The Empty Tomb and Resurrection of Jesus

"Magic, Science, and Miracle" Workshop

Summary:

In this unique lesson about the Resurrection of Jesus, students will explore the difference between magic tricks, scientific facts, and miracles. The teacher will show and teach them a magic trick, as well as, help them conduct a DIY lava lamp experiment to teach them about the all important ingredient they need in their life to believe and follow -- the "God ingredient."

Scripture Reference:

Luke 24:1-12 ("He is not here, he has risen.")

Luke 24:36-43 (Jesus appears to disciples in the locked room)

Key Verse:
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Luke 24:5 NRSV

The "Point-O-Meter" for Discussion

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture for this lesson.
• Prepare a simple POINT-O- METER discussion prop (See image. Posterboard works great.)
• Select and practice a simple magic trick (see options below)
• Gather the materials.
• Key magic trick preparation: Rubber band the tin with the nuts and bolts to one arm, hidden by your sleeve. Have the book-marked Bible on the table with the empty tin.

Materials List:

• A "Point-O-Meter“ sign – see end of lesson for description.
• Supplies for your opening magic trick (including enough supplies for each student to do the trick)
• Supplies for science experiment (see description below) -- Baking soda, vegetable oil, food coloring, vinegar, funnel, spoon, small water bottles, eye dropper.

Lesson Plan

Opening:

Welcome students and explain what they'll be doing and what you hope they will learn today.

Perform a Magic Trick:

Visit wiki-how https://www.wikihow.com/Do-Magic-Tricks and choose one or more of these really easy-to-do magic tricks. Kids love magic tricks and they are great memory hooks. They'll also want you to show them "how it's done" which is another opportunity to make your point.

Open with a simple magic trick and ask students the following questions:

• Do I really have superpowers or was this simply a magic trick?

• What is a "magic" trick?
  "Magic" does not use superpowers. Instead, it uses visual and prop tricks and illusions to entertain you and make you wonder "how did they do that!"   That said, some people DO believe in "magic" -- which is the power to make things happen by mysterious, unknown, or supernatural forces. Magicians do not have real "magic," they have tricks that LOOK like magic -- and we are entertained by that.

Display the Point-O-Meter and ask these questions:

As you introduce these ideas, point the pointer. At the end of this discussion, quiz them using the pointer.

1. What is the difference between science and magic?
"Science" seeks to explain how things work by careful observation and experimentation.  (For example, in the pencil magic trick I just showed you (if that's the one you used), "magic" makes you think the pencil was really floating in the air, but when I show you how the trick is done, it reveals the science of how tension and leverage works against gravity to keep an object from falling. It only looks like its magic.

2. So what is a "miracle"?
(Accept any answer and example and then explain...)  In general, a miracle is something dramatic that happens that cannot possibily be explained by science or trickery. A dead person coming back to life, for example, or a blind man suddenly being able to see.

A "miracle" is something that happens because God makes it happen. None of us has miraculous powers. I cannot make this pencil float against gravity simply by saying "float!"  I can't make it float by praying all day either. Nobody other than God can make a dead body come back to life. Miracles are things GOD decides to do in our world. And God does them for his own special purposes, not to make us "amazed" but usually to teach us something important.  Even when we read about a disciples of Jesus performing a miracle, it is God doing that miracle.

Throw the large object. Did you see it?  Miracles are usually NOT BIG THINGS.
Throw the very small object. Did you see that?  Miracles are often things we don't see, even if they are happening all around us.  God's love, for example, is like sunshine, you know it's there, and you can feel it, but you can't really catch it, can you?

3. What would a "miracle of science" be?
(Accept any answer and example and then explain...)  A "miracle of science" is a way of describing something that is truly amazing and unexpected but can be explained by science. For example, a very sick person becoming healthy again after being in the hospital, or a meteor hitting the earth and wiping out the dinosaurs. 200 years ago people would have called those miracles, but today, we know the science behind how and why many amazing and unexpected things happen. Babies are miraculous that they can be so small one day and become you!  Falling off a cliff and surviving is miraculous.  But we know the facts of how babies are made and grow, and how people can survive a fall off a cliff, and how bones heal.

