Holy Week begins Sunday, March 24th this year. I wanted to give you time to read over and prepare for the family devotional that you think will fit your family best. You can choose from the devotional below or visit last year's Holy Week Devotional at http://www.king-swanson-lg.blogspot.com/2012/03/holy-week-family-devotioal.html. Or perhaps these will give you ideas to create something on your own. I hope you all share this special time of year with your family and truly celebrate the amazing sacrifice Jesus made for each of you.
Crystal (:
Psalm Sunday -- Introduce the holiday/celebration theme.
We look forward to certain things happening during holidays and special times. What do you look forward to at:
Christmas – receiving gifts
Easter– finding eggs
Birthday– having parties and opening presents
Weddings– party and gifts
Do you know what’s special about today? It’s Palm Sunday, when we remember Jesus going up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. Passover is a special time for the Jewish people, it is a day when they remember and celebrate the time when God saved them from being slaves in Egypt. Some of you have probably heard the story of Moses leading the people across the Red Sea. Well, at that time God saved the people from the Egyptians and gave them their own land to live in. He also promised them that one day he would send someone very special, to be their King. This person would be the Messiah, the one who would rule over the people, caring for them like a shepherd cares for his sheep. So for hundreds and hundreds of years the Jewish people celebrated and looked forward to the promise of the Messiah when they celebrated the Feast of the Passover. They believed that God would one day send them a very special king to be their ruler, a king who would never be cruel or bad to his people. The Jews liked going to Jerusalem, their capital city, to celebrate the Passover. This is what happened one year when Jesus was going up to Jerusalem for the Passover:
Read John 12:12-15 (You may want to read this from a children's Bible.) The palm branches were used to show Jesus that the people were pleased to see him, in fact they probably thought that he was the King they were expecting, because of all the wonderful things He had been doing. On a large palm cut out brainstorm together and write the miracles Jesus did? Explain this is why they were all very excited about Jesus.
Today people use banners, balloons or streamers in celebrations. Confetti or bird seed is used at weddings, and that’s about promises too, two people promising to love each other for the rest of their lives. The palm branches were used like we use these things today, they were a symbol of triumph and victory and were used in times of great rejoicing. And the people were rejoicing, because they were shouting to Jesus, "Hosanna, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord." They also placed palm branches on the ground before him. They were using them to celebrate the coming of the King that God had promised them hundreds of years before.
For dessert make Palm Leaf Cookies - Shape sugar cookie dough into palm leaves. Bake per directions and decorate cookies with green icing and sprinkles.
Pray the following prayer before eating palm leaf cookies: “Dear Heavenly Father we thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross so we do not have to be separated from you. Today we rejoice and celebrate Him as those did in the bible story we read. Fill our hearts this week as we continue to celebrate the gift of salvation that you have given us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”
Monday -- Read aloud Mark 11:15-18. Tell your children that this area of the temple was the place non-Jews could come to pray, but it had become a dirty, noisy, unworshipful place. Together, decorate a worshipful space in your home for Easter Week. Include a Bible, candles, and an area to display the items you'll use this week. Place the palm leaf with Jesus’ miracles there as well. Review these items at the beginning of each devotion. Light the candles or turn on the lights only during devotions to keep it special and meaningful. Close in prayer, “Dear Lord we have made this place to come and worship and learn more about you this holy week. Please allow this time with you this week to draw us closer to you. You are worthy of our praise Lord. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.”
Tuesday -- Review items placed in your worship area from previous days. Read aloud Mark 14:3-9. This woman gave Jesus a gift that was very precious. We can give gifts that come from our heart, too. As each child shares something he or she can do to honor Jesus, spray perfume into the air or on the child. Decorate a beautiful piece of paper and form a cylinder around the perfume bottle for display at your family worship space. Talk about how God gave us the best gift ever when He sent Jesus to earth to live a perfect life and ultimately die on the cross for our sins. Read Romans 6:23 and talk through the verse with your child(ren). Use illustration of chasm that separates us from God and list things that we try to do earn God’s forgiveness. Pray “God we thank you for the most precious and valuable gift of all, Jesus. We know that in Him comes our salvation which is a free gift and that we can not do anything to earn it. Thank you for the gift of Jesus. Amen.”
Wednesday -- Review items placed in your worship area from previous days. Read aloud Matthew 26:14-16. You'll need 30 dimes. Tell kids that Judas betrayed Jesus for about 120 days wages. Let the kids count the dimes and place them at your family worship space. Ask, "Was Jesus' life on earth worth more than 30 pieces of silver? Why or why not? What is the true value of Jesus' life to our family?"
Thursday -- Review items placed in your worship area from previous days. Read aloud John 13:1-5. Jesus washed feet to show his love. In the bathtub, use a bar of soap to take turns washing each other's feet and drying them. While doing so express love to each other. Display the soap at your family worship space. Pray “Lord help us to love others the way you showed love for the disciples in our story. Thank you loving us so much that you died for us. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.”
Good Friday -- Review items placed in your worship area from previous days. Have the children nail two boards together in the shape of a cross. Then read Romans 3:23 together. Now have each person in the family write their name on a piece of paper along with the word “Sins.” Invite each person to list the sinful things he or she has done (i.e. losing temper, saying bad words, gossiping). Then, one at a time, allow each person to nail his or her list to the cross as a symbol of Jesus taking our sins with Him and paying the penalty for our wrongdoing. Conclude by reading Romans 5:8 and Romans 6:23 together. Take the cross and place it in the chasm to make a bridge for us to get to God. Pray together “Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross to pay for our sins. Amen.”
Saturday -- Review items placed in your worship area from previous days. Read aloud Mark 15:42-47. Draw straws to see which family member will be wrapped in toilet paper to represent just how Jesus may have looked when prepared for burial. Talk about how the disciples might have felt when all their hopes seemed destroyed when Jesus died. Ask, "How would you have felt if you had been there when Jesus died? What would you have done?" Talk about how the burial isn't the end of the story, but that it was a very sad day for Jesus' friends. Pray “Jesus, we thank you for taking our punishment and dying such a horrible death. We know because of your great sacrifice how much you love us. Thank you for loving so much! In Your Holy and Risen name we pray, Amen.”
Easter Sunday -- Review items placed in your worship area from previous days. Read aloud Luke 24:1-9. You'll need cupcake(s) and a trick re-lighting candle. Light it and talk about how Jesus came to be the light of the world. On Saturday, it looked like the light had been blown out. Blow out the candle and wait in silence while the flame is gone. When the flame comes back, celebrate! Point out that nothing can ever snuff out Jesus, the light of the world. Read John 8:12 explain that Jesus is our light, He shows us the way in this world of darkness, when we choose to follow Him and make Him the boss of our life. Close in a prayer of thanksgiving for our free gift of salvation.
Resources: http://www.childrensministry.com/articles/holy-week
http://www.lakepointe.org/Build/EasterAtHome.aspx
