EASTER SUNDAY 2022

WELCOME: Everyone is welcome here.

While designed to be used during a Sunday service at church or by zoom, these readings can also be used during the week to help you remember and build on what you experienced on Sundays. My objective is for faith to be a lived experience and for children to learn how to worship and explore the Bible and pray by participating in Worship. The goal here is not for them to learn names or facts though they may want to do that for themselves, but rather to find ways of connecting with the text and sharing that with others. The ideal is to form a life long love of Christ and for the Word of God.

GOOD FRIDAY has arrived. The Liturgical colour is BLACK or RED.

If you are worshipping from home you may like to set up a worship area

You can do this by setting up a candle, then add the things that remind YOU of God, a Cross, a Bible that everyone likes to read from, a special object, even something from one of the readings.

If able to worship in the Church buildings pack a special backpack, as well as filling, it with your Covid Safe equipment, add the books or materials required to help your young ones relate to today’s readings.

For adults and older students, you might like to use a journal with which to record anything that grabs your attention during the service. This could be a special, bound book or use your ipad or iphone. You could write a precis of the message (traditional words or pictures), draw, keep a record of emotions and hymns that you did or did not like. You could use a template like this free download. Remember, this is for you, you do not have to show anyone what is in it unless you want to, and you feel safe to do so.

CONGREGATIONAL USE: Though parents are the best at sharing their faith with their children. If you are a small congregation where children are a very small, or rare part of your congregational life, please feel free to make these suggestions available to your congregation. I am very happy for you to copy and paste ideas from here into your own Order of Service or for you to supply a link to this page. An acknoledgement though is always appreciated.

LET’S BEGIN:

WATCH

SING He’s Alive Yes He Is! by David MacGregor

THE LORD’S PRAYER:

You might like to start with the Lord’s Prayer if at home, or say the Lord’s Prayer within a set place if following along in a service.

A more contemplative version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NuUo-igXDU&fbclid=IwAR2FasYCU-9mP1PaLQDjweXyhyUnJutt4J28KycjzeUEttWSesipX2jmJxE

Or for a more Intergenerational approach try Number 1 on the Table Settings album by Liturgical Folks

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY

If you are in Australia and attending a Uniting Church in Australia, in many cases an Acknowledgment of Country will be said. You can teach your young ones to do this too.

FIRST READING: Acts 10:34-43 (option 1)

READ: He is Risen by Patti Rokus

WATCH

MAKE: make a rock picture like the one in the book

OR MAKE a finger puzzle that also tells the easter story

SING: Jesus Came to Earth from Awesome God by Soveriegn Grace

OR Isaiah 65:17-25

READ Peace by Wendy Anderson Halperin

WATCH

 a Storypath suggestion

PLAY: Build with blocks/ or stones something new.

DRAW or WRITE: about your ideal world.

PSALM 118:1-2 and 14-24

READ

BUILD a rock picture showing how this Psalm makes you feel

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 15:19-26

READ: Rosie Revere, Engineer by  Andrea Beaty and David Roberts 

WATCH

A Storypath suggestion

MAKE: easter rocks, (I choose this activiy here to remind us to stay grounded (in the form of the rock) in our faith where even teh impossible can be possible)

PRAY

Only in you

Can the impossible

be possible

God

Amen

OR Acts 10:34-43 (option 2)

READ: You are all my Favourites by Sam Bratney

WATCH

a Storypath suggestion

MAKE:  Paper chain people, God’s story is for sharing with EVERYONE

PRAY:

Thank you God

that your story is

for EVERYONE

Amen

GOSPEL READING: John 20:1-18

READ: Mary and The Gardener by Andrew MacDonough

WATCH

ACTIVITY BOOK: Download Lost Sheep’s activity book for his book Mary and the Gardner for $4.95 with many activities for the whole tribe regardeless of age.

OR Download the free bookmarks (great for retelling the story) and colouring in sheet

OR Luke 24:1-12

READ: THE SPARK STORY BIBLE, The Empty Tomb, pp.382-387

Colouring-IN:

CRAFT: You might like to make an Easter garden with the empty tomb

HE has Risen Indeed

Blessings

Wendy L.

Please check local guidlines before using items that are not mine especially if you are using this page for congregational use. Please acknowedge this page if you find it useful. Thank you.

I am writing this on Wurundjeri land and wish to pay respect to all Elders, past, present and emerging.

I have qualifications in Education, Theology and Children’s Spirituality, and have worked as a Children and Families Worker in a city church. I use simple and easily found ideas to help you share the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) readings. This is a ONE STOP SHOP where I have done the sifting for you to find theologically and developmentally appropriate material for your congregation or family, saving you time from sifting through many websites, facebook , pinterest, instagram, and blog posts.

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EASTER SUNDAY Year C: Ideas to help you share the RCL readings with the 3’s and under.

