The Resurrection According to Matthew

Puppet/Drama Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Uses puppets to tell the story of the resurrection according to Matthew.

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 28

Memory Verse:
“Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20 (CEV)

Concepts:

• The risen Jesus rules over heaven and earth.
• Jesus tells us to teach others how to be his disciples.
  
  

Lesson Objectives:

• From the Bible story in this workshop, the children will hear the risen Jesus say that he has authority over heaven and earth, and the workshop leader will discuss what this means.
• Also from the Bible story (and specifically the memory verse) the children will hear Jesus’ commission to teach others to be his disciples.
• During the puppet skits, children will experience some different ways of teaching.
• Discussion will focus on how these can be used to teach others about Jesus and how to be disciples of Jesus.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture passages and background materials.
• Make at least 7 copies of each script.
• Cut the scripts into pieces so that each player can have a copy. You can also post two copies of the script at each end of the stage so puppeteers can refer to it.
• Prepare a closing prayer.
• Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
• If you choose to pre-record the scripts, family members and their friends can have a lot of fun playing the different parts.

Materials List:

• Copies of the script
• Any props you may want.
• Puppets

Lesson Plan

Opening:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your nametag.

Tell the children that today they will learn about Jesus, his power and how to teach others about Jesus.

Dig:

Bible Story:

1. Read the scripture passages using the attached version. Please practice reading this aloud several times before you teach. Practice will help you decide where to put the emphasis. You might want to mark words to emphasize. It’s a great story—the children should be very attentive! Before reading it to the children, you can tell them that this passage is about Jesus’ Resurrection. Ask whether anyone knows what “Resurrection” means. The rising of Jesus Christ from the dead. Why did Jesus die? His human body was put to death as a sacrifice to cleanse our bad behavior, also known as sins.
2. There are comments inserted in italics that you can use to explain some of the passage. It’s important to use these or a similar commentary as this is where the children learn about Jesus’ power and commission to teach what he has taught us.
3. Try to keep the Bible Story to 10-12 minutes. The children will be eager to get to the puppets. You need to cover the story completely for the first two weeks of the lesson; after that, most children will be familiar with this passage.
4. After going through the Bible story, introduce the skits by saying that the skits will help us understand some different ways of teaching, so that we can do what Jesus said—teach others how to be his disciples.

Application:
Note: There are 5 skits. Four have 4 characters; one has 2. You’ll have to use a combination of skits to give everyone a chance to perform, either by repeating or leaving out—you never know how many children will be there! Let each child have a chance to operate a puppet or they will be disappointed. Use may want to use an adult to fill in extra parts—it’s hard to give only one or two children two turns.

1. Divide the class into groups of children needed to perform each skit.
2. You have several options about who will read the parts. You may pre-record the entire skit on cassette tape before Sunday (this always worked well for me when I was a PP workshop leader). You may also allow each child to read and act out his/her own puppet part (this works well with 3rd grade and up).
3. Give out scripts to each group and assign parts. Some scripts are written such that any gender can play the parts. Names are usually only used as prompts for the puppeteers. Let the children line up quietly to choose a puppet.
4. Allow the groups 3-5 minutes to practice their script. Grades 1&2: The shepherd and workshop leader should help with the scripts, “speaking” the voices while the children act them out, or from a prepared an audio tape of the script. You may want to do this for the other grades as well to keep the pace moving and to allow the children to focus on what is being said and not the mechanics of reading.
5. When performing the skits, you may use the pre-recorded version.
6. If you have a large group of children, you may repeat skits so everyone has a turn.
7. After each skit (or all versions of a skit), ask the performers to sit down and have a brief discussion with all children about what happened in the play.

