Outline of Four Holy Week Journey Stations

In the outline below I've called the four lessons "stations" to denote how they can be set up in a church classroom(s) or fellowship hall and rotated through during an event (if you like). These have to be completed in the order of the story. You might theme them as a "journey." which is both fun, easy to resource, and speaks to the meaning of life led by the Spirit of the resurrected Christ.

You can also do each station as a separate Sunday morning class leading up to Palm Sunday, or you can do it as one BIG event before or during Holy Week.

The Seder Meal in Station-Lesson 2 is the longest station and most involved because it includes a simplified Seder Meal that retells the story of Jesus' arrest and crucifixion in an "ordered" (lit. "seder") meal.  Save extra time for it.

Most Holy Week events tend to be solemn, but the following lessons are decidedly "kid-friendly and creative" rather than Holy Week solemn. In that respect, they may be best suited for a family-oriented Christian education event than a traditional solemn "Holy" Week meal-event.

Supporting Members can click the lesson links to see the full lesson plans that Neil drew his inspiration from. Enough has been included below for non-supporting members to get inspired and fill in between the lines. That said, why not join? For $45 a year you get all the details and lots of other great lessons and resources here at our site.

Station 1, Palm Sunday: Making Sign Slogans for Jesus' Parade

Kids love a parade and its a theme churches emphasize on Palm Sunday!  Thus, the following creative idea is based on the WT's Palm Sunday Sign Writing Workshop lesson in which participants first gather at a table to make signs "advertising" Jesus. The lesson has numerous slogan examples you can print and share at the table.

After making numerous signs for the Jesus parade, form a parade crowd with palms, read Matthew 21:1-11 --the Palm Sunday scripture, then march through the hallway shouting slogans, such as "Hey Hey, Ho Ho, The World Has Got to Know" on your way to Station 2 the Seder Meal. Be sure students know that the Last Supper happened four days after Palm Sunday.

Zoom Adaptation

Host a Zoom Call and assign possible Palm Sunday sign slogans to be completed by the participants while they are on the Zoom call. See the lesson listing above for slogans. Precede the sign-making with a brief Bible reading of the Palm Sunday story from a storybook Bible.

As they begin to create their signs, have them share their work in progress so that others on the Zoom call can see and offer suggestions and encouragement. When everyone has finished creating their Palm Sunday signs, have them share their signs one at a time. With each sign have everyone shout aloud the sign slogan together "on the count of three."

Tip: Invite participants to dress up as 1st Century participants using sheets as robes, shawls, or any cloth that might represent clothing from that period.

At-Home Adaptation

Have families or individuals come up with several clever signs from your starter list of suggestions, take a "selfie" of them with their signs, and then have them post them to your church's Facebook page or website.

Station 2: Last Supper: A Special Abbreviated Seder Meal

Everyone likes to eat, including the disciples and God's followers during most of the high holy days found in scripture. Of course, Jesus took the Passover feast and transformed it on his last night. This lesson does that too. It is based on the WT's Last Supper ~ Seder Meal Workshop lesson. Review the lesson, print the Seder Script from it, and prepare the meal table and props.

"Seder" is an old Yiddish word meaning "arrangement" or "order." It describes the ordered or scripted meal which Jews annually celebrate as part of their Passover celebration which Jesus himself was celebrating on Thursday night of Holy Week. The "Sunday School Passover Seder" script is adapted from a traditional Seder liturgy. The bread and cup are central elements in the Seder, and were given additional meaning by Jesus at the Last Supper –the meal which Christians celebrate as The Lord's Supper. These connections are made in the Seder script.

Zoom Adaptation

Host a Zoom call or continue with the one started in Station 1, inviting families and individuals to prepare the Seder foods in their own homes and join you and others on a group Zoom call. Invite different families/participants to read and lead different parts of the script and meal. (See the suggested script in the lesson link above.) If you have a large number of people participating, split into different Zoom groups.

At-Home Adaptation

Email the Seder Script and setup notes to families or individuals to celebrate the Seder on their own. Invite them to post photos of their table and foods on your church's Facebook page or website.

Station 3: The Garden of Gethsemane

Jesus' agony in the Garden is sometimes skipped over in our Holy Week retellings, but in this journey, we stop to take our time to both marvel, wince, and learn from the struggle of Christ. The following is based on the WT's Garden of Gethsemane Video Workshop lesson.

Read the Mark 14:32-42 scripture of Jesus in Gethsemane, and then watch the scene from the movie Jesus Christ Superstar where Jesus sings, "I only want to say, I want to know my God" as he climbs the rocks pleading with God. The scripture, video description, and possible follow-up questions are found in the WT's Garden of Gethsemane Video Workshop lesson, and you should indeed discuss the clip after viewing. It presents something like the raw emotion Jesus undoubtedly expressed on his last night.

Here's a video clip from the movie available on YouTube for free for preview purposes. This remastered version is rather dark and tinted in blue. The scene in the movie itself is in color and a bit brighter.

Why is this story important? Because it shows Jesus' humanity and obedience, and God's patience.

Note: Jesus Christ Superstar also has a wonderful "Palm Sunday" song (Hosanna Hey!) and scene that you can show prior to showing Jesus singing "I Only Want to Say, I want to know my God" in the Garden of Gethsemane. Compare and contrast the joy and expectations of the Hosanna Hey scene with Jesus alone in the garden.

