Respond to the Word
Ideas to suit different interests, ages and learning preferences.
Prepare the cross
There may be a cross that you usually use in Holy Week either inside or outside the church. Place things on and around it to reflect your experiences and the biblical narrative. You might want to add items such as the ‘King of the Jews’ notice and maybe a cloak to represent Jesus’ clothes. You could look through Luke’s account of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus and add to the cross things that are distinctive to Luke’s account – Jesus’ words to the women of Jerusalem, for example.
A dice to remember
Make a dice to remember the crucifixion. Use the cube template on the and draw or write on each face one of the things that happens in chapter 23 of Luke’s Gospel: Jesus before Pilate, Jesus before Herod, Jesus sentenced to death, Jesus crucied, the death of Jesus, the burial of Jesus – or choose your own sequence of events. Make the template up into a cube, like a dice, to represent the way the soldiers cast lots to divide up Christ’s clothing. Spend some time in small groups rolling the dice and seeing which stories come up that you can retell to each other.
The cock crowed
Consider the story of Peter, who denies Jesus. We shall read the ongoing story of Peter through Eastertime, so this would be a good occasion to think about his experience in more detail. How would it have felt to have been recognised when Jesus was in such danger? How would it have felt to stand in the courtyard and hear the cock crow? Use a recording of the sound of a cock crowing (see Further resources). Play the sound once and have a period of quiet. Then play it again at the end of the quiet time. Pray about the challenges to faith that Easter brings.