After skit 1: What were two of the characters/puppets going to teach the other two? How to bake cookies. Have you ever made cookies? Would it be hard to make them if someone gave you the recipe and you had never seen cookies made before? Probably hard to do. How were the two children going to teach the others--give them a cookbook and let them read it? Any discussion permissible, but encourage the idea of “sharing or showing another what he/she had already learned.” What are some of the things we have learned about Jesus that we could share with someone who didn’t know anything? Encourage: Jesus was God come to earth as a human, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior, died for our sins, rose again, if we accept Christ we can receive eternal life with God…

After skit 2: What did one character/puppet teach another? The right way to subtract large numbers How did they teach it? Encourage the idea of “correcting wrong thinking.” How do you think Monica got the wrong idea about math? Encourage the idea of either someone taught her the wrong thing or she guessed at it and got it wrong. Did she seem happy to know the right way to do the math? Yes Do you ever hear any wrong information about God or Jesus that you could correct? It will be interesting to hear what if anything the children say—if anyone suggests anything, make sure they understand the right answer. I wouldn’t introduce any wrong or discouraging ideas, such as that some people think God and Jesus don’t exist or that Jesus isn’t the only way to eternal life. I would just say that if they ever hear someone say something wrong about God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit, that they should nicely give them the truth.

After skit 3: What does one character/puppet want to be when he grows up and why? media specialist (librarian) because of the one at his school. What did all the characters/puppets like about Mrs. Thomas? She seemed to like her job, she is nice, nice voice, everyone likes her, knows about books, has read a lot. Does anyone know what a person is called when they set an example like Mrs. Thomas did? role model. Have you ever thought that someone could be a role model for being a disciple of Jesus? What would that mean? Any discussion permissible, but encourage ideas of showing love for God, for Jesus, for the Bible, for each other, following 10 commandments. Do you think that someone could think that you seemed so happy and so nice that they wanted to be like you—be a Christian or a disciple of Christ—just because you had been a role model? Get them to agree—question is really rhetorical.

After skit 4: This skit talked about the fable of the boy who cried wolf. Has everyone heard that story before? What do you learn from this fable? If you don’t tell the truth a few times then people may not believe you when you do—especially in the area of needing help. Do you think a fable or story is a good way to learn a lesson? Does anyone know about the stories that Jesus used to teach his disciples about God? What are they called? parables What are some of the parables you have learned? The ones they are probably going to know are the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son and maybe the Buried Talents and the Sower and The Seeds. So stories are a good way to teach about Jesus.

After skit 5: What were the characters/puppets going to teach? They were going to make a presentation on simple machines to their whole class. Since none of them knew what a simple machine was, how could they teach about it? They were going to read books and know more about simple machines before the presentation. Do you have to be an “expert” to teach? No, you don’t have to know everything—you can share whatever you do know. What can we learn from this skit to help us teach others how to become Jesus’ disciples? Encourage discussion about ways to learn and study so that you can teach What are ways to learn more about becoming Jesus’ disciples? attending FaithQuest, listening in Church, going to PCPW and reading the Bible are some examples.

Wrap-up:
Review the two concepts covered and give a chance for additional questions. Have the children put their puppets back neatly.

Reflection:

Distribute the journal sheets and pencils/markers. Tell the younger children to draw a picture of their favorite part of the Resurrection story. You can prompt them by talking about the major parts: the women at the empty tomb with the angel, the women holding on to Jesus’ feet and listening to him, the guards and bad leaders making a plan to give wrong information about the Resurrection, Jesus meeting with his disciples.

If shepherds have time, go around to each child (you may have to ask the child about this) and write a short caption on the picture so parents will understand the picture (parents really appreciate this). Tell the older children to think about their favorite part and write a few words about it. If they are struggling, also give them the prompts and suggest they start writing with: “My favorite part of the Resurrection story was…” If they have time, they can illustrate.

Closing:
Prayer: Close with a simple prayer acknowledging that the risen Jesus now rules over heaven and earth and asking God to help us teach others how to be Jesus’ disciples. Ask all of this in Jesus’ name.

Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help clean up as they wait for their parents to arrive. Put pillows behind stage area. Put away boom box, workshop bin, etc

References:
Notes supplied by Lori Houck for curriculum writers' Bible study in February 2003.

SKIT 1 (4 characters)

Conrad: “Anybody want a cookie?”

