FAMILY GUIDE Freedom Church Family, We are living in an unprecedented season that no one expected. Our families, lives, and schedules have all been altered, and we can feel the weight of living through a historical moment. It has the potential to define a generation as we, the church, allow God to reveal His love, hope, and peace through us. We are believing that more people will come to know Jesus than ever before in history this Easter. Our church has experienced a 450% increase of people engaging online. The impact of our church is only growing stronger as you continue to invite and welcome people to our online campus. So as a church, we are going to leverage the opportunity before us for Christ. Uniting together through this devotional, we will be praying, worshiping, and journeying through the week that led up to the defining point for all of humanity, the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus changes everything. All for His Kingdom, Wade Haskins TABLE OF CONTENTS pg 4 Overview of the Family Guide pg 5 Palm Sunday, April 5 pg 7 Monday, April 6 pg 9 Tuesday, April 7 pg 11 Wednesday, April 8 pg 13 Thursday, April 9 pg 15 Good Friday, April 10 pg 23 Saturday, April 11 pg 25 Easter, April 12 pg 27 Monday, April 13 All scripture is from The Passion Translation unless otherwise noted. EASTER 2020 FAMILY GUIDE OVERVIEW OF THE FAMILY GUIDE STEP ONE Gather your family or link up with friends online STEP TWO Worship together using the link for the daily song on YouTube STEP THREE Read the daily scripture passage together STEP FOUR Discuss the questions and enage with your kids STEP FIVE Pray it out as a family TAKE IT FURTHER Click on the Take It Further boxes for more resources ONLINE GATHERINGS Monday, 9am Facebook Prayer Devotional Wednesday, 9am Facebook Prayer Devotional Wednesday, 7pm The JK Show Friday, 9am Facebook Prayer Devotional Friday, 8pm Good Friday Gathering Sunday, 9:30am Easter Gathering Sunday, 11:00am Easter Gathering Sunday, 12:30pm Easter Gathering OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES Wednesday, 3-8pm Buy One / Give One 04 EASTER 2020 FAMILY GUIDE PALM SUNDAY, APRIL 5 Hosanna (featuring Kari Jobe) // The Belonging Co Jesus’ Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem, M atthew 21:1-11 Now, as they were approaching Jerusalem they arrived at the place of the stables near the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead, saying, “As soon as you enter the village, you will find a donkey tethered along with her young colt. Untie them both and bring them to me. And if anyone stops you and asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just tell them, ‘The Lord of All needs them,’ and he will let you take them.” All of this happened to fulfill the prophecy: Tell Zion’s daughter: “Look, your King arrives! He’s coming to you full of gentleness, sitting on a donkey, riding on a donkey’s colt.” So the two disciples went on ahead and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and her colt to him and placed their cloaks and prayer shawls on the colt, and Jesus rode on it. Then an exceptionally large crowd gathered and carpeted the road before him with their cloaks and prayer shawls. Others cut down branches from trees to spread in his path. Jesus rode in the center of the procession—crowds going before him and crowds coming behind him, and they all shouted, “Bring the victory, Lord, Son of David! He comes with the blessings of being sent from the Lord Yahweh! We celebrate with praises to God in the highest!” As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people went wild with excitement— the entire city was thrown into an uproar! Some asked, “Who is this man?” And the crowds shouted back, “This is Jesus! He’s the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee!” 05 EASTER 2020 FAMILY GUIDE DISCUSSION GUIDE 1. Has Jesus ever asked anything of you that seemed confusing? 2. Why do you think Jesus entered on a donkey? 3. Has Jesus ever shown up in your life differently than you expected? 