Don’t forget to point out the change of colour in the church (White), and that it is a start of a new season Easter.

If you are a parent or Guardian

Prepare a special church bag in advance each week so that you are ready for the rush on Sunday Morning.

Sit towards the front so they can see what is going on.

Read during the Bible readings,

Pray during the prayers,

Colour, Draw or Craft during the sermon.

Craft or drawing or play are for spiritual responses not for a perfectionist piece that can be shown off.

Remember that little ones will need their own space to move and wiggle,

You have bought your child to worship. Enjoy engaging them in it.

If you are a small congregation without a Child and Family Minister have an area available near the front for parents/guardians to worship with their children, and print off this information so that it is readily available or direct them to this site. Set up an area with books and toys in it that will enhance their spiritual experience. (Ie not just toys for “keeping them quiet”).Spiritual Delights or Toy Box tat! andMake the books appealing

If you would like these ideas as a PDF file sent to you each week, please contact me.

YES, given the significance of the day it is alright for them to eat a chocolate egg during the service if you want. Just make sure you have the Wet Wipes or Damp Flannel/Washer ready for the mess!!

FIRST READING: Acts 10:34-43 Theme: acceptance of all

WATCH/READ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho2teowtaXM Hurry up and Slow Down by Layn Marlow a suggestion by http://storypath.upsem.edu/lectionary-links-easter-sunday-april-5-2015/

Play: free play with favourite toys, perhaps use a play mat (such as this one from Ikea https://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/tools/coch/roomset/20182_coch03a/ ) To create community play. Or a dolls house.

PRAY: Entwine your fingers
God help us all to come together

Amen

OR Isaiah 65:17-25

READ/WATCH: https://www.amazon.com.au/Peace-Wendy-Anderson-Halperin-ebook/dp/B0088PDJSY Peace by Wendy Anderson Halperin available as both an ebook or Hardcover.  as suggested by http://storypath.upsem.edu/lectionary-links-rcl-april-21-2019/

PLAY: Build with blocks something new.

PSALM 118:1-2,14-24

Psalm 118: Pointing to the risen Lord

(Read Acts 4)

This is the day that the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
The Lord is my energy and my strength
He has become my salvation!

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the corner stone,
the foundation on which everything is built.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
His steadfast love goes on forever!

by http://www.conversations.net.nz/psalm-118-pointing-to-the-risen-lord.html

PLAY: The full version has such beautiful imagery and metaphor, let them build something with blocks. Ask them how they built it? where is the door, the windows? Are they happy with what they have built. Let them know that God is our base, and it make’s us happy. 

OR WATCH/READ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmSUgxqOHAE  I will rejoice by Karma Wilson

DRAW: Anything that makes you happy.

COLOURING-IN:

https://store.illustratedchildrensministry.com/collections/lent/products/psalms-coloring-posters?variant=5702410895392 You may have bought this series last year so check your download folder.

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 15:19-26

READ/WATCH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niwHUvDf7Z4 Can I play Too by Mo Willems a suggestion by http://storypath.upsem.edu/lectionary-links-rcl-april-21-2019/

PLAY: with blocks to build something new.

OR Acts 10:34-43

WATCH/READ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho2teowtaXM Hurry up and Slow Down by Layn Marlow a suggestion by http://storypath.upsem.edu/lectionary-links-easter-sunday-april-5-2015/

PLAY: free play with favourite toys, perhaps use a play mat (such as this one from Ikea https://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/tools/coch/roomset/20182_coch03a/ ) To create community play. Or a dolls house.

PRAY: Entwine your fingers
God help us all to come together

Amen

 

GOSPEL READING: John 20:1-18

READ/WATCH: https://www.lostsheep.com.au/stories/mary-and-the-gardener/ You can also buy the book for continued reading.

ACTIVITIES: Download the free bookmarks (great for retelling the story) and colouring in sheet or if could buy the Activity pack and have enough activities for the whole family for all ages.

COLOURING IN:  https://store.illustratedchildrensministry.com/collections/coloring-sheets-posters/products/bible-story-coloring-pages-spring-2019 PURCHASE IS DOWNLOADABLE  AND IS IN AMERICAN DOLLARS FOR 14 WEEKS (7 WEEKS IN)

OR Luke 24:1-12

The Luke reading does not have Mary’s encounter with Jesus in the garden. 

READ: The Beginner’s Bible pp.456-457

Colouring-IN: http://www.thebeginnersbible.com//includes/files/base/documents/bb-Coloring-jesusIsRisen.pdf

CRAFT: You might like to make an Easter garden with the empty tomb https://lettheirlightshine.com/2016/01/07/easter-with-toddlers/ OR save this for making at home.

For more ideas check out last years blog, as many of the readings are the same Easter Sunday: Suggestions to help the 3’s and under connect with the RCL readings

HE has Risen Indeed

Blessings

Wendy L.