We began our session by making flat bread which we would use and eat as we remembered Jesus and the disciples at the Last Supper.
Our story recounted Jesus’ footsteps through Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday and Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a young donkey.
We followed Jesus to the temple where he showed how upset he was at the dishonest trading that was going on; the Jews had made many rules and regulations to make it difficult and expensive for every day folk to come and worship and pray to God.
We acted out the Last Supper, setting out a table and cushions on the stage to represent the upper room. Peter and John followed the man with the pitcher of water to the room and prepared the food and wine (flat bread, dips with carrot, celery and cucumber sticks, grapes, cheese and grape juice, in our case).
As Jesus and the disciples arrived for the meal there was no servant present to wash the disciples feet so Jesus tied a towel around his waist and began washing the disciples feet.
We recounted the story that evening – Judas being identified as the person who would betray Jesus leaves the room and heads off into the night. Jesus goes on to break bread and share it with his remaining disciples, speaking the words that explained his forthcoming sacrifice and death, asking the disciples to remember him and what he was about to do for them and for everyone.
We remembered the words he spoke about loving one another –“this is how others will know you belong to me by loving one another, as I have loved you”.
We ate and listened to the on-going story, to the Garden of Gethsemane, to Jesus’s arrest, the unfair trial. The Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, finding no fault with Jesus but wanting to keep the crowds happy and hoping they will ask that Jesus goes free, instead, they shout “Crucify Him”.
We follow Jesus as he struggles to carry the huge wooden cross on the journey to Golgotha, the cruel crucifixion and, finally, Jesus’ death
“It is finished” The ground shakes and the sun stops shining.
Jesus’ body is wrapped in a linen cloth, placed in a tomb, the entranced secured with a huge stone and guards were placed on the entrance.
We watch the Remember Me video from Friends and Heroes watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhFBX5ZSySo
We pray together thanking Jesus for what he has done.
We move to tables to cut out large white card crosses, these we fixed on a scrap cardboard base. Using masking tape the children made a random pattern of lines over the cross. We wrote, or just marked on the tape things we wanted to say sorry for, things just between us and God. We painted different colours in the shapes that the tape had made.
As we did this we listened to “We all need Jesus”, by Danny Gokey. Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaIIZxkaKt4
When the paint dried, we pulled off the masking tape together, reminding us that Jesus died for us and knowing that when we say sorry to God our wrongs are taken away, wiped clean just like the white paper showing underneath, and we are given a new start.
The picture shows the crosses that we made.