2 April Palm/Passion Sunday  Matthew 21:1-11 Jesus enters Jerusalem 

9 April Easter Sunday (do a whole Holy Week thing) 

"Living Waters" - Keith & Kristen Getty

"Wellsprings" - Don Stewart

2. Print off the lectionary readings for Lent and Easter - one Sunday per A5 page. Underneath the readings print the following two questions: What is the Good News in these readings? What is the challenge for me, for my church and for me in my community, in these readings,? Leave the rest of the page blank for responses. Provide some A5 card, a hole punch and some ribbon and ask people to assemble a Lenten Journal. Encourage them to read through the weekly readings and work through the questions as they travel through Lent.

from http://seedstuff.blogspot.com/2020/02/lent-1-march-01-temptations-are-not.html

cartoon telling of Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-6a25Yo2wE&t=2s


http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2014/01/observing-lent-and-celebrating-easter.html


Bible Reading Idea: from http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2014/02/year-first-sunday-in-lent-march-13-2011.html

To help children follow the action, present this story with three readers: a narrator standing in the lectern, Jesus standing or seated in the center of the worship area, and Tempter standing just behind Jesus to one side.  The readers could simply read dramatically in place.  Or, they might add gestures with the Tempter leaning over Jesus’ shoulder and Jesus firmly replying.  If confident actors are available for Jesus and the Tempter, they might even memorize their lines to be script-free to dramatize them with their whole bodies.

Narrator:      Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.   The tempter came and said to him,

Tempter:      If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.

Narrator:      But he answered,

Jesus:           It is written,

                      “One does not live by bread alone,

                       but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Narrator:     Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him,

Tempter:     If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

                         “He will command his angels concerning you,”

                             and “On their hands they will bear you up,

                             so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”

Narrator:      Jesus said to him,

Jesus:             Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Narrator:      Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him,

Tempter:      All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.

Narrator:      Jesus said to him,

Jesus:             “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,

and serve only him.’ ”

Narrator:      Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

                                                                 New Revised Standard Version

Video Ideas

40days... three different music options
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-6a25Yo2wE&t=2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWKRhk-yYI0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5bfxGNMY9c

Jesus is Tempted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrZaOuSnm7g

Story Idea from http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2014/02/year-first-sunday-in-lent-march-13-2011.html

The book is The Dark, by Lemony Snicket, which describes a young boy’s fear of the dark that is all around him, but especially in the basement.  When he must go into the dark basement, he finds a much needed light bulb.  After that the dark is always still there, but does not bother him.  That leads me to wonder whether during those 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus confronted lots of fears – like fear of being hungry, snakes and other wild animals, being totally alone, even the deep dark of the nights.  When he came out of the wilderness, he must have been fearless and ready to face whatever truly frightening situations and people that came his way.  The tester in the wilderness was only the first of many to come.  It makes me wonder if doing something that scares us (working in a soup kitchen, speaking to someone we fear, even accept the call to be a church school teacher…) would be an appropriate Lenten discipline.  Talk about spring training for disciples! 

+ Children sympathize with Nicodemus.  Nicodemus came to Jesus with literal, left brained questions and Jesus answered him with poetic metaphors.  They understand Jesus’ answers about a second birth and the wind no more than Nicodemus did.  For them the part of this reading that makes sense is verses 16-17.  Here Jesus says to Nicodemus and to them that God loves you and everyone.  Indeed God is more interested in loving us than in judging us.  You can trust God to be like this.

+ This long convoluted reading, is a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.  Help children follow it by having it read by two readers (Jesus and Nicodemus) and editing out a few of the later verses.  A liturgist introduces the reading from the lectern.  Jesus and Nicodemus sit together near the center of the chancel.

Liturgist:  Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.  He came to Jesus by night and said to him,

Nicodemus:   Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.

Jesus:  Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.

Nicodemus:  How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?

Jesus:  Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.  What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.”  The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Nicodemus: How can these things be?

Jesus:  Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?  Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony.  If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

      For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Narrator:  So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.  A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her,

Jesus:  Give me a drink. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.)

Woman:  How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?  (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)

Jesus:  If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.

Woman:  Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?  Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?”

Jesus:  Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.

Woman:  Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.

Jesus:  Go, call your husband, and come back.

Woman:  I have no husband.

Jesus:  You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!

Woman:  Sir, I see that you are a prophet.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.

Jesus:  Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

Woman:  I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ). When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.

Jesus:  I am he, the one who is speaking to you.

Narrator:  Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” ²⁸ Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people,

Woman:  Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?

Narrator:   They left the city and were on their way to him. Turning back toward Jesus.  Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.”  But he said to them,

Jesus:  I have food to eat that you do not know about.

Narrator:  So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?”   Jesus said to them,

Jesus:  My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.  Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.  The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.  For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’   I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.

