We Hope That As You Spend Easter in Lockdown That You Will Be Able to Spend Some Time Thinking About What Jesus Has Done for Each One of Us and for Our World

Easter for everyone

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We hope that as you spend Easter in lockdown that you will be able to spend some time thinking about what Jesus has done for each one of us and for our world. To remember, understand and celebrate. These activities are for anyone of any age, for young and old, to be done alone or with others. We hope you will be blessed as you try doing some of them.

Good Friday Read Mark 15v21-41 or Matthew 26 and 27 or a passage about Jesus’ final hours before his death in a children’s Bible Create an Easter garden Or make an Easter cake.

Gather sticks, stones and moss from your Be creative with things in your kitchen to garden or while you are out for a walk. make a cake with crosses and a tomb. Remember the different parts of the Keep your tomb closed for now. account as you put three crosses in place. Put the rock over the entrance of the https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/easy tomb and keep it closed. _chocolate_cake_31070

Make a cross from two branches lashed together with string. Spend some time reflecting on your life and the wrongs you have done. It may be something recent or something that you still haven’t brought to God. Write it on a piece of paper and pray for Jesus’ forgiveness. Screw up the paper and put it by your cross. Know that because Jesus died, you are forgiven. Think of someone you know who doesn’t yet know Jesus. Pray for them to come to understand how much God loves them. Some songs for today: When I survey the wondrous the cross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK8kYlBn_qI There is a green hill far away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogRvBVRvqvk Man of sorrows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZjBJuHgXPE Lord I lift your name on high https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlL5or7I3q8

Easter Saturday

Take a branch from the garden, perhaps pussy willow, with small buds on it and bring it into the house. Put it in water.

There are times in life when we are waiting, times when our prayers don’t seem to be answered. It may be that you have been praying for a long time for someone you love. You may be finding this period of lockdown a time of loneliness, missing friends or a time of financial worry. You might be concerned about people who are ill or who might become ill. After Jesus died his friends felt alone, confused and uncertain. They didn’t know what to do next and they had to wait. As we wait for the answers to our prayers, we can put our hope and trust in God and in his plan. Read Romans 8: 26-39 Print off copies of the Easter eggs or design your own on paper. Write on the back of the eggs the things you want to pray about. Hang them on the tree and as you see the buds open over the next days, remember that God is faithful and he will keep his promises.

Some songs for today: God is bigger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alNngVfvwg8 What a friend we have in Jesus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlv0zzKs_rY It is well with my soul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHe_qmo3gX4 It is well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4taAN4QtbI&feature=youtu.be

Easter Sunday Read John 20 What do you think Mary and the disciples would have felt when they saw Jesus again? The stone had been rolled away, at first they thought Jesus’ body had been stolen but no, Jesus was alive again. Easter Sunday was a time of celebration and excitement. As we come to Easter Sunday let’s celebrate what that means for us.

1. Make a wordle of everything we are celebrating https://wordart.com/create (below is one I prepared earlier!). Just type into the list your own words and phrases for everything Jesus did by dying on the cross and then press ‘visualise’.

2. Remember that the stone was rolled away from the entrance of the tomb by boiling eggs and rolling them down a slope in the garden or by making a slope in the house. If you made an Easter garden or Easter cake, don’t forget to roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb.

3. When you eat your chocolate eggs and bunnies remember they are a symbol of new life. We have new life in Jesus, through his death and resurrection we have been given the gift of eternal life and we can celebrate and be thankful.

Sing songs and hymns that celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Here are a few to get you started! Jesus is the king https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OcU0EMP5_s How great thou art https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_rWMQp2Hho Up from the grave he arose https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN77HjfAc8k In Christ alone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouGuG97l2RY Resurrection Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u7V-g_cJaU O Praise the name https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqBpifDpNKc If you are on Facebook, post a link to a song for others to enjoy.