Everyone else: “Sure!”

Trudy: “These are really good.”

Eva: “They taste homemade.”

Alex: “Homemade cookies? How do you do that?”

Conrad: “It’s easy. You just get a recipe and do what it says.”

Trudy: “Well, it might be a little hard if you’ve never done it before.”

Eva: “I’ve never made cookies before.”

Alex: “I’d like to make cookies for my family.”

Trudy: “Let’s go to my house. My mom always lets me bake, and Conrad can help me show you two how to make them. It’s really easy if you’re watching someone who has done it before.”

Everyone else: “Let’s go.”

SKIT 2 (2 characters)

Monica: “I’m glad you could come and go over yesterday’s homework with me. I missed all the math problems on subtraction.”

Matthew: “Let me see your homework. (looking over the paper) You only missed the subtraction problems with large numbers. Can you show me how you figured out problem number 5? It has large numbers. Maybe you’re doing something wrong only when you use large numbers.”

Monica: “OK, see first I do this and get that number and then this and get that number—I’m regrouping it.”

Matthew: “That’s what you’re doing wrong. You don’t have to do it that way. Let me show you how. First, do this, then subtract. See--that’s all you have to do.”

Monica: “That’s really all? Let me try these others that way. OK, is that one right now?”

Matthew: “Yes—you’ve got it.”

Monica: “Wow, subtraction of large numbers is so much easier this way.”

Matthew: “And best of all, you’re getting the right answers!”

SKIT 3 (4 characters)

George: “When I grow up, I’m going to be a media specialist.”

Frank: “Do you mean like Mrs. Thomas, the media specialist at our school?”

Gwen: “She is really nice. She always helps me find a book just for me, and I always really like the ones she suggests.”

Hillary: “I really like her because she has such a soft, nice voice.”

George: “I think all those things are why I want to be a media specialist—because everyone likes Mrs. Thomas, and she seems to like her job. I’m going to try to be just like her.”

Gwen: “You’ll have to read a lot of books so you’ll know what to suggest.”

George: “That’s OK because I love to read.”

Hillary: “And you can’t yell in the media center.”

Frank: “That will be easy, just do your yelling outside.”

SKIT 4
(4 characters)

LeAnn: “Have you ever heard about crying wolf?”

Robert: “Isn’t that the story about the shepherd boy who was bored and cried out that there was a wolf when there wasn’t?”

Martha: “And the whole town came running to help him save the sheep, and he just laughed because there wasn’t a wolf.”

Stephen: “He kept faking and crying wolf until no one believed him anymore. Then when a real wolf came, and he cried wolf, the town didn’t come, and the wolf killed all the sheep.”

LeAnn: “Now I get it. I was pretending to be hurt so my mom would come and pay attention to me. And she told me to stop crying wolf.”

Robert: “It is pretty scary to think that if you faked being hurt, then your mom may not pay attention when you really are hurt.”

Martha: “I like stories like that.”

Stephen: “I think they’re called fables, and the lesson at the end is called the moral.”

SKIT 5 (4 characters)

Peter: “Our group is supposed to make a presentation to teach the class about simple machines.”

David: “What is a simple machine?”

Lacy: “I don’t know.”

Margo: “Me neither.”

Peter: “I don’t know either, but that’s what these books are about. We can’t teach the class about simple machines if we don’t know what they are.”

Lacy: “Let’s each take one and read it tonight. Then we can talk about it tomorrow.”

David: We can even trade books until each of us read all of them. I’d like to be an expert if I’m going to teach everyone else.”

Margo: “I agree. I wouldn’t want someone to teach me anything if they didn’t know a lot about it.”

Bible study notes for the teacher:

What does authority mean? (power). So “all authority” means that Jesus has power over heaven and earth. He rules heaven and earth. God has given the risen Jesus the same powers that God has.