Point-O-Meter Quiz

Decide whether the following could be "Magic," Science, Miracle of Science, or Miracle and explain your answer. (And yes, some of these could be magic tricks and science! Our point is to help them think about miracles.)

• Jesus coming back to life after being in the Empty Tomb
• Sawing a lady in half
• Feeling all warm and cozy listening to music in church
• Hearing God's voice in your heart
• Splitting an Atom
• Fall off a cliff and surviving
• Creation of the Universe (it's both a miracle and Miracle of Science)
• Jesus walking on water
• You walking across a swimming pool
• Believing Jesus is your Lord and Savior  (tough one!  We use our minds, which science can tell us how we make decisions, but the Bible says that faith comes from God like a gift)

By the way...  when a miracle happens, does everybody believe it?  No. Even Doubting Thomas the disciple said he had to "see it to believe it." Jesus said, blessed are those who do NOT see, but belief.

The Amazing Miracle at the Heart of Easter

Split your class into two groups and give them a few minutes to read their passage and figure out how to quickly act it out as one of their members reads it aloud.

Group 1: Luke 24:1-12 ("He is not here, he has risen.")
Group 2: Luke 24:36-43 (Jesus appears to disciples in the locked room)

Tell them that they must use the POINT-O-METER in their re-enactment.

Tell them that ONE of their members has to be a "skeptic" -- someone who doesn't believe what they are seeing or being told, someone who questions and tries to come up with some other explanation for:

• why the tomb is empty
• why there's only a piece of cloth inside the tomb
• how Jesus could have appeared in a locked room
• how Thomas could have explained the nail marks in Jesus' hands and mark where the spear went in his side

For follow-up:

1. How did the disciples KNOW it really was Jesus?
   
   
2. If they didn't believe they had met with the resurrected Jesus, why would they have made up such a story?
   
   Wouldn't they have just gone home and been safe if Jesus had never really risen from the dead?  (Instead, what did they start doing!)
   
   SEGUE: What changed them was the presence of Jesus, who we believe was full of God's Spirit, and he breathed that spirit into their lives to believe and start building the community of believers.
   
   

The Invisible Spirit of God Makes All Things Possible ~ DIY Lava Lamp Experiment

In this experiment, students will work in pairs to make their own "lava lamp" -- oil droplets powered by carbon dioxide (the invisible gas released by the baking soda when it interacts with the vinegar).

The visual effect impressed upon us the fact that it was the miracle of God's Spirit that brought Jesus back to life. That his resurrection is a sign/proof from God that his message and Messiahship was true, that we are forgiven through him, and that like Jesus*, we too will be raised to new and eternal life by God. (*1 Cor 15:20, Jesus' resurrection is "first fruit" of the resurrection we will all take part in.)

Tip: The first time you do this experiment, DO NOT include the baking soda in the bottom of the bottle so that NOTHING happens (that begins your teaching point about God and miracles, without God nothing happens). Then add the "GOD INGREDIENT" which is baking soda that you FIRST put in the bottle (followed by the oil and colored vinegar which will produce bubbles).

There are many "lava lamp" DIY experiment videos on YouTube, here's an easy one to do with with a scientific explanation.  To multiply this experiment so that it is more "hands-on" have multiple bottles and supplies.

Reflections on the metaphor of this experiment: (adjust for the age/understanding of your students)

• If the red vinegar represents Jesus' life, and the baking soda makes it "rise" -- what does the baking soda represent? (the miraculous power of God's Spirit)
  
  Describe what makes the colored vinegar rise in the oil. It is the bubbles formed by the reaction between the vinegar and baking soda (releasing carbon dioxide in the soda).
  
  
• Without the miraculous intervention of God, what would have happened to Jesus' body?
  
  
• Why did God want to bring Jesus back to life? -- to resurrect him?   (to prove his identity as the one sent from God, the Messiah, that his message of forgiveness came from God, and to empower us to believe and spread the word)
  
  
• Is Jesus the only person who will ever be resurrected, brought back to life?  (No, Jesus is the "first fruits" of all those who die or have "fallen asleep" as Paul puts it in 1 Cor 15:20).  He is the first, which makes him a PROMISE that God makes to us all.
  
