Journey with Jesus

A Walk through Holy week

Purpose & Learning Outcomes:

Ages: 3 years old and up. (Family-Style Event)

Date for event: Recommended for Good Friday

**Serve a family dinner prior to event. **

**This is a good option of kids are too young to sit through Good Friday worship service.**

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Safe, learner-focused environment.
  2. Sequence & Holy Week Order taught through movement, Scripture Reading, activities, conversation and prayer.
  3. Time in individual meditation, prayer or family-centered experience.
  4. Leave the ‘journey’ feeling centered on Christ and the significance of Holy Week.
  5. Provided Bible passages for the week to continue the ‘journey’ at home during family time each night.
  6. Parent-friendly, providing materials to easily read with your children.

Instructions for the teacher/facilitator:

·  Get 4-5 volunteers to help set-up the journey.

·  Prepare all materials at least 1 week in advance.

·  Ask if people are interested in designing one of the stations (this allows for ownership)

·  Make sure to have accurate signage for each station.

·  See ‘Master Map’ to get an idea of the flow of the journey.

·  Get volunteers to help clean up following the journey.

List of necessary materials/resources:

·  Spark NRSV & Spark Story Bibles

·  Lutheran Study Bible

http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/category/244410/Bibles-Bible-Study

**Enough Bibles for everyone to have one or two per family.**

·  Devotional Packet (See ‘Journey with Jesus’ Packet)

·  Music of your choice for the entire evening, meditative music to play in the background of the journey.

·  Stickers for each station. Kids will collect a sticker at each station to put on their journey packet to prove they’ve been to the site.

·  Station #1: Palm Sunday

Palm Trees (small), chairs

Oriental Trading Company : Palm Sunday art activity: “Color your own Holy Week Cross”

http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/search/processRequest.do?Ntt=holy+week&requestURI=searchMain&Ntk=all&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&N=0

·  Station #2: The Chief Priests

Wood Cross (have someone make this, or buy beams to make a flat cross that can have nails nailed into it.)

Nails

Hammers

**Make sure to note that kids under the age of 10 need to have a parent assist them**

Small post-it note size plain paper

Pens

·  Station #3 : The Last Supper

Table, Table Cloth, Chalice & Communion Bread

·  Station #4 : Jesus Betrayed

Tea Light Candles (check a craft store, Target, etc for large packs of tea lights)

Large, shallow box with 3 inches sand

Matches or lighter

Prayer- Write a prayer of thanksgiving OR leave instructions for people to pray a personal prayer as they light a candle and put it into the sand box.

·  Station # 5: Christ the King

Projector/power point or TV (you can get creative here)

Running slideshow of pictures of Jesus.

·  Station #6: The Day Jesus Died

Multiple crosses (from around the church, homes, etc. Get a variety of crosses)

Oriental trading company : “Cross with nails” Craft Kit

http://www.orientaltrading.com/cross-with-nails-craft-kit-a2-48_6625.fltr?prodCatId=90000&tabId=5

·  Station #7: The Empty Tomb

Religious Easter Wreath Kit: (Oriental Trading Company)

http://www.orientaltrading.com/religious-easter-wreath-craft-kit-a2-48_5694.fltr?prodCatId=90000&tabId=5

Invitation to come back for Easter Worship Services.

Notes from past experience:

·  Make sure to get assistance with set-up and clean up.

·  For extra involvement ask families or confirmation students to pick a station to design, decorate and put together. (This is a great assignment for Confirmation students.)

·  Search Oriental Trading Company “Holy Week” or “Easter” for activity ideas.

www.orientaltrading.com

·  Have at least 6-8 chairs at each station.

·  1 table at each station if needed for set up.

·  Make sure you have each station far enough apart so people can really have time at each station and not be distracted by other stations.

·  Use a gym area or large room space.

Theological content:

·  Specific to Lutheran Theology (using Lutheran Study Bible)

·  Can be used for ANY Christian denomination.

·  ‘Journey with Jesus’ Packet is written using Lutheran ‘Grace’ Theology but can easily be edited for your specific uses.

·  Spark NRSV and Spark Story Bibles are specifically used in the ‘Journey with Jesus’ Packet. If you choose to use another children’s bible you will need to double check the story and edit the page numbers listed. These bibles are FANTASTIC for children and families.

·  If you have older kids, adults, etc. The Lutheran Study Bible is a wonderful resource.

·  Use the final page of the packet for further prayer and reading in the week/days between the event and Easter for an extra resource.