Like Jesus, we will have a forever story with God in heaven
Sun 24 April 2011
| Bible Bite | Like Jesus, we will have a forever story with God in heaven. |
|---|---|
| Date | 2011-4-24 |
| Passage | Romans 6:1-14 |
| Passage Text | |
| Tags | Jesus, Eternity, Hope, Heaven, Easter |
| Other Refs | |
| Key Points | |
| Props/Materials | 1 big choc easter egg, bunny (soft toy or choc), binoculars, Easter show bag, funny hat, |
| Preparation | Check out stage, prep mics, prep powerpoint/laptop |
| Debrief | |
| Other | Inspired by 'In Search of Easter' by Dan Braddock and Sandy Galea, kidswise.com.au |
LEADER: Hello there. I want you to meet my friend Stinky, who lives in this bin. I'm going to knock, and when he says 'Who is it?', we all have to say 'Come out Stinky!'. Some times he doesn't hear, so we'll have to say it again REALLY LOUD!
[ [knock bin, call out 3 times, Leader opens lid, S comes out slowly, sick sounding, says hello to kids and Leader.] ]
STINKY: Oh... Hello Dave... [sounds sick]
LEADER: Hello Stinky! You sound a bit sick! What's wrong?
STINKY: Eggs!
LEADER: Eggs?
STINKY: Eggs! I've eaten too many Easter eggs.
LEADER: Oh Stinky! How many did you eat?
STINKY: Ehh.... I lost count after four...
LEADER: What do you mean you lost count after four?
STINKY: Like this: one, two, three, four. [Pause] Then I run out of fingers.
LEADER: Oh. Well, I just wanted to say happy Easter!
STINKY: Oh... Thank you! Happy Easter to you, too! [over-polite]
LEADER: Thanks.
STINKY: You're welcome... Hey Dave, what's Easter about?
LEADER: Well Stinky...
STINKY: [Interrupt] Oh, I know! Just wait... [goes down] It's about... bunnies! [brings up bunny]
LEADER: Well, not really. [Takes bunny] Easter is about --
STINKY: Oh, I know! It's about binoculars! [brings up binoculars]
LEADER: Binoculars?
STINKY: Yes, for the Easter egg hunt!
LEADER: No... Easter is about -- [increasingly frustrated]
STINKY: Oh, I know! It's about the Easter show and show bags!! [brings up show bag, tickets]
LEADER: No Stinky. Easter is about --
STINKY: Oh, I know! It's about the Easter hat parades! [wears funny, colourful hat]
LEADER: No Stinky! [loudish, frustrated]
STINKY: Ooohh... Getting cross, eh?... If you know what Easter is about, just tell me ok?
LEADER: [rolls eyes] Well, Easter is about...
STINKY: [interrupts] You can tell me, because I'm a really good listener...
LEADER: [Slaps hat on face]
STINKY: Eh! Who turned off the lights? I can't listen to Dave in the dark!
LEADER: Stinky, will you let me tell you what Easter is about?
STINKY: Ok, ok, I listen very good now. [hat off]\ Oh, thank you. You know, all that talking makes me hungry! I better go and get a snack... [comes up with cross bun]
LEADER: Oh Stinky... [rolls eyes]
STINKY: Hmm... This is a nice hot cross bun...
LEADER: Stinky! [grabs bun]
STINKY: Hey!
LEADER: Hot cross buns remind us of part of the Easter story!
STINKY: Which part?
LEADER: The cross. The Easter story begins with Jesus dying on the cross. He died to take the punishment we all deserve.
STINKY: Oh. That's not a happy story, that's a sad story! And when I feel sad, I get hungry! I'm going to get another snack...[goes down, comes up with huge egg]
LEADER: Stinky! Did you eat four eggs that big?
STINKY: Eh, no -- they were a lot bigger.
LEADER: Well, no wonder you're sick! [snatches egg]
STINKY: Hey!
LEADER: Now I'm going to tell you the happy ending. [Smashes top of egg to make a hole]
STINKY: Hey, that's my last egg!
LEADER: But this is the best bit. When Jesus died, his body was put into a cave called a tomb. But Jesus didn't stay dead. On the Sunday morning, Jesus came back to life again. When his friends went to the tomb, it was empty! [Shows hole]
STINKY: Empty! Just like my egg!
LEADER: Yes, it was empty because Jesus was alive!
STINKY: Oh, so Easter begins with Jesus dying on a cross, but ends with an empty tomb. That's a happy ending!
LEADER: Yes. Children, don't let Easter bunnies, show bags, and hat parades make you forget the true Easter story. [Hold up each and throw in bin]\ Jesus died on a cross, but he didn't stay dead. [Hold up bun]\ His tomb was empty because Jesus wasn't dead anymore [Hold up empty egg]\ He came back to life again!\ And the great news is that if we believe in him, Jesus' story is our story too.\ If we trust that Jesus paid the punishment for our sins when he died on the cross, then death will not be the end of our story either.\ Like Jesus, we will have a forever story with God in heaven.
STINKY: That's great! Thank you for teaching me Dave. I better go now. Happy Easter little monkeys!
LEADER: Happy Easter Stinky!