  

Do the experiment again, but this time turn it into a metaphor about how God makes our faith come alive -- resurrected and empowered.

Metaphorically speaking, there are three ingredients we need to have our faith come alive -- i.e. to believe in Jesus with such strength and energy that we make him the most important thing in our life.

1. There's the colored vinegar which is your desire to be forgiven and to know God.
2. There's the oil which can represent our daily life.
3. And there's the baking soda (the presence and work of God's Spirit in your life).

• Where and How can a person "get" these ingredients?  (through confession, prayer, scripture, service, worship)
  
  
• Try this:  Turn on the flashlight on your cellphone or use a real flashlight, and place it UNDER the bottle when the mixture is active.  Does it look better and more attractive now? (Sure does.) How can YOU be an example to others so that they want to know how to get their faith "bubbling"??

Close with a prayer asking Jesus to come into our lives and let us know he is alive. Pray that Jesus' Spirit, which is to say, God's Spirit, would get our faith bubbling with the presence of God, and become a shining light to others to also believe. Amen.

A lesson written by Carol Hulbert from First UMC Ann Arbor, MI
and updated by members of the Rotation.org Content Team

Jesus Appears to the Women at the Tomb

A Music Workshop Lesson Plan

Summary:

The students will explore the various emotions that the women (and our students) might have felt that Easter morning at the tomb. They will use a variety of musical instruments and objects to create a "beat" in the opening activity, for the reading of scripture, and to explore the emotions of fear, joy, and wonder we experience in this story.

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 28:1-10

Memory Verse: Matthew: 28: 5, 6
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen

Goals:

• Explore the various emotions of the women in the story at different points in the story (and relate them to our own)
• Know that the women had mixed feelings about the resurrection of Jesus (didn't expect it, weren't sure what had happened or what it meant)
• Interpret these emotions using a variety of musical instruments and noise makers
• Feel the beat of joy and forgiveness in the miracle of the Empty Tomb

Leader Preparation:

• Review Bible Background notes and scripture
• Gather various types of musical instruments, rhythm instruments and objects (doesn't have to be fancy). See list below.
• Print the "How Would You Feel" PDF attached to this lesson.

Materials List:

• Bibles (supplied in teaching box)
• Rhythm Instruments, musical instruments, Boomwhackers, Old pots and pans and cookie sheets
• Assorted kitchen spoons and utensils, Beans and rice in containers, Nuts and bolts and screws, etc etc.
• A chalk or white board with markers.
• "How Would You Feel" PDF

Lesson Plan

Opening:
Introduce yourself as you welcome your students. Let them know what they'll be doing today and what you hope they will learn.

Play a Game of "Follow the Music"

This exercise simulates the confusion and surprise of the disciples (both women and men) on Easter morning, the sense of not knowing what to do, and then starting to realize what is happening and joining in.  You'll make that point after you play this short game of "follow the leader."

BEGIN by piling a variety of instruments and noise-making devices on the table in front of your students. The teacher then PICKS ONE UP and starts a simple "beat" and then begins to vary it.

WAIT to see if any students begin to pick up an instrument and try to copy you. (If none do, quietly point to someone and motion for them to pick up an instruments.)

SLOWLY BUT SURELY, as students pick up instruments and start to copy you, ALTER your beat and volume.  Don't tell them it is "follow the leader," let it develop and be cacophonous!

END the game by getting louder and saying "Jesus is Risen!" to a BIG BEAT/SOUND that you should encourage students to repeat. Do this several times getting quieter and quieter, then say "Amen" and place your instrument(s) back on the table.  **Try all this without verbal instructions!

Debrief what just happened:
Did you know what was happening at first?
Were you hesitant to jump in?
Did you think you might get into trouble?
Were you unsure of what to do or did you follow other people's lead?

Say: Today's Bible story started out the same way, one thing happening and then other people came into the story reacting to it.  Some were afraid and unsure. Do you know the story I'm talking about? Clue: It's the most IMPORTANT STORY in the history of the world!   Let's read it together.

