Easter Week at CCA Easter is the most sacred day for our Christian faith, as we are thankful for a Savior who came to earth, died for our sins, and is alive today. During this pandemic, we want you, our CCA families, to be able to experience the excitement of Easter, right in your home. Although we will not meet together as large groups on Sunday, we can participate in each day of the Holy Week in our homes. For each day of the Holy Week: 1. Join us on CCA’s Facebook, Live @ NOON, Sunday, April 5, everyday through ​ ​ ​ ​ April 12, as we take a few moments to remember each day of Jesus’ journey from Palm Sunday, through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. 2. Attached find activities you can do in your home each day of Holy Week, ​ ​ separated by age group. 3. Join us for a CCA Community prayer time on Wednesday, April 8, at 7:00pm, using this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/130373878?pwd=RUpQa0NmZk1KVGp2cVh2SE1RcWZi dz09 Outside Activity Consider making a chalk drawing each day of Holy Week, on your sidewalk, to share the Gospel with all those who walk by! Palm Sunday: ​ Younger Options Palm Sunday marks the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and people waved palm branches, as they would do to welcome royalty. Supplies: Green construction paper and popsicle sticks, branches from outside or even brown construction paper to make palm branches; markers or crayons; glue; coats Gather at the table or on the floor together. Ask: “What things do we celebrate about one another?” Talk about birthdays, grades, accomplishments, sports, music recitals, etc. PIck someone who had a recent accomplishment and cheer for them. Then ask: “How did it feel to be cheered for?” Explain that on Palm Sunday, people celebrated Jesus. They shouted, sang, and waved palm branches in excitement as Jesus went past them, to celebrate who Jesus is. Think about the reasons we love Jesus. Cut strips of green paper. On each strip, write something you love about Jesus. Glue the strips on a popsicle stick or branch, to look like a palm leaf. Allow to dry and put in a vase. This can be a reminder of why we celebrate Jesus as the week goes on (and will go in your special place that you create on Monday) In addition, you can write the names of people who are not Christians on green strips. Make a palm branch of these names, so you can specifically pray for them this week. Have everyone get some coats. Lay them on the floor. Sit on the coats and read Matthew 21:1-11. Ask: How do you think it felt to be in the crowd when Jesus was in town? Would you have been excited to see him? What would you have done when you saw Jesus come past you? Say: Just like we are sitting on these coats, people threw their coats on the road for Jesus and the donkey to walk on, to respect Him, as one would do for a King who rode past them. Say: Not everyone was happy to see Jesus. Some people wanted to kill Him. We will talk more about that over the next few days. Have fun praising Jesus with this song: Every Move I Make https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPvnZILn6EY Tweens Options Make sugar cookies in the shape of palm leaves. Frost with green frosting. As they are baking, read the Family Devotional and discuss the events of Palm Sunday as a family. ● Imagine yourself in the crowd. What would you be doing? ● What do you think about those who are cheering for Jesus? ● What do you think about those who wanted to plot against Jesus? Who were they? Why were they so upset? ● What was the significance of the donkey, the palm branches, and the coats? Challenge your tweens/teens to look up prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament to find answers to these questions. Teens / Family Devotional Read Matthew 21:1-11 (See also Mark 11:1-11; John 12:12-16) and Zechariah 9:9. Palm Sunday is the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem, on a colt (donkey), while the crowds praised Him. Those praising Jesus would’ve been from the crowds coming into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, his followers and disciples. The confusion comes when we read the passages here about Jesus being worshipped by the crowds. We wonder how the crowd could go from praising Jesus on Palm Sunday to shouting for His death with Pilate just a few days later. The crowds praising Jesus on Palm Sunday were most likely travelers who came into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and had heard Jesus teach in the surrounding areas. The crowd around Pilate would’ve been made up of those whom the religious leaders stirred up; those in Jerusalem who did not follow ​ ​ Jesus. Consider what it will be like when Jesus rides again! (Revelation 19:1-16) Spend time in prayer, praising God for who He is. Song: Michael W. Smith, All Rise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ydeHQJUcHU ​ Holy Monday: Cursing the Fig tree; cleansing the temple Younger Options Together prepare a special “Holy Week” place to sit and spend time learning about God this week. Maybe light a candle, put some extra pillows around, a few favorite stuffed animals, and a Bible. Talk about the temple, which was a special place the Jews would come to worship God. Here they would read the Old Testament and learn more about God and the promised Messiah. However, some people weren’t worshipping God in the temple; they were noisy and charging a lot of money for people to buy sacrifices when they came to worship God. Jesus wanted the place people came to worship to be focused on Him. Read Mark 11:15-18. Spend some time in prayer together. Song: I have decided to follow Jesus: https://youtu.be/sEL0WpeH088 ​ Take a moment to be quiet before God and thank Him for allowing us to worship Him. Tweens & Teens Options Sometimes our lives are so busy and noisy that we don’t take time to be with Jesus. Read Mark 11:15-18 and spend some time thinking about why Jesus reacts the way He does in the temple. Ask: ● What is noisy in my life that distracts me from prayer and time with Jesus? ● What is one thing I could change today and work on over the next few weeks, in order to make room in my life for Jesus? ● Spend some time sharing your goals with one another and then pray for each other to keep those goals. Family Devotional Read: Matthew 21: 12-22. (see also Mark 11:12-25) As Jesus cleanses the temple, we are reminded of HIs reasons to come and worship Him. He desires our full devotion, including a life of prayer. How can you make your personal life, even this week, more focused on time with Jesus, reading His Word and spending time in prayer with Him? Song: This is Amazing Grace, Phil Wickham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFRjr_x-yxU Holy Tuesday: Jesus taught and preached in Jerusalem Younger Options Jesus taught two parables during this time: the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Supplies: a lantern or flashlight The parable of the ten virgins reminds us to be ready for Jesus to come back again. Think about going on vacation. Have each person talk about what you need to do to be ready to go on vacation. What preparations do you need to make? What do you need to have ready to go? Then talk about what preparations we need to make for when Jesus comes back to take us to heaven? What should we do now in order to be ready? Supplies: a box wrapped in gift paper with a bow The parable of the talents reminds us to use the gifts God has given to us and be good stewards of those gifts. As parent(s), tell each child what you see as their gifts and talents. What are they good at? How has God made each one of your children unique? Take a moment to just bless and encourage each of your children and thank God for how they are gifted. (Ephesians 2:10). Then talk about how they can use the gifts God has given them to help people know Jesus. Put the lantern and/or box in your special “Holy Week” space. Song: My God is so big! https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=65&v=5JAkVD_Rws4&feature=emb_lo go Tweens & Teens | Family Devotions Bible reading: Matthew 25:1-30 As parents, we have the privilege of blessing our children. Spend some time thinking about each child God has given to you. You are a steward of one of His children! ​ ​ Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God has made us his workmanship (his masterpieces) to do good work for His Kingdom. The Bible also talks about parents giving a blessing to their children. Today, take a moment with each one of your children (together as a family or separately) and tell each child why you appreciate them so much. Tell them the gifts and talents you see in them. Tell them what you love about their personality. Consider writing it down so they can read it over and over again later (I guarantee they will.) Then spend some time praying together and asking God to use the gifts He has given to them for His honor and glory.