4. What do you think Jesus might have been feeling during this moment? TAKE IT FREEDOM KIDS ACTIVITY Join us for Freedom Kids Online! Head over to FURTHER Freedom Kids Facebook for today’s worship, story, and family small group activities. Binge Watch The CHOSEN for free on the app 06 EASTER 2020 FAMILY GUIDE MONDAY, APRIL 6 Breakthough // Red Rocks Worship Mary Pours Out Her Costly Perfume, John 12:1-11 Six days before the Passover began, Jesus went back to Bethany, the town where he raised Lazarus from the dead. They had prepared a supper for Jesus. Martha served, and Lazarus and Mary were among those at the table. Mary picked up an alabaster jar filled with nearly a liter of extremely rare and costly perfume—the purest extract of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet. Then she wiped them dry with her long hair. And the fragrance of the costly oil filled the house. But Judas the locksmith, Simon’s son, the betrayer, spoke up and said, “What a waste! We could have sold this perfume for a fortune and given the money to the poor!” (In fact, Judas had no heart for the poor. He only said this because he was a thief and in charge of the money case. He would steal money whenever he wanted from the funds given to support Jesus’ ministry.) Jesus said to Judas, “Leave her alone! She has saved it for the time of my burial. You’ll always have the poor with you; but you won’t always have me.” When the word got out that Jesus was not far from Jerusalem, a large crowd came out to see him, and they also wanted to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. This prompted the chief priests to seal their plans to do away with both Jesus and Lazarus, for his miracle testimony was incontrovertible and was persuading many of the Jews living in Jerusalem to believe in Jesus. DISCUSSION GUIDE 1. Judas judged Mary for wasting something so valuable. Have you ever judged someone else for doing something that you didn’t agree with? Explain. 07 EASTER 2020 FAMILY GUIDE 2. Have you ever done something for Jesus that seemed strange to others? What was it? 3. Do you find it difficult to give Jesus what is valuable to you? Why or why not? 4. People knew Jesus because of the miracle He did in Lazarus. Are people getting to know Jesus because of what He’s done in your life? If so, how? FREEDOM KIDS ACTIVITY You can give an Easter Bag to other kids! Every week, Freedom Church serves families that need meals and groceries in the Middle River area, and we are partnering with the Eastern Regional Family Resource Center (a homeless shelter) to provide Easter Bags for about 50 kids. Here’s how to make your Easter Bag: 1. Get a 1 Gallon Size Ziplock bag and fill it with the following items. 2. An Easter Card(s) - be creative! Include an encouraging message, Bible verse and our website www.myfreedom.org 3. Individually wrapped candy 4. Tooth brush 5. Travel size tooth paste 6. Small comb or brush 7. Small wash cloth Please do NOT include: - Anything homemade - Personal information - Gift cards or money You can drop your Easter Bag(s) off at any of our campuses on Wednesday, April 8 between 3pm and 8pm. 08 EASTER 2020 FAMILY GUIDE TUESDAY, APRIL 7 Fountain (I Am Good) // Mosaic MSC The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up, John 12:20-36 Now there were a number of foreigners from among the nations who were worshipers at the feast. They went to Philip (who came from the village of Bethsaida in Galilee) and they asked him, “Would you take us to see Jesus? We want to see him.” So Philip went to find Andrew, and then they both went to inform Jesus. He replied to them, “Now is the time for the Son of Man to be glorified. Let me make this clear: A single grain of wheat will never be more than a single grain of wheat unless it drops into the ground and dies. Because then it sprouts and produces a great harvest of wheat—all because one grain died. “The person who loves his life and pampers himself will miss true life! But the one who detaches his life from this world and abandons himself to me, will find true life and enjoy it forever! If you want to be my disciple, follow me and you will go where I am going. And if you truly follow me as my disciple, the Father will shower his favor upon your life. “Even though I am torn within, and my soul is in turmoil, I will not ask the Father to rescue me from this hour of trial. For I have come to fulfill my purpose—to offer myself to God. So, Father, bring glory to your name!” Then suddenly a booming voice was heard from the sky, “I have glorified my name! And I will glorify it through you again!” The audible voice of God startled the crowd standing nearby. Some thought it was only thunder, yet others said, “An angel just spoke to him!” Then Jesus told them, “The voice you heard was not for my benefit, but for yours—to help you believe. From this moment on, everything 09 EASTER 2020 FAMILY GUIDE in this world is about to change, for the ruler of this dark world will be overthrown.