1 The Easter Story with Resurrection Egg Hunt Happy Easter!! Today we will have an egg hunt, but It’s not the kind of egg hunt you are used to. It’s a special egg hunt that will help us learn all about why we celebrate Easter! Please listen closely because this isn’t like a normal Egg Hunt! During this egg hunt, you will be finding ONE egg at a time. I will tell you a color and you will go find ONE egg that color and run back to me. All right! Let’s have some fun learning all about the true meaning of EASTER!! READ the Story below: Over 2000 years ago, in a land far away, called Israel, there was a man named Jesus. He was no ordinary man, He was the Son of God!! He created Heaven and the whole Earth. Jesus came to Earth for a very special mission; He came to die and pay the price owed for our sins. He came to save us so we could live with Him and God forever in Heaven!! Everything He did while He was here on Earth was because He loves us soooo much! If there is ANYTHING you remember from today, I want you to know that JESUS loves you very much, no matter what good or bad things you do, He always loves you and wants the best for you!! When Jesus was about 33 years old, He rode a donkey into the city of Jerusalem. The people in the city were so excited to see him. They heard of all the miracles He had performed, and they wanted Him to be their new king. EVERY year we remember this day by celebrating Palm Sunday. Last week we learned about Palm Sunday, so hopefully you remember! Here's what the Bible says occurred that day as Jesus entered the city. Mark 11:8-10 says “Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!!” Ask your kids to wave their hands in the air and shout “Hosana!!” EGG 1 –GREEN (Leaf) It’s time to find our first egg!! – Send kids to find ONE GREEN egg. Tell them to ONLY get 1 green egg and bring it right back to where they are sitting. When they return with the egg, have them open it. There should be a leaf inside. This leaf represents the palm branches that were waved and layed down as Jesus entered Jerusalem. When you see it, remember that the people welcomed Jesus as a King. Alright, now put that egg in your basket. Not everyone in Jerusalem was happy to see Jesus. Many of the Jewish religious leaders did not want the people praising and worshipping Jesus. They made a plan; they wanted to have Jesus arrested and killed. So they watched for Jesus to do something bad, but Jesus never did anything wrong. Then one of Jesus’s friends, Judas, decided to betray Jesus, if the chief priests would pay him. Matthew 26:14-15 says, “Then one of the twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “what are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.” For 30 silver coins, Judas agreed to betray Jesus. 2 EGG 2 – BLUE – (Silver Coin) Time to find our 2nd egg! --Send kids to find ONE BLUE egg and return as quickly as possible. Once they return, have them open the egg. It should contain a silver coin. This coin represents the silver coins that were paid to Judas to betray Jesus. Put the nickel back inside the blue egg, close it up and put it in your basket. That night there would be a celebration in the city called The Passover. If you did your devotional on Friday, you may remember hearing about Passover. During the Passover celebration, the Jews had a special meal to remember how God had saved them. Jesus had his disciples prepare the meal, but this meal would be different. Jesus knew he would be arrested that night and He wanted His disciples to remember that He loved them and He was going to die to save them and us. (have kids say “thank you Jesus for loving us!”) Matthew 26:26-28 says, “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” EGG 3 – Yellow – (Cracker) Now it’s time for our 3rd egg!! --Send kids to find ONE YELLOW egg. Explain that the cracker represents the bread that Jesus broke during the Last Supper and is a reminder of that special time between Jesus and his disciples. Later, during the meal Jesus did a very strange thing. He got up and began washing the feet of His disciples. Since He was a king to them, they did not want Him washing their feet! I bet their feet were so dusty and dirty. They wore sandals back then and the streets were made of dirt. Pewww weee!! I bet they had some stinky, dirty feet! (have kids wiggle their feet in the air) Jesus washed their feet to show them (and all of us) that He wants us to serve and help others. No one is too important or too special to help others, not even the Son of God! After the meal, Jesus wanted to talk to His Father, God, alone, so He went to a garden to pray. Matthew 26:39 says “and He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed saying “My father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” Jesus was asking God if there was any other way to save us. He knew He would go through a tremendous amount of pain and torture before He died, and He was afraid. Jesus had a choice. He could have said, “NOPE, not what I signed up for. I can’t do this, God”. But He didn’t say no, He agreed to obey God and follow His plan. He knew it was the only way for us to live in Heaven with Him. Let’s all say “THANK YOU JESUS!!” EGG 4 – Orange – (strip of leather) send kids to find ONE ORANGE egg. 3 Do you remember the religious leaders and their plan to kill Jesus? While Jesus was still in the garden, they sent soldiers to arrest Him! Judas showed them who Jesus was by kissing Jesus on the cheek. Matthew 27: 1-2, says “Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.” The Governor, Pilot, could not find any evidence that Jesus should be put to death. It was his custom to release one prisoner during the festival, so he asked the crowd who they wanted released: did they want Barabas, a well-known prisoner, or Jesus released? The priests got the crowd to ask for Barabas to be released and for Jesus to be crucified. Matthew 27:26 “Then he released Barabas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed over to be crucified. Matthew 27:29 says “and then they twisted together a crown of thorns and set on His head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. The soldiers and crowd beat Jesus and made fun of Him. Jesus could have called down an army of angels to defend Him, but he did not fight back. He took the punishment for us! The leather strip in the egg is a reminder of how they arrested Jesus, tied up His hands and had him beaten. When you see the leather strip, remember what Jesus endured. EGG 5 – Purple- (the cross) --send kids to find ONE PURPLE egg. After they beat and mocked Jesus, they put him to death. Jesus had his hands and feet nailed to a wooden cross. The cross you are holding is a symbol for what Jesus did for us. He willingly died on the cross so we could be forgiven for the bad things we do, and we can go to heaven and be with God forever when we die. John 17:18-19 says “Carrying his own cross, He went out to the place of the skull. Here they crucified him, and with him two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle.” The nails they used to nail Jesus to the cross were huge. They used one on each hand and another for His feet. They also stuck a spear in His side. From noon until about three in the afternoon, darkness came over the land. When Jesus died, the earth shook, rocks split, and tombs broke open. Matthew 27:54 says “When the centurion, and those with him who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and exclaimed “Surely he was the Son of God”.