At-Home and Together Online Adaptation

Invite families and individuals to watch the entire Jesus Christ Superstar movie at home together. If they all stream it from Amazon.com, you can use the "Watch Party" option on the Amazon interface to watch and chat about it together!

Here is a link to Rotation.org's guide and questions to Jesus Christ Superstar the movie.  If you or they would prefer, use the second half of the Son of God movie instead. It's good too! Here's a link to Son of God's outline as well.

Station 4: The Cross & Resurrection

Nail Cross-Making Art Project

For this last station, I went outside the Writing Team's sets to one of my own tried-and-true lessons in which the kids make a nail cross using horseshoe nails and colorful wrapping wire.

Preparation and plenty of helpful hands are the keys to making this work in a short amount of time.

The readings and cross-making take about 20-25 minutes, so plan accordingly.

You will want to order "#5 horseshoe nails" (check Amazon) and 22 gauge craft wire in various colors. For the necklace lanyard, you can use nylon string, paracord, or leather.

There are the four scripture readings to be read at various stages of the necklace-making process. Assign "readers" parts. Distribute the specified materials as indicated after each reading.  The "wearing" of the cross at the end of the lesson becomes a statement of faith.

See the endnotes for adaptations.

Note: I've now done this lesson twice, and each time wish I had pre-wound the nails together so that the kids could concentrate on winding the wire around the cross and attach the lanyard.

Reading 1: Mark 15: 1-5 “The Arrest and Trial of Jesus”

READER: Mark 15, verses 1 through 5. After they had arrested Jesus, the chief priests, teachers of the Law, and the whole Council met early on Friday morning to make their case against Jesus. Then they bound Jesus and led him to Pilate the Roman Governor for trial. “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked. “So you say,” replied Jesus. The chief priests then accused Jesus of many things, but Jesus refused to say a word, and Pilate was
amazed

READER: Mark 15: 16-20 -- Then the soldiers put a purple robe and crown of thorns on Jesus. “Long live the King of the Jews!” they saluted. They struck Jesus and spat on Him and mockingly bowed down to him. And then they led Jesus out to be crucified.

DISTRIBUTE the wire symbolizing the arrest and binding of Jesus and SAY: Why did they have Jesus arrested and mocked? Because they had so much fear, hate, and self-righteousness in their hearts that they could not see the truth of who Jesus really was.

Reading 3: Mark 15: 21-32 "Jesus is taken to Golgotha"

READER: Mark 15, verse 21 through 32. They took Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means “The Place of the Skull.” It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified Jesus (by nailing him to the cross). They placed a sign over his head announcing his crime. It read: “The King of the Jews.” The soldiers threw dice to divide up his clothing. And next to him they crucified two bandits. People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus: "...Why don’t you save yourself and come down from the cross!” The religious authorities also made fun of Jesus, saying to one another, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself!”

DISTRIBUTE the nail crosses ready for wrapping with wire. As you distribute the nail crosses SAY: God proved his love for us in that while we still were sinners --Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)  This is how the cross became a symbol of forgiveness and love.

Wrap the nail cross in various colors of wire.

Reading 4:  Mark 15: 33-41 -- To be read after the crosses are made, but before students wear them.

READER: Mark 15, verses 33 through 41. At noon darkness covered the land. And then at three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the Roman centurion standing near Jesus saw how Jesus had died, he said, “Truly this man was
God’s Son!” (And then they buried Jesus in a tomb.)

DISTRIBUTE a length of necklace string to each person and have them string the cross necklace.

READER: Luke 24:1-6. Three days later at dawn, some of the women followers of Jesus went to the tomb with burial spices. But when they arrived they found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb and could not find Jesus' body.While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them and said, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen!"

READER: And as you know, the resurrected Jesus soon appeared to the disciples and to many faithful witnesses before being taken up into heaven. And so today, I will wear the cross of Jesus because I truly believe he was and is God's Son and that he rose from the grave as proof of God's amazing power and love. I believe my sins are forgiven by his love demonstrated on the cross. Who else will wear their cross as a sign of their forgiveness and faith?

INVITE all those who wish to --to wear their cross necklace. If they would prefer to put it in their pocket as a reminder of God's love, let them do so. God sees what is in our hearts. Amen!

HOME ADAPTATION

Create packets of nail cross supplies and a copy of the readings from above to distribute to those who want to take this project home to complete. Make sure to include written instructions which you can copy from the following links at Rotation.org -- https://www.rotation.org/topic...3#442795680548229343 --and the "no bend" version at https://www.rotation.org/topic...8#441810505984420988

Shortened Time Adaptation

Read the scriptures and distribute the cross-making materials as noted in the script. At the end of the last reading, give everyone a plastic bag to take their supplies home where they can complete the project if they wish.

If you have time and tools, SOLDER-tack the nails together in advance so the kids can concentrate on winding the wire.

These Holy Week Reboot suggestions are great event component lessons for a family Easter event! I see them being perfect for adding some content to an Easter Egg hunt or to a family potluck plus Seder during Holy week.

Love potlucks. Wonder how the pandemic will affect them long-term?

Speaking of in-person and Zoom events, they can be combined! 

Don't let anyone feel left out or uncomfortable. Go the extra mile.