Study Beat:

Have the students find the story in their Bibles—Matthew 28:1-10. Briefly remind them of the events that have just happened -- going back to Palm Sunday, Last Supper, Trial and Crucifixion.

Invite everyone to have a musical or rhythm instrument ready to follow your lead.  Tell them that they are to MATCH WHAT YOU DO in both tempo and volume as you or a volunteer reads the scripture. In other words, if you get soft, they get soft.

Begin reading, and as you do create a simple beat or sound that matches the EMOTION of the story and the students should imitate. See the example at the end of this lesson.

Pause your reading at key points and let the sound rise and fall. If needed, motion for them to get quiet or use "extra low volume" when you are reading.

After the reading, set aside the instruments and turn to the whiteboard where you have written the following.

"How would YOU feel at this moment in the story"

Print the PDF or copy the text from the resource section below in this lesson.

Reflection: Feeling the Beat/Music of the Empty Tomb

Tell the students that in a moment, you are going to assign the words we put on our list of "Emotions" -- giving them to various students. Then each student will grab an instrument and prepare to make a sound or rhythm that sounds like or expresses that emotion.   (For example, what does "fear" sounds like, "sadness," etc.)

Have each student demonstrate the sound/music of their assigned word, and afterward, let other students try to imitate it or come up with their own.

End with words like, "joy, save, forgive, love" (even if they weren't on the list).

"Pick up the Beat" Closing Option:

Try this "Syncing" Demonstration and Use it to Pray:

Begin by instructing students to EACH PLAY THEIR OWN BEAT all at the same time. It will be a wonderful cacophony. But then, you will notice something happening --- students will magically begin to synchronize their beat. To help that happen, you can play a steady loud beat.  As they begin to synchronize, sayd this:

Jesus wants us to "pick up his beat, the beat of love and forgiveness, -- to come together and tell his story.  Church is one way we come together to learn and pick up the beat, and share it.

Then bring the volume down and "beat out a closing prayer" -- one beat per word, such as "Dear ☺ God ☺ Thank ☺ You ☺ for ☺ the ☺ Surprise ☺ of ☺ Jesus ☺ and ☺ the ☺ Joy ☺ of ☺ learning ☺he is alive! ☺ he is risen! ☺ and we are ☺forgiven ☺ and ☺ loved☺ amen ☺ amen! ☺☺

Resources:

Here is a text copy of the "How Would You Feel" PDF questions to write on the board and have students answer.

"How would YOU feel at this moment in the Matthew 28:1-10 story"

Printed from Rotation.org’s Empty Tomb, Resurrection Lesson Forum

A lesson written by CathyW from: St. John Lutheran Church Forest Park, IL and updated by Neil MacQueen the Rotation.org Content Team

Member Pilgrim Church asked:

We are looking for interactive "science" experiments demonstrating Easter subjects that 5-11 years olds can do for Easter.

Member JanS responded:

There is a book by Group called "Amazing Science Devotions" that I have found very helpful.

There's a similar book by Baker Books called "77 Fairly Safe Science Experiments for Illustrating Bible Lessons."

BOTH have "science demonstrations" in them that illustrate lessons related to Holy Week.

Science Object Egg Experiment

Originally posted by dsevertson of Pilgrim Church

We are looking for an interactive science lesson that 5-11 years olds can do for Easter. We have already used the butterflies.

Member responded

A neat science object experiment that helps kids visualize Easter morning involves sucking a hard boiled egg into a glass bottle, and then getting it out again

Supplies:

• one hard boiled egg, peeled
• a1 litre Tropicana like glass juice bottle
• Boiling water

Directions:

1. Pour boiling water into juice bottle.
2. Tell Easter story up to where Jesus is put into the tomb.
3. Pour water out and then place egg (pointy end down) on top of bottle. Egg will get sucked into bottle as glass cools.
4. To get egg out of bottle you have to do the unexpected thing. Instead of sucking the egg out, you have to cover the top of bottle with your mouth and blow as hard as you can into bottle. When you remove your mouth from bottle, egg will shoot out! Jesus is risen! God's surprise!