Jesus meets Mary Magdalene

[John 20:1-18]

Intro:
When was the last time you couldn’t believe your eyes? Have you ever seen someone you knew but you weren’t expecting to see them and didn’t recognise them? That is exactly what happened to Mary, but she had a very good reason for not expecting to see Jesus again. She’d seen him killed on the cross and watched them put his body in the tomb. Of course she’d never see him again… or would she?

Games: To introduce themes of salvation

1. Two days in the tomb - It’s exactly like sleeping lions except that they need to lie on their backs arms folded across their chest as though they were in a tomb. The leaders and any ‘risen’ children walk around them and without touching them try to make them move. They are allowed to breathe; this seems obvious to me but someone always asks… For a small space: Don’t lie down but sit up.

2. Stuck in the mud - Run around! One person is ‘it’ anyone they touch gets stuck and has to stay in the same place with their arms out to the side and legs apart. They can be rescued by a nominated saviour who has to crawl in between their legs or run under their arms. (Choose an option based on the physical ability of the group/relative sizes of children/how many of them are wearing skirts.)

3. Fill a tub race - For small spaces or round a table: You need a tub of some kind - If you can bring yourself to empty an ice-cream tub that’d be ideal - and a large amount of items such as buttons, bottle-tops, mini pom-poms, paperclips etc. Have everyone have a saviour token (a yellow button each for example) they must all race to fill the tub one button at a time (give an extra challenge like they can only use one hand) but the goal is for the tub to have only one button in it when the leader calls end. They can ‘rescue’ buttons from the tub by sacrificing their saviour button. But if they go too soon the tub will fill up and if they wait too long they game might end before the tokens are rescued.

Drama:

1. Create a sketch of the guards at the tomb. Imagine how the guards felt being stationed there ‘Why do we need to guard a tomb? He’s not going anywhere!’ and then the terrifying rumble as the stone is moved away that makes the trained soldiers flee! If you need two groups: You could also try having angels having a conversation about what God is going to do now that his son and saviour is dead.

2. Ask someone to act as Mary Magdalene and read this Script. We had a ‘special guest’ from our church come in each week of the series as the character in modern dress. You could easily have a leader or an older child read it out.

The beautiful pictures in the powerpoint are from Graham Kennedy’s Bible Illustrations. this is actually a few pictures from Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well because it features a woman talking to Jesus and I didn’t have any pictures of Mary.

Activity: A chance to get to know what the children think about this.

Free drawing: Give each child paper and access to coloured pens or pencils. Read John 20:1-18 with them slowly and dramatically; allow them to draw as you read. They will pick up on ideas from within the story. Some will very literally draw what the Bible tells, others will draw associated ideas: maybe things connected to happiness, sadness, life, surprise. Others will connect with something very small like flowers from the garden. Allow the children to draw whatever they want and explain it to you. Even if they draw something you think is irrelevant like a space ship ask, ‘What gave you the idea for that?’ Somewhere in the brain of a child it will probably have connected somehow.

Songs:
Jesus is Number 1 – Colin Buchanan: Super Saviour
Tell Them – Emu music: Meet the King

Memory Verse:

John 11:40 ‘Then Jesus said “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God.”

Use these actions (in brackets) to help learn the words of the verse.
Then Jesus said (cup your hands around your mouth like you are calling to someone), Did I not tell you (point your finger then wave it back and forth as thought to say no) that if you believe (point to your brain with both hands) you will see (use both hands to make circles reound your eyes like you’re holding binoculars) the glory (move hands round while wiggling your fingers to suggest sparkly lights) of God (Point up). John 11 verse 40 (open your hands to mime a book).