Jesus is Alive!

Let’s get up and dance with your kids in praise! Play some worship music in your home, have fun with it! Raise your hands, jump, close your eyes – enjoy a time of worship as a family. To get you into a groove, here are some songs to choose from:

John 3:17 - by Saddleback Kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0MNmUh3v54
Brave - by Saddleback Kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_LQ8pytZJU

Bible Passage: Matthew 28:1-10, Jesus Rises From the Dead

Jesus is Alive!
Lesson: Jesus lives today and we can follow him.

Today’s story comes to us from the Bible. (Hold up a Bible.)
The Bible is God’s word to us, so we know that everything it says is true. (Open the Bible and set it down in front of you as you give the lesson.)

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son – Jesus.

Last week we learned that Jesus had died. Jesus died for our sins. Jesus died on a cross and then they placed his body inside a tomb.
His friends were sad that Jesus was dead. Jesus’ friends Mary and Mary Magdalene went to the tomb.
The big stone in front of the tomb had been rolled away. An angel was near the tomb. He said to Mary and Mary Magdalene, “Jesus is not here. He is alive!”
They looked inside the tomb. The tomb was empty. They started to leave. Then they saw Jesus. He was alive. They fell to the ground and touched his feet. They worshiped Jesus. Jesus was alive. Mary and Mary Magdalene went off to tell everyone.
“Jesus is alive! Jesus is alive! Jesus is alive!”

Simple Prayer:
Dear Jesus, The tomb is empty. You are alive! Thank you that we can follow you. Amen

Discussion Questions:
Wiggle Tamer: Have a rolling race. Line up kids on one end of the room. Have them be the stone in today’s story. Just as the stone rolled away from the tomb, these stones will roll over to the other end of the room as fast as they can.

Small Group Memory Verse: Say the verse several times together. Start by saying it in a whisper, then a little less softly. Keep repeating it until you are shouting the verse together.

Questions: Why were Mary and Mary Magdalene sad?
What did they see when they got to the tomb?
What did they do when they saw Jesus?
What can we say if people ask us if Jesus is dead?

Game: Play a few rounds of “Jesus Says” (Simon Says). Remind kids that because of what Jesus did at Easter, we want to follow him and obey him and do whatever he tells us to do.

Make this week’s lesson real:
Eating: As a snack, share some doughnuts. Tell your kids that the hole in the middle of the doughnut – the empty space – reminds you of the empty tomb from the Easter story. The tomb is empty. Jesus is alive. We can follow him and be with him forever.)

Playtime: Play a little Follow the Leader. Afterward, talk about how our true leader is Jesus. Because he died for us, and because he is alive again, we can trust him and follow him with our whole heart.

Snuggling: Snuggle up together and read the memory verse together: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIrV) Talk about how Jesus is alive! Because Jesus lives forever, we can live forever with Him.

Activity:
Items Needed: Plastic Easter eggs and the kids’ eggs from previous weeks

Pass out the eggs that kids collected from previous weeks. Have them open the eggs, take out the items inside, and see who can remember the stories from the previous weeks. Give each kid a new plastic egg and ask them to guess what we will be putting inside this week. After several have guessed, say: “We won’t put anything in our eggs this week. They will be empty. The egg is empty just like the tomb is empty. The empty tomb tells us that Jesus is not dead. Jesus is alive!” Write each kid’s name on the final egg, and allow them to take all of their eggs home at the end of the class.

Arts and Crafts:
Items Needed: Heavy paper plates, gray construction paper, brass brads, crayons, scissors

To create the tomb: Cut the paper plates in half, then just right off center, cut an opening up from the cut edge of the plate. Cut the gray construction paper into rounds, large enough to cover the opening of the tomb.

Directions: Give each kid a half paper plate to color gray or brown with crayons. Place the gray “stone” over the opening. On the left edge of the stone, push the brass brad through the stone and the paper plate. Secure the brad in place. Show kids how they can “roll the stone away” from the opening of the tomb. Remind kids that although Jesus died for us, he is not dead any more. “Jesus is alive!”