus is headed to the beach. What do you think? Probably not. Let’s read from the Bible and find out. Palm branch, palm branch … here it is!

(Open the Bible and read script.) #3 The people pulled down palm branches from the trees and waved them in the air as they sang “Hosanna! Hosanna! Jesus has come to save us.” Can you shout “Hosanna!” and wave your arm in the air like a palm branch? (Kids say “Hosanna!” while waving their arms.) Egg- cellent! Then they threw the palm branches on the ground to make a path for Jesus. The people knew that Jesus was so special and that God sent Jesus to save the world.

APPLICATION Wow! What a great story. I love parades! I thought Easter parades were all about the Easter Bunny and candy but that parade was about … about … who was it about? (Kids respond “Jesus!”)

That’s right! It was about Jesus because God sent Jesus to save the world.

Only Jesus has the power to save the world. That’s exactly what our memory verse says. Let’s stand up and practice it right now!

Show Verse: “Only Jesus has the power to save,” Acts 4:12.

“Only Jesus (Do one big arm circle and then point up.) has the power (Flex your muscles.) to save,” (Extend your arms out wide.) Acts 4:12. (Hold hands open like a book.)

(Practice verse 2-3 times using whisper voices, silly voices, loud voices, slow, fast, etc. Then have kids sit back down, get quiet, fold hands, and close eyes.)

Great job, everybody!

Let’s pray and talk to Jesus. Let’s thank him for loving us so much.

PRAYER Dear God, thank you for loving us so much and teaching us the real meaning of Easter. Thank you for sending Jesus to save the world. Amen.

CIRCLE TIME Today we’re going to pretend to be the people in the parade waving palms branches at Jesus. We’re going to go to Circle Time first and make palm branches to wave in the air. If you do a really good job, then when your leader tells you, you’re going to come back to the story area and sing a song while we wave our palm branches in the air. Got it? Ok, when you hear the © Summit Creative Company. All rights reserved. summitcreativecompany.com 6

Circle Time music you may get up and walk slowly to find a circle. (Play a song to transition kids to Circle Time. Have kids sit down in small groups with volunteer leader. When kids are finished have leaders help you herd kids back to the story area with their palm branches.)

BIG GROUP Everybody show me your palm branch. Awesome! Can you wave it in the air like the people in the story today? Great job! Are you ready to wave it in the air while singing? Ok! Count with me … one … two … three … hit it!

Show Worship: Thank You Lord Risen

EASTER WITH EGGBERT Preschool Circle Time Week 1: Palm Branches

SUPPLIES: crayons, craft sticks and tape, print out: palm leaf

PURPOSE: Kids will color a palm branch to reinforce the story.

Sit down and say names.

ASK: What did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on? (a donkey) What did the people wave at Jesus when they welcomed him? (palm branches) Who has the power to save the world? (Jesus) How would you have felt if you were watching Jesus ride into town on a donkey? (Facilitate discussion.)

SAY AND SHOW: To help us remember this story we’re going to color palm branches. Once we finish, we’re going to go back to the story area and sing the song “Hosanna” while waving our palm branches in the air just like the people did in the Bible story.

DO: Hand kids a palm branch coloring sheet and have them color it. Then give them a craft stick and a piece of tape and have them tape the stick to their palm branch. When you hear the end song for Circle Time, have kids return to the carpets to sing the “Hosanna” song.