And as the ruler of heaven and earth, Jesus has given us a job to do—what job did he give us? (Go to all the people of the nations and make them my disciples.) Do you have to go to other countries to do this? (No, you can also make disciples of people in this country—there are a lot of people in our community who do not accept Jesus as their savior. You can also go to other places to teach about Jesus. We call that being a missionary.)

What did Jesus teach us? Can you think of things you have learned from previous Faith Quest lessons? (Hopefully you’ll have lots of answers, more than I can think of, but here are some: God loves us, Love God, Love your neighbors which really includes all people, God wants to forgive us, God wants us to be in heaven with him, all we have to do to go to heaven is believe in Jesus and accept his power to cleanse away any bad things we do, obey God’s rules, trust God, forgive others, , God blesses a lot of people who are sad, and lastly what we have just learned, God wants us to be baptized, and Jesus has power over heaven and earth and wants everyone to be his disciple.)

*Note to workshop leader: many people, even non-Christians, believe that Jesus existed and that his body disappeared from the tomb that day. There is so much written about it in history that it would be hard to dispute. But some people believe the story that the soldiers and leaders invented, that Jesus’ disciples removed his dead body, instead of the truth that God raised Jesus’ dead body to eternal life. This scripture passage explains where this lie came from. This is probably too hard for the children to grasp at this point, but if someone asks a question about this, you’ll have some background to answer it.

A lesson written by Catherine from: Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church
Cary, NC

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

The Resurrection

A Storytelling Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will participate in a creative reading of Matthew 28. They will play “Jesus says” to remind them of what Jesus calls us to do. They will use feathers to explore faith and the presence of the Holy Spirit

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 28 (entire chapter)

Memory Verse:
“Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20 CEV)

Concepts:

• Jesus Christ is always present with us and with his church
• Jesus tells us to teach others how to be his disciples
• Even Disciples sometimes doubt.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture passages.
• Prepare a closing prayer.
• Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
• Make cue cards for the story sound. Use markers to make cue cards on strips of poster board or card stock paper. Make one card for every sound and put the cards in order so that you can simply raise the next card. This is easier than shuffling around for a particular cue card.
• Gather the materials.

Materials List:

• Cue cards
• Feathers
• Masking tape for finish line
• Journal page
• Pens, pencils

Lesson Plan

Opening:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your nametag.

Explain the purpose of this workshop.

Dig:

Scripture/Bible Story:
Tell the Bible Story. Read the scripture from the attached version that shows where sounds can be made. You are going to read the scripture as the children respond, in unison, to cue cards, held up as the story is told. The kids are to make the sound or noise for that card. Practice a couple of lines and cues before you begin.

Younger kids: Show the kids a sample of each card and practice the corresponding sound.
Older kids: Show them a couple of cue cards so they get the idea, but let the kids make up the sounds as they see the cards. They will need to listen closely to the text to figure out the sound and emphasis eg: Ahhhh, a snake picture is translated: Hiss!

Optional: Ask a helper to hold up the next cue card for you.

Application:

1. Play a version of Simon Says called Jesus Says.
Ask the kids to stand. You are going to make some “Jesus Says” statements. If the statement is true, start acting it out. If the statement is false, do nothing.

Anyone who gets it wrong, takes a step back (behind the other where they can watch for clues) Discuss why and then continue. Those who get it right, stay in front or step forward if they were behind.

Jesus says: Go everywhere and baptize people.
Jesus says: Do unto others only when you are mad.
Jesus says: Feed the poor and needy.
Jesus says: Pray to God.
Jesus says: Love only your friends.
Jesus says: Tell the Good News about me to everyone.
Jesus says: Don’t do homework on Sunday.
Jesus says: Play with matches
Jesus says: Smile and be happy.
Jesus says: Only tell little lies.
Jesus says: Love yourself.
Jesus says: Love others
Jesus says: Fight with your siblings if they are mean to you.
Jesus says: Help each other make good choices.

