HEY TCC KIDS FAMILIES! Traditionally, Holy Week, the week before Easter, is when NOTE Christians look back and remember the events of Jesus’ life the Our hope is that by Easter Sunday, your gardens will be full of week before His death and resurrection. This Holy Week we want sprouting grass. In order for this to happen, you need to begin your to help you and your family have fun while also remembering and garden no later than Palm Sunday. You also need to be sure the soil celebrating what Christ has done! doesn’t dry out, or is not overwatered. We recommend checking the Throughout this week, we’ll be looking at true stories found in soil every day to make sure it is damp. Also, keep your garden in a the Gospels. Each of these stories lead up to the most beautiful sunny spot in order for the seeds to germinate. event in Christ’s earthly ministry, His victory over sin and death on our behalf! As we walk through some of these stories together, your family will also be creating your own “resurrection garden.” Each day your family will look at a different event from Holy Week by reading a Scripture passage and a short devotion, adding to your garden, and praying together as a family. By Easter morning, your family will have completed a garden to symbolize the new life we have when we become followers of Christ. Our ultimate hope is that all of our TCC Kids would come to truly understand the depth of what Jesus has done on their behalf and one day make a decision to follow Christ as their Savior. JESUS CAME PALM SUNDAY TO JERUSALEM SCRIPTURE Matthew 21:1-9 PRAYER When Jesus came with His disciples to Jerusalem for the Passover Lord, we know that you are the King of Kings and worthy of all of feast, He had a pretty fancy entrance! They rolled out the red our praise! Help us to always praise you no matter what happens. carpet for Him…well sort of! His followers put their cloaks on the Let the soil of our hearts be healthy and open to your Holy Spirit. ground and waved palm branches in the air as He rode in on a Amen. donkey. He was welcomed as a king with shouts of “Hosanna,” Jesus, we praise you because ___________ (Take time for each family which was an expression of joy and praise! This makes sense member to say one reason they want to praise God). because we know that Jesus is the King of all Kings! The only problem was that Jesus’ welcome didn’t last very long because only a few days later He would die on a cross. Still, His entrance gives us a picture of what it will be like when Jesus returns someday. TASK Make the base of your resurrection garden! • Begin by placing the cup on its side in the basin. • Add the soil to the garden, making sure you cover the top of the cup while leaving the opening visible. • Sprinkle your seeds on the soil and water them. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? In the Bible, Jesus used soil to represent the state of our hearts and seed to represent God’s Word in His teachings (Mat. 13:1-9). If the soil of our hearts is good and not rocky, and we tend to it and water it, we will see growth! One way we can “water” and tend to our hearts is by spending time worshipping God, just like the people in Jerusalem did when He entered on Palm Sunday. Spend some time worshipping and recognizing God as the King of Kings together as a family today. JESUS CLEANSED MONDAY THE TEMPLE SCRIPTURE Matthew 21:12-17 PRAYER Do you think that Jesus ever got angry? He did! The temple was a Jesus, help us to be angry about the same things that anger you. very holy and special place where people would go to pray to God Forgive us for our sins. Help us to always devote a special time and offer sacrifices for their sins. However, there were people and place for prayer with you. Thank you for showing us what is who had turned it into a store! They were selling animals for right and what is wrong, and help us to always stand up for what people to sacrifice and cheating people out of money. This made is right. Jesus VERY ANGRY! He ran them out of the temple and told them Jesus, forgive me for ___________ and help me to be more like you that it was supposed to be a place of prayer. It may be difficult (Take time for each family member to share). to picture Jesus being angry, but remember that sin separates us from God and breaks His heart. TASK • Choose a place in your home where you will keep your garden. Make sure it can get plenty of sunlight and that it will be protected from pets and younger siblings. • Take a permanent marker and have each family member write a sin that they struggle with on a rock or a small piece of paper. Place the rocks at the bottom of the basin in front of the tomb opening. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? It was important to Jesus that God’s house be set apart for worship and prayer. Do you have a special place or time that you set apart just for worshipping or praying to God? What makes you angry? Does your sin or the sin of someone else make you angry? Our hearts should break over our sin. Sin separates us from God, but through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God made a way for us to have a relationship with Him! Christ took our sins to the cross! By burying your sin rocks in your garden, you are showing that our sins were buried with Jesus in His death. JESUS IS TUESDAY ANOINTED SCRIPTURE Matthew 26:6-13 PRAYER When Jesus was at a friend’s house eating, a woman came and Dear Jesus, thank you for pouring yourself out for us. Thank did something crazy! She came to Jesus, fell at His feet, and broke you for giving all you had on the cross just so you could have a her jar of really expensive and special perfume all over Jesus’ relationship with us. feet - on purpose! The leaders were upset, but Jesus thought it Jesus, help me to pour out my life for you by ___________ (Let each was beautiful! She knew she was a sinner that needed Jesus, so family member pray for one way they can pour out their lives). she treated Him like a king. And in just a few days, just like the perfume, Jesus would pour out himself for us. His blood would run to the ground, and God’s most prized possession, His Son, would die in our place. TASK • Take the remaining small rocks and place them in front of the tomb. • Choose one rock, and put a few drops of perfume, cologne, or essential oil on it. Place this rock near the tomb. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The perfume was the most precious thing the woman owned. She was willing to sacrifice it all for her Savior. In the same way, God was willing to sacrifice His most precious Son. When you smell the perfume on the stone in your garden, remember how Jesus poured himself out on our behalf. Think of ways that your family can pour out your lives for Christ. You probably won’t pour out a bottle of perfume, but what ways can you show gratitude for what Christ has done? THE PLOT WEDNESDAY AGAINST JESUS SCRIPTURE Luke 22:1-6 PRAYER Jesus spent a lot of time in the last week before His death Lord forgive us for the times that we have been greedy and for teaching and healing people. His teachings had a way of making the times that we have betrayed others. We know that when we the chief priests and pharisees very mad. They did not like sin, we break your heart. Help us to not let selfishness or greed the things Jesus taught because He called them to surrender, overtake our hearts, but let us serve one another the way you did when all they wanted was power and control. They looked good and put you first in all that we do. on the outside, but their hearts were rotten and sinful on the Jesus, help me surrender ___________ to you (Take turns praying inside. Earlier in the week, they decided they had had enough about surrendering the idols you just talked about to the Lord). and plotted ways that they could kill Jesus. Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples, was their answer. He discussed with them how he could betray Jesus, and his greed allowed him to turn Jesus into the authorities for only 30 pieces of silver. Can you think of anything more upsetting than being betrayed by one of your best friends? Jesus endured this heartache for us. TASK • Take a penny and hide it somewhere in your garden. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The penny represents the deal that Judas made to betray Jesus. His love of money was greater than his love for Jesus. We have to remember what is most important and put everything else in its place. When we become followers of Jesus, He is more important than anything else.