Welcome to ROOTS at home for 12-18 April
Worship-at-home resources for everyone linked to Matthew 28.1-10
With worship services and groups of all kinds currently suspended, ROOTS is offering free resources for people to use at home.
ROOTS is a partnership of denominations and other Christian organisations and has been publishing lectionary-based worship resources online and in print since 2002.
Go to: Resources for families; Resources for adults; Resources for Easter
Copyright
You are welcome to copy this material for use in your own resources e.g. printed sheets or web pages including audio/video recordings. If you do so, please include this acknowledgement to ROOTS:
© ROOTS for Churches Ltd (www.rootsontheweb.com) 2002-2020.
Reproduced with permission.
For families
Introduction
Happy Easter everyone! Wherever you find yourself and whoever you find yourself with, be assured that we can still find ways to share the joy of Easter – and it is perhaps even more important to do so.
We hope that these resources will give you the opportunity to celebrate together, but also to spend time delighting in God’s grace.
Gather
Father God,
we come to you
because you turn doubt into hope,
tears into laughter
and fear into fearlessness.
We come to you
because on Easter Sunday
and on every other day,
we can say, ‘Jesus is alive!’
Amen.
Read
Bible story
Matthew 28.1-10: The risen Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and her friend, and tells them to go and share the good news.
Making faces
Beforehand, practise together the different facial expressions the people in the story might have made, such as: grief, shock, fear, joy, excitement.
Tell the Easter story, pausing at the points marked by asterisks and encourage everyone to make the appropriate expression for that part of the story.
Alternatively, you can tell the story using sounds or by acting it out.
Geoff Hays, www.geoffrey-hays.co.uk
It was early in the morning, on the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene and her friend, who was also called Mary, were on their way to Jesus’ tomb. As they drew near, they saw two guards sitting there.*
Without warning, an angel came down from the sky like a bolt of lightning.* He was dressed in dazzling white clothes*, and the earth shook as he landed and rolled back the stone at the entrance to the tomb.*
The guards were terrified!* First, they shook with fear*, and then they fainted.* ‘Do not be afraid,’ the angel said to the two Marys.* He was sitting on the stone. ‘I know who you’re looking for*. You came to see Jesus, who was killed on the cross. He isn’t here any more; he’s been raised from the dead. Come, and see where his body lay.’*
The two Marys didn’t know what to think. They were both scared of the angel*, and excited by what he said.* The angel continued speaking, ‘When you have seen that Jesus is gone, go and tell the disciples the news. Jesus will go ahead of them to Galilee, and they will see him there.’*
Still frightened, but also full of joy, the women ran from the tomb to find the disciples.* They didn’t get far, though, because suddenly, Jesus was there, standing in front of them.* ‘Greetings!’ said Jesus. The women fell to the ground, took hold of Jesus’ feet and worshipped him.* Jesus spoke again. ‘Do not be afraid,’ he said. ‘Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee.* They will see me there.’
For adults
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| John Parr explores Lent and Easter, in conversation with Anne Stevens. |
Live your faith
This week's Live your faith sheet for adults with Bible notes, prayers, a picture and questions for reflection, a live your faith action
Easter praise
Darkness, light,
angels, women,
cloths, stones,
emptiness and weeping.
All proclaim
this day,
first and last,
ending and beginning,
new life, new wine,
new body, new people.
Old clothes, old skin,
old ways, old habits,
left behind
to gather dust
while resurrection takes hold,
holds sway
and moves on the world.
This is the day
of resurrection.
He is not here.
He has been raised
and he goes ahead to meet us.
Story, dreaming,
past, present,
turn and spin
on this moment
as an empty tomb,
folded cloths,
bright angels
and faithful followers
declare Christ risen,
spring come,
new life for heaven and earth.
Glory be to God
for the dawn of this day.
Glory be to God
for the rising of the Son.
Glory be to God
for the fresh Spirit of life.
Amen.
Additional Easter resources
For all ages
For families
Easter gardens
Visualise and retell the Easter story
You will need: seed trays, one per person, multi-purpose compost, small yoghurt pots or individual egg box cups, flat stones or plasticine, small cut flowers, e.g. primroses, or flowering bulbs, sprigs of rosemary and/or shrub cuttings, gravel, oasis/foil, cocktail or lolly sticks, thread, scissors.
- Give everyone a seed tray.
- If needed, help people fill their trays half full of compost.
- Place a yoghurt pot/egg box cup on its side in one corner to make a tomb and cover the top with compost. Place a stone or ball of plasticine in front of the tomb.
- Cut a piece of oasis or roll a large ball of foil and use it to make a hill in the opposite corner. Cover with compost.
- Plant flowers and rosemary/shrub ‘trees’ and make a path to the tomb with gravel.
- Make three crosses by lashing the cocktail/lolly sticks together and stick them into the oasis/foil hill.
- Talk together about the events of Good Friday onwards, and encourage everyone to roll their stones away.
- Use the finished garden to retell the Easter story. Water the garden to keep the flowers alive.