2. Discuss that all of these actions are ways that Jesus has taught us to be his disciples.

Do you believe it? Do you believe everything you are told? What if I told you I was a sky diver. Would you believe me? Why or why not? What would make you believe me? (If I saw it)

So, you only believe what you see? Give everyone a feather. They are to move the feather at least 3 feet without touching it. Older kids: Blow the feather across a finish line set up with masking tape on the floor. Let the kids figure out that they can blow the feather to move it.

What moved the feather? (Blowing, air) Did you see the air? (no) then how do you know it was there? (experience, feel)

What other things do we know are true and work, but we can’t see or understand how it works? (Airplanes in the sky, radio waves, TV broadcasts, cell phones)

Even the disciples doubted that what the women told them was true until they saw Jesus. So, how do we know that Jesus was resurrected when none of us saw it happen? (The Bible is our authority). That is what faith is: believing in the Bible and what it tells us about Jesus even when we didn’t see it for ourselves.

The Holy Spirit is like the wind that moves the feather along. It gently moves us to be more like Jesus. Whenever you feel a soft breeze, remember the Holy Spirit is with you at that very moment and every other moment.

Reflection:

Ask the shepherds to pass out the journal sheets and pencils/markers. Suggestion: Paste your feather on your journal page and tape another one to your clothing as a reminder to share the Resurrection story with a parent or friend. Remember: the Holy Spirit is with you.

Prompts for journal writing: What can you do this week to go and teach others what Jesus taught his disciples? What things does Jesus want us to teach others? What did He teach his disciples?

Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for your son Jesus. We know he is with us always. Help us follow your actions. Remind us to be kind to others. We pray for your guidance in learning to be disciples. Amen

Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help tidy up.

Matthew 28 Contemporary English Version

1The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak (rooster) on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb (footsteps). Suddenly a strong earthquake struck (Oh-No!), and the Lord’s angel came down from heaven (Ahhh!) He rolled away the stone and sat on it.

3The angel looked as bright as lightning (Ahhh!) and his clothes were white as snow. The guards shook from fear (Oh-No!) and fell down, as though they were dead.

5The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to the cross (nail). He isn’t here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would (Happy Face). Come, see the place where his body was lying (footsteps). Now hurry! Tell his disciples that he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee (Ahhh!) Go there, and you will see him. That is what I came to tell you.”

8The women were frightened (scared face) and yet very happy (happy face), as they hurried from the tomb and ran (footsteps) to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. (happy face). They went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him. (Praise) Then Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. (footsteps). They will see me there.”

11While the women were on their way (footsteps), some soldiers who had been guarding the tomb went into the city (footsteps). They told the chief priests everything that had happened. (Ahhhh!) So the chief priests met with the leaders and decided to bribe the soldiers with a lot of money (hiss!) “Tell everyone that Jesus’ disciples came during the night and stole his body while you were asleep” (boo!)

14If the governor hears about this, we will talk to him (Hiss). You won’t have anything to worry about.” The soldiers took the money (boo!) and did what they were told. The people of Judea still tell each other this story (boo!)

16Jesus’ eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee (footsteps) where Jesus had told them to meet him. They saw him and worshiped him (Praise), but some of them doubted (Ahhh!)

18Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and earth (Ahhhh!). (Point to a display of the memory verse and recite in unison) Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.

Cue Card picture ideas sound or word

• Rooster cockadoodle doo!
• Happy Face Hoo-ray!!
• Feet footsteps (shoes on floor)
• Ahhhhh! Ahhhh! (knowing sound)
• Scared face Oh-No!
• Nail (fist on floor) pound pound
• Hands in prayer “Praise God” or some other praise sound
• Boo! Boo!
• Snake Hiss!

A lesson written by Catherine from: Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church
Cary, NC
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability

The Resurrection

Drama Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will create a call and response chant, with some portraying and responding as disciples and others portraying and questioning as doubters.

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 28 (entire chapter)

Memory Verse:
“Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20 CEV)

Lesson Objectives: 

• God raised Jesus from the dead.
• Even Disciples sometimes doubt.
• Jesus tells us to teach others how to be his disciples.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture passages.
• Prepare a closing prayer. 
• Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
• Use flip chart paper to prepare a large chart of questions (see below). You will need plenty of room to answer the questions and to add the chorus line. For the chorus, make several strips of paper with the words: God raised Jesus from the dead! These will be inserted at the appropriate place on the chart when the children have answered the questions.
• Gather the materials.

