The Empty Tomb

Jesus is Arrested & Crucified

Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22-23; and John 18-19

Judas went to the leaders. He asked, “How much will you pay me if I help you capture Jesus?” They said, “Thirty pieces of silver.” So Judas took the money and made a plan.

Jesus had gone to his favorite garden to pray. The disciples went along. Jesus prayed, “Father, if it is your will, I am ready to give my life so that all the people who trust in me will be saved from their sins.”

Soon, Judas arrived with some soldiers. Peter wanted to protect Jesus. But Jesus said, “No. I must allow this to happen.” All the disciples ran away, and the soldiers arrested Jesus.

They took Jesus to the leaders. The leaders said, “You say that you are the Son of God. We do not believe you.”

The soldiers took charge of Jesus. They made him carry a big wooden cross. They took him to a place called The Skull (Golgotha). There they nailed Jesus to the cross.

Jesus died on the cross.

Everyone who loved Jesus was very sad. But they forgot something important.

Jesus Is Alive!

Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-10; Luke 24:1-11; and John 20:1-18

After Jesus died, some of his friends laid his body in a big tomb. They sealed it shut with a large round stone. Soldiers guarded the tomb.

Three days later, the earth shook. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven and pushed the stone away from the tomb. Then the angel sat on the stone.

When the soldiers saw the angel, they fell to the ground.

Mary was walking to the tomb with some of her friends. They saw the angel, who said, “Do not be afraid. Jesus is not here. He has risen!”

“Go and tell Peter and the other disciples that Jesus is alive!”

On their way, the women saw Jesus. They fell to their knees and worshiped him. Jesus smiled and said, “Go tell the others that I will see them in Galilee.” So Mary ran to tell the disciples. 

Discussion Questions

• Why did the soldiers nail Jesus to the cross?   Because he said he was the Son of God and the leaders  didn’t believe him.
• For how many days was Jesus inside the tomb? Three days.
• What did the soldiers do when they saw the angel of the Lord ? They fell to the ground.
• When did the women see Jesus? When they were on the way to tell the disciples that Jesus was alive.

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Jesus dying on the cross and then being resurrected!  Thank you for teaching us that we can always trust in you.  

Amen.

Bible Verse for March

 “Be kind and loving to each other.”    Ephesians 4:32

Activity: Holy Week Activities

Thursday — Read aloud Matthew 26:14-16. You'll need 30 dimes. Tell your child that Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (which was about 120 days wages). Let your child count the dimes and hold them in his hand.

Ask: Was Jesus' life on earth worth more than 30 pieces of silver? Why or why not? What is the true value of Jesus' life to our family?

Friday —  Read aloud Mark 15:42-47. Take turns wrapping each other in toilet paper so you look as Jesus might have looked when prepared for burial. Talk about how the disciples might have felt when all their hopes seemed destroyed when Jesus died.

Ask: How would you have felt if you had been there when Jesus died? What would you have done? Talk about how the burial isn't the end of the story, but that it was a very sad day for Jesus' friends.

Sunday — Read aloud Luke 24:1-9. You'll need cupcakes and a trick re-lighting candle. Light it and talk about how Jesus came to be the light of the world.

On Saturday, it looked like the light had been blown out. Blow out the candle and wait in silence while the flame is gone. When the flame comes back, celebrate!

Point out that nothing can ever snuff out Jesus, the light of the world.

Cooking: Empty Tombs

Ingredients:

• A package of crescent roll dough
• One large marshmallow for each roll (for example, if there are 8 crescent rolls in the package, you’ll need 8 large marshmallows)
• Melted butter, cooled
• 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (stir together in one bowl)

Guide Your Child To:

• Wrap a crescent roll triangle around a marshmallow, making sure none of the marshmallow can be seen.
• Dip the roll in