Jesus' Resurrection

Video Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities: 

Children will view the DVD Animated Stories from the New Testament: He is Risen (from Nest Entertainment).

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 28.

Memory Verse:
"Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world." Matthew 28:19-20 (CEV)

Concepts:

• God raised Jesus from the dead. 
• Disciples believe that Jesus was crucified and then raised from the dead. 
• Even Disciples sometimes doubt. 
• Jesus Christ is always present with us and with his church. 
• Jesus tells us to teach others how to be his disciples.

Lesson Objectives: 

• Explore what is it to believe without seeing. 
• View the video “He is Risen”. 
• Play mirrors to discover what it means to follow another.
• Discuss what it means to follow Jesus.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture passages and watch the video ahead of time.
• Optional: Find some clip art for an eye, a bee and a leaf. Photocopy onto a sheet of paper so the kids can cut and glue them on the journal sheet instead of drawing them. 
• Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located. 
• Conspire with a helper to dress in costume and come to the beginning of your workshop.
• Practice operating the popcorn machine. Be sure you have plenty of popcorn popped BEFORE the children arrive. You will need to have your attention on the children at that point. Ask the shepherds or child volunteers to help distribute it to children who are sitting quietly.
• Gather the materials.
• Preview the DVD and have the DVD ready to go.
• Have the popcorn made.

Materials List:

• DVD- Animated Stories from the New Testament: He is Risen from Nest Entertainment
• Costume
• Journal sheets,
• Pencils
• Optional: pictures, scissors, glue
• Eye, bee, leaf pictures
• Popcorn

Lesson Plan 

Opening:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your nametag.

Explain the purpose of this workshop. This unit is a study of Jesus’ resurrection. What happened after Jesus died on the cross? Do we really believe that Jesus died and was resurrected from the dead? That is a little hard to believe.

“Oh! I forgot something.” (Make an excuse to leave the room. Explain that you will be gone just a few minutes and they are to wait patiently for you to come back. “Don’t anyone touch the popcorn while I am gone.” Then quickly make an exit from the room.)

(You will need a helper. The helper should be dressed in some outrageous costume: monster, flower, animal, clown, super hero, etc. The more outlandish, the better. The disguised and costumed helper will sneak into the room immediately after you leave, go to the popcorn and make a big deal of taking some. The visitor should say nothing except to hold a finger to lips and say “Shhhh”. Then leave the room quickly. This should only take a few seconds so the kids are surprised and don’t have a chance to react.

Immediately, the workshop leader returns and makes as though nothing has happened. The kids might try and explain what happened. If they don’t say anything, encourage them to spill the beans by noticing that someone took some popcorn. Either way, when the kids start to tell what happened, you refuse to believe them. “Outrageous! No way! Don’t make up stories! I don’t believe you! I didn’t see anything!” The more they try to convince you, the more you protest. Don’t believe the adult shepherds either. Stand firm.

After about 2 minutes of this, the costumed helper comes back into the room. Amid all the “see! I told you so’s” you finally admit that it was true. There really was a crazy character in the room while you were gone. Thank your helper and ask him/her to leave.

Discuss what happened. You didn’t believe what they told you because you didn’t see it with your own eyes. Yet it was true. How is this like our faith in Jesus’ resurrection? Is it hard to believe that Jesus arose from the dead? Even the disciples had doubts that Jesus was resurrected. One disciple, Thomas, had to see Jesus with his own eyes before he would believe. We believe in Jesus’ resurrection too. Why? Because we can read about it in the Bible. We have faith. Faith is what we can’t see, but know is true anyway. 

Dig:

Bible Story:
1. Introduce the video. It starts with the resurrection of Jesus. All the disciples are sad. They are together in the room, talking about Jesus dying. They don’t believe it when they learn that Jesus is risen. Watch the video. Listen to what Jesus tells the disciples to do. When the video is over we will talk about what disciples of Jesus are to do.

2. Start the video. It’s about 30 minutes long if cued to just after the credits. Distribute the popcorn with help from the Shepherds or volunteer children. 

Application:
1. What does Jesus tell the disciples to do at the end of the video? (see memory verse: "Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.")
2. Ask the children to turn in their seats so they are each sitting, facing a partner. You are going to practice being the mirror image of your partner. First, one of you will be the model and lead the motions, and then your partner will lead. Follow the motions slowly and closely. Try to be so together that we can’t tell who is leading and who is following.
3. After a few minutes, ask for some pairs to demonstrate. The rest of the class can guess who is the model and who is following.
4. Discuss: 

• How does it feel to be a model? What helps you to be a good follower of your partner? (watch closely, pay attention, be focused, concentrate) 
• Let’s pretend that you are a mirror image of Jesus. What kind of actions do you think Jesus would make? (be kind, generous, help others, be good) So if we are to mirror Jesus, we do what Jesus would do, right? Is that what disciples do? (yes) 
• Jesus told his disciples and followers to (refer to memory verse) “teach them to do everything I have told you.” 
• And who is our model to follow? (Jesus) Do we need help following Jesus? (you bet!)Refer to memory verse “I will be with you always, even until the end of the world."

Reflection Time:
1. Being a disciple for Jesus is like the mirror activity. Watching closely, concentrating on being faithful, we follow Jesus’ actions.

2. Younger kids: distribute the journal sheets. Ask the kids to think about the words “I believe.” Discuss how it breaks down into “eye bee leave (or leaf)”. Have the kids draw their picture code for “I believe”. Then write on the white board so kids can copy: “Jesus lives.”

Encourage the kids to take the journal sheet home to parents and see if they can break the code. The child can explain to parents what it is they believe: Jesus lives.

3. Older kids. Get discussion going on some of the pressures kids have to follow someone or something other than Jesus. We can choose to follow Jesus OR we can choose to mirror others. What other influences are there in our society that want us to follow them instead? (advertisers, pop artists, peer pressure, etc.)

Why is it hard to resist these pressures? What can you do to make it easier to resist? (hang with the right kids, turn off TV, be part of positive activities, go to church, walk away from what is wrong)

Remember that Jesus IS real. If we believe in Jesus we are compelled to follow his actions.

On the journal sheet, draw a line down the middle. This is a mirror. On one side of the mirror, list things that Jesus would not do, but are found in our society. On the other side of the line, list things that Jesus would want us to do to mirror him. Then draw an arrow to the side of the mirror that you want to follow.

Note: You may need to make some decisions about what to cut should you run out of time. My suggestion is that the discussion about peer pressure is more important than writing the journal sheets.

Reflection:

Prayer: I confess that Jesus is Lord. I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead. Jesus, I want to reflect you in my mirror. Help me resist the temptations and pressures to do otherwise. Let your goodness and love shine through me. Amen.
 

A lesson written by Catherine from: 
Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church, Cary, NC