Materials List:

• Chart with questions and markers
• Chart stand or tape
• Or sentence strips to match
• Hand drum, rhythm instruments

Lesson Plan 

Opening:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your nametag.

Explain the purpose of this workshop: We’re going to create a chant today. You will all play disciples who were followers of Jesus. Some of you will have doubts and questions about what has happened and others of you will have the answers. 

Dig:

Scripture/Bible Story:
Read aloud and/or review the Bible story. Have children find the chapter and read along with you. Use the CEV. They will be referring to the story to answer the questions for the chant.

Application:
1. Have a fill in the blank chart ready with questions for children to answer. Ask the first question and have children read to find the answer if they don’t recall it from reading aloud. Accept and try to fit children’s answers into the pattern if possible. Lead them to the right answer if necessary by rephrasing the question. (Use the questions and possible answers below as a guide.)

2. Once the chart is filled in and all questions are answered, read through it with the children using the call and response format: you read a line out loud, kids repeat it after you. Repeat the call and response trying to get the rhythm. Use the line “ God raised Jesus from the dead” between each question/answer set as a kind of chorus. Add the prepared paper strips with these words to the chart. Use children’s suggestions to create a movement or clapping pattern to do each time the chorus line “God raised Jesus from the dead” is repeated.

All: God raised Jesus from the dead
Doubters: How did Jesus die?
Disciples: (He was crucified; He was nailed to a cross) – Elicit from kids; discuss what crucified means.
All: God raised Jesus from the dead.
Doubters: How do you know he was crucified?
Disciples: (elicit: We saw him hanging on the cross, We laid him in the tomb, We held his feet)Ref. vs.9
All: God raised Jesus from the dead
Doubters: Where is Jesus now?
Disciples: (elicit: He was raised from the dead or He is alive! He’s not in the tomb, the stone was rolled away, He is with us)Refer to vs. 5-7
All: God raised Jesus from the dead.
Doubters: What does Jesus want us to do?
Disciples: (Elicit: Make disciples of all nations, Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit)Refer to vs.19
All: God raised Jesus from the dead.
Doubters: Why does Jesus want us to that? (Alternate question: Why should we do what Jesus said?)
Disciples: (elicit: Jesus has authority in heaven and on earth)Ref.vs.18(Alternate answer: Because he will be with us always, even until the end of the world.)Ref. vs.20
All: God raised Jesus from the dead.
Doubters: How should we teach others to be?
Disciples(or All): Like Jesus!
All: God raised Jesus from the dead!

Once the answers are ready, divide children into two groups: one disciples, the other doubters.

Practice the chant a couple times through, cuing groups as necessary and/or using a drum, hand clap or other simple instrument to keep a steady beat. As they become comfortable with the chant, add a simple movement pattern to the chorus line “God raised Jesus from the dead” (e.g. Crouch and touch toes, slowly lift arms over head and let body rise up as you say the words. –or- Use sign language for the word God and raise hands over head with a shaking action; any simple actions or gestures that seem to fit would be appropriate.) This is a good time to get ideas from children. Try letting them work in pairs or teams to create the movement if time allows.

Again practice the chant with disciple and doubter groups, adding the action each time the chorus line is repeated. Try variations: start softly and get louder.

Switch groups: let the doubters be disciples and let disciples be doubters. Practice again. Remind the children that even the disciples doubted what had happened. We believe because we have faith.

Older children: They should be able to find the answers by looking back at the reading.

Younger Children: They may need more leading questions to arrive at appropriate answers rather than finding them in the reading. Or rather than a fill in the blank chart, have questions and answers written out on separate sentence strips (one question or one answer per strip) Have children play a match game to match up which answers go with each question. Once they are matched, then you can use them for the call and response chant

Reflection:

Ask the shepherds to pass out the journal sheets and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a sticker or some memento to paste in their journal as a reminder of the story or activity.