Narrator:  Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.”  So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

From New Revised Standard Version

Bible Reading Ideas from http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2014/02/year-third-sunday-in-lent-march-23-2014.html

John 4:5-42

+ Most of this story is a very sophisticated conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at a well.  Children, however, can skip the conversation about water and hear a calling a disciple story.  Jesus treated the total outsider with respect and kindness.  Nobody treated her that way!  In response, she left her water jug (like the fishing disciples left their nets and Levi left his tax office) and became the first evangelist, telling everyone in town about Jesus.  And, she was successful.  The town believed her first and then believed Jesus.  That is a story worth remembering.  As they get older, children can appreciate the conversation that was at the heart of the story.

Women and girls still carry water this way
for their families today.

+ Children do need an introduction to the Samaritan woman before they can understand her encounter with Jesus.  They need to know all the things that meant Jesus should not care at all about her.  She is a Samaritan.  She is a woman.  She is so unpopular that she comes to get water in the middle of the day when she thinks no one else will be there to say mean things to her or call her names.  She is a real loser. 

Story: Tribulation
A young man was having a great deal of trouble developing patience. He had tried everything, but could not develop the habit. Finally, in desperation, he visited the nearby monastary and the wise man who lived there. "Father", said the young man, "Please help me! I am so impatient and nothing I can do seems to help! I would really appreciate it if you could pray and ask God to develop in me some patience!" "Certainly," replied the wise priest, and began to pray. "Heavenly Father, send this young man tribulation. Send him tribulation in the morning, send him tribulation in the evening..." "Stop!" cried the young man. "Tribulation? I asked you to pray for God to develop in me some patience! Why are you you asking Him to send me tribulation? That's the last thing I need!" The wise priest smiled at him. "How else do you think you are going to develop patience unless you get a chance to practice it? Hence the need for tribulation!" This story which fits well with Romans 5:3-5 is one of those emails that is forwarded around the net rather regularly.
from http://seedstuff.blogspot.com/2020/03/lent-3-15th-march-whats-point-of.html
There are lots of thirsty people in today’s texts.  To get worshipers of all ages thinking about thirst slaking water, borrow a bubbling fountain to display prominently in the worship center.  As the service begins urge the worshipers to listen both to the fountain and for all the thirsty people in worship today.  Offer as a hint, that some of the people are thirsty for water and some of the people are thirsty for something else.  If it fits your theme, encourage them to ponder what they are thirsty for.  During some of the prayers, leave silence in which people can simply listen to the fountain and remember God’s life giving love.
from http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2014/02/year-third-sunday-in-lent-march-23-2014.html

                                                                                    NRSV

This is a very long reading for any church service despite being a great story. Try it as a Good News Bible reading via the relevant film clip from the Vision Bible film of The Gospel of John (pictured at left) or read it as a beautiful and moving story from Walter Wangerin Junior's book The Book of God, Zondervan, 1996, ISBN 0310200059, page 756 ff (pictured at right).
http://seedstuff.blogspot.com/2020/03/lent-5-march-29-power-of-godgods-big.html

Reflection: Dry Bones

A brilliant reflective piece by Carlynne Nunn and found at https://tinylittleglows.com/dry-bones/ I will be giving out a copy of this to each person so that as well as using it in the service, people will be able to use it for personal reflection during the week. 

Prayer for Others/Response Activity
This one needs a bit of work on your part before the service. Boil the meat off one or two chooks (translate "chicken" for the non Australians) and then dry the bones in an oven (at least you get a good feed for your efforts :-) ) Give everyone a chicken bone before or during the Ezekiel reading. During the prayer for others or response activity project or give out the words of the Bishop Oscar Romaro quote (below). Encourage people in a time of silence to talk to God about a situation they consider to be hopeless or beyond them to solve. Ask them to give the situation to God to deal with by placing their dried bone at the foot of the cross. 
http://seedstuff.blogspot.com/2020/03/lent-5-march-29-power-of-godgods-big.html

you could also use paper "bones" printed

Quote: Bishop Oscar Romero"We are living in a black night but Christianity discerns that beyond the night the dawn already glows. The hope that does not fail is carried in the heart. Christ goes with us."
http://seedstuff.blogspot.com/2020/03/lent-5-march-29-power-of-godgods-big.html

Response Activity: Three Choices
Let people choose between:
1. Watch a powerpoint meditation. I put images and music to Bruce Prewer's From Death to Life found at http://home.alphalink.com.au/~nigel/DocA/24LENT5.htm
or
2. Group Discussion:
a) How does Jesus' response to Lazarus' death and Mary's weeping help you to trust him more?
b) What have you found helpful when you are called upon to help a friend who is undergoing a hard time?
or
3. Make cards for people who are sad.
http://seedstuff.blogspot.com/2020/03/lent-5-march-29-power-of-godgods-big.html

Additional Lectionary Readings: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12, Psalm 51:1-17, 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-intergenerational-ash-wednesday.html