Do you Enjoy Rally?

Updated -

June 18, 2012 9:38 AM



Easter Devotions

EASTER ONE DEVOTION

Easter One

For this series you could have a ‘wall hanging’ (newsprint, sheet or large card) – each devotion you add 2-3 ‘paving stones (large coloured paper rounds) plus suitable pictures to show Jesus steps to the cross.

Green paving stones & pic of donkey & fern frond
Bring a fern frond for each child to hold (or get them to cut out a fern/palm shape from green paper). Bring tea-towels & ties for dress-ups & long sticks for a staff – for the drama.

Choose your members for the Drama & make sure all other members have their fern/palm frond. Have rally members sit in 2 lines facing each other with a reasonable gap between. This is the ‘road’. You be Narrator. Choose 7 people – Jesus, owner, 3 disciples, 2 to make the foal. Send the owner & ‘foal’ to the other end of the ‘road’.
Also have a placard for Rally members to see, held by a Rally Leader who stands at the front. Write on it “Praise be to God, Hallelujah.” Members say this as they wave their ferns/fronds.

We are going to do some Bible devotions this term on “Jesus’ last days on earth.” This is what Christians celebrate at Easter time.

Jesus had been teaching the people about God and healing those who were sick for 3 years. But his time on earth was coming to an end. It was the Passover Festival time – this is the same time we celebrate Easter – and Jesus and his disciples were coming to Jerusalem, along with thousands of other people, to worship God and remember how he had brought them out of Egypt hundreds of years before.

We will do a short drama together as we tell the story.

Narrator: The disciples are all walking down the road (coming along towards the ‘road’ from the side of the room at the opposite end to the foal ). They are coming near to a small town when Jesus stops.

Jesus: I want two of you, (choose two) to go ahead of us into the town. As you go you will find a donkey and foal tied up to a post. The foal has never been ridden before. Untie it and bring it here.

Disciples: But what if someone sees us taking the foal. They might think we are stealing it.

Jesus: If someone asks you why you are untying it, tell them that the Master needs it.

Narrator: So 2 of the disciples went off towards the village (walk down to foal on outside of the rows of Rally members) and found the foal tied as Jesus said. (have 2 strong members to be the foal – 1 stands straight & the 2nd  leans forward & holds around waist of first so someone can sit on back of 2nd )

Disciples: Here it is. Just as Jesus said it would be. Come on, let’s untie it. Come on boy, Jesus wants you.

Owner: Hey, what are you doing with my foal?

Disciples: The master needs it.

Owner: Oh. That’s okay then.

Disciples: (lead colt to Jesus along outside of the rows) Here you are Jesus. No trouble. It was just as you said. (Help Jesus sit on foal)

Jesus: Thank-you. Now we will proceed to Jerusalem. (lead Jesus on foal along ‘path’ created by members. They throw their fern fronds down in front of the procession)

Members: “Praise be to God. Hallelujah”. (repeat 3 or 4 times while throwing fronds down as Jesus moves along between Rally members)

Thank the participants & ask them to be seated while you finish the devotion.

This event where Jesus rode a foal into Jerusalem has a few interesting meanings.

  1. It was something that had been predicted hundreds of years before.. (have another Leader read from the Bible – Zechariah 9 v 9).
  2. Also the reading from Zechariah said this was ‘your king’ who was riding on a foal. The only ‘king’ that the Jews were looking for was the Messiah who was coming from God. So, this was Jesus way of saying “I am the Messiah who God promised to send to you – here I am”. And the people praised God and worshipped Jesus on this day. Along with their palm fronds, they also threw their cloaks down on the road for him to ride over, which was another sign of honouring Jesus as King.

This desire to see Jesus as their king didn’t last long. This was because the people thought that God would send a Messiah that would fight the Romans and kick them out of Israel & then set up his own kingdom. But Jesus didn’t do that. They didn’t understand that Jesus had another & much more amazing reason to come, & that the kingdom he will set up would be further into the future.

Next week we will learn about something Jesus gives us to do, while we wait for this future kingdom.

 

Easter Three

Place black ‘paving stones’ onto wall hanging if using, plus a picture of some trees.
Divide Rally into teams. Give each a piece of paper and pencil. Write up on black/whiteboard ADUSJ

Ask them to find a persons name from these letters. Take suggestions until JUDAS is guessed. The pencil & paper is to play with the order of letters if they find it hard to work out. You might like to make it a team competition to see who correctly gets Judas first.

Judas was one of Jesus disciples. Jesus had 12 disciples – they were the men who had become his very close friends. They lived and travelled together as Jesus went around teaching people about God and healing those who were sick. They were all very good friends and shared what they had with each other.

But Judas had a big problem – he loved money. He loved it so much that he was prepared to betray Jesus - his teacher and friend! The Jewish rulers wanted to get rid of Jesus but the people wanted Jesus to be their King. That didn’t suit the rulers, so they planned to arrest Jesus on a false charge. But how could they get Jesus without all the ordinary people causing a riot? Only by catching him at night when the rest of the people were at home!
So some of these Jewish rulers had a private talk with one of Jesus disciples – Judas. They offered him 30 pieces of silver if he would tell them when and where they could catch Jesus and arrest him, away from all the crowds who followed Jesus around. So, after the special Passover – and we talked about that last Rally – Jesus took his disciples out into the night to the Garden of Gethsemane. They often went there to relax and wander through the trees. But Judas slipped away unnoticed and went off to tell the Jewish rulers where they could find Jesus.

The rest of the disciples all sat down under a tree to relax. Jesus asked them to stay there while he went further to pray privately to God. They didn’t see Jesus throw himself on the ground, or weep, or talk with God about the suffering he knew was going to happen to him. They just went to sleep! Jesus came back and woke them up – he wanted his friends to also pray. But they were tired. When Jesus went away to pray again, they went off to sleep again.

Suddenly Jesus was back beside them. “Are you still sleeping?” he said. “Enough! The time has now come. Look! It is time for me to be handed over to wicked people. Get up. Here is the man who is betraying me.”

And suddenly they were all surrounded by temple guards holding torches & lanterns, and Roman soldiers wielding swords & clubs. They had come to arrest Jesus. The disciples scrambled to their feet and saw Judas. Judas came up to Jesus and gave him a kiss. That was the signal to the soldiers so they knew which man to arrest.

“Who is it you are looking for?” said Jesus.
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.
“I am He,” said Jesus.
The disciples were scared and worried. “Should we use our swords to fight?” they said. And suddenly Peter slashed out with his sword at a man and cut off his ear.” But Jesus said, “No. put your swords away. This is what God has planned for me and I must do it.” Then he picked up the ear and put it back on the man. Amazing isn’t it – in all this Jesus, although he knew he was about to be arrested and mistreated, was concerned for the man and healed his ear.
Then the soldiers took hold of Jesus and held him tight. He said to them, “Did you have to come with swords and clubs to capture me as though I were an outlaw? Every day I sat down and taught in the temple and you didn’t arrest me. But I know all this has happened so that the Old Testament Scriptures will come true.”
Then Jesus said, “You are looking for me. Let these others go.” And so the rest of the disciples escaped into the darkness.

Next Rally we will find out what happened to Jesus after his arrest.