Prompts for journal writing:

What parts of this story are hard for you to believe or understand? What parts are easy to accept or believe? What can you do this week to go and teach others what Jesus taught his disciples? What things does Jesus want us to teach others? What did He teach his disciples?

Close with a prayer and dismiss.

Chart

All:
Doubters: How did Jesus die?
Disciples:

All:
Doubters: How do you know he was crucified?
Disciples:

All:
Doubters: Where is Jesus now?
Disciples:

All:
Doubters: What does Jesus want us to do?
Disciples:

All:
Doubters: Why does Jesus want us to that? (Alternate question: Why should we do what Jesus said?)
Disciples:

All:
Doubters: How should we teach others to be?
Disciples (or All):

A lesson written by Catherine from: Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church
Cary, NC 

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability

Recreate and pose key scenes, verses moments, actions, and reactions in the stories of the Empty Tomb and Resurrection Appearances of Jesus using one of the following creative drama techniques:

Photo Freeze Frame
No speaking/scripts required. Rather, kids pose for photos to which captions get added. Learn more about "photo"  techniques!

Shadow Theater
In this really fun and simple technique, kids act out the scene/moments behind a backlit screen while a narrator(s) reads the script/scripture. Make a video recording of this too because the kids will want to see themselves. Learn more about this Shadow technique!

Empty Tomb

A "Shadow Theater" Drama Workshop

Originally written by member Jaymie Derden, updated by the Rotation.org Content Team

Summary:

Students will act out the story of Jesus' burial and resurrection from behind a backlit sheet as they hear it narrated by the teacher and/or other students, using a technique known as "Shadow Theater."  This technique emphasizes action and body language, is scalable and adaptable to any age group, and requires a modest setup.

Scripture References:

Luke 24:1-12 ~ The story of the women going to the tomb and encountering the angels.

Memory Verse:
“He is not here.  He has risen!”  Luke 24:6

Supplies:

• A large white sheet hung across a staging area, approximately 6' wide and 6' high.
• A bright white light, such as a clamp light fixture with a 100 watt bulb, fixed at waist level behind the screen, with about 4' feet in front of it where the actors move behind the screen. The light casts the actors' shadows on the screen/sheet for others to view on the other side of the screen.
• A cloth or blanket that can be wrapped around the actor portraying Jesus.
• A bench to lay Jesus' body on (drape a blanket to make it look like a rock bench).
• A piece of cardboard cut in the shape of a large round stone which can be rolled away.
• Baskets for the actors to carry on their way to the tomb.
• Two bright flashlights that get shined on the fabric screen where the angels' shadows appear.
• A cellphone or video camera in the audience to record BOTH the rehearsal and the shadow play.
• See Shadow Theater helps, diagrams and supply recomendations at https://www.rotation.org/topic...ama-how-to-resources

Note: In Shadow Theater, any prop can easily be made out of cardboard. Only its shadow matters.

Lesson Plan

Opening:

Welcome the children and introduce yourself. Explain what they'll be doing today and what you hope they will learn.

Review the story of the Empty Tomb from Luke 24:1-12 using classroom Bibles, or a Bible storybook, or the video of your choices.  The Drama Script will repeat this scripture, so if you're really short on time, use the script as your scripture time. *The drama script begins with Jesus being laid in the tomb (Luke 23:50-56).

Warm Up:

In preparation for our Shadow Theater presentation of Luke 24:1-12, let's do some "body language" and posing warm ups. Remember that facial expressions won't be easily seen in this technique. You have to use your arms and legs, hands and head position.

Show me:

1. Astonished --with your entire body both as an action and a pose.
2. Afraid
3. Scared
4. Wondering (again, with your entire body)
5. Dead
6. Earthquake
7. Sad
8. Like an Angel (but without moving)
9. Running in slow motion
10. Walking and talking to each other in slow motion.
11. Telling someone else AMAZING NEWS.  Do it with action. Do it as a frozen pose.

Shadow Drama: Empty Tomb = Good News!  

• Assign roles and costumes.  One actor can perform many roles.
• Do a rehearsal behind the screen, stopping to suggest actions and poses.
• Remind them to listen carefully to the "cues" in the narration about what they are supposed to be doing.
• Remind them that their actions need to be slow and big.

Characters:

Closing:

Watch your video(s) as an audience and recap key moments in the story by complimenting actors and their actions.

Close with a prayer that we would not be "shadow disciples" but noticeable by everyone around us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ.

Script:  Empty Tomb = Good News!

Unless otherwise noted, all the text is to be read by a narrator(s). This person should be positioned close to the video camera so that their narration is clearly recorded. The narrator needs to pause for the actors to do their thing before continuing on with the narration. The narration contains many action cues in its words.

Narration:

1. It had been a terrible couple of days!
2. Jesus had been arrested on Thursday Night and been sentenced to die on a cross Friday morning.
3. That afternoon as he hung there breathing his last words,
4. the earth shook
5. and the sky grew dark
6. and then it was over.
7. His friends couldn't believe it. How could this happen? How could the Messiah be dead?
8. What about all their hopes and dreams? What about his message and power?
9. They didn't understand, and for the next two days, they hid themselves and cried with worry and anger.
10. When he died, one of the religious leaders, a man named Joseph of Arimathea who believed in Jesus, got
11. permission to take Jesus' body down from the cross,
12. wrap him in linen cloth
13. and gently lay his body in a rock tomb.
14. And as they left him there, their hearts were breaking.
15. Afraid that someone might want to steal Jesus' body and claim he came back to life, the governor ordered soldiers to put a large rock over the entrance to the tomb
16. and stand guard at the tomb.
17. And there Jesus' body lay Friday night and all day Saturday, until Sunday morning.
    
    (Turn off backlight so Jesus can leave the scene, then turn it back on when the words "But when they got there" are read.)
    
    
18. Early on Sunday morning, two women who were followers of Jesus, arrived at his tomb bringing spiced oils and more linen to make sure his body was properly prepared and show their respect.
19. But when they got there, (lights back on)
20. they found that guards had run off,
21. and the stone covering the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away.
22. Going into the tomb, they were shocked at what they saw.
23. Jesus was not there!
24. Not yet understanding what had happened, they came out of the time and stood there bewildered.
25. And that's when two angels appeared dressed in dazzling white.
26. Afraid, the women cowered in fear.
27. But the angels said to them,
28. “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
29. And suddenly, the women remembered. They remember that Jesus had taught them that he would rise from the dead.
30. So they hurried away to find the other disciples and tell them the good news.  No, GREAT NEWS!
31. And when they found them, they told them all about the empty tomb and what the angels had said.
32. Now imagine if someone had just told YOU that they had seen an empty tomb and an angel. Would you believe them?
33. So Peter went running to the tomb to see for himself.
34. And when he got to the empty tomb he went in
35. and only found the linen cloth that Jesus had been buried with -- just rolled up and sitting there.
36. And Peter sat there wondering if it were all true,
37. and at some point started feeling a growing sense of Joy filling his heart,
38. that his master was alive again, and nothing would ever be the same again.
39. So now it's your turn to enter the empty tomb, and see that Jesus is not there.
    For God has raised Jesus from the dead as a sign to us that everything Jesus said and did was true and real.
    That God sent him for the salvation of the world, and we should follow him now as our Lord.
    
    In this last section, Jesus can stand behind the screen with his disciples posing these words:
40. Though the body of Jesus has gone into heaven, his Holy Spirit lives on inside each of us,
41. Jesus calls us to be as loving and forgiving as he was,
42. Jesus calls us to continue his mission of reaching out to others
43. To bring healing, ...and teaching, and the Good News of God's forgiveness to all.

A lesson originally posted by member Jaymie Derden
and updated by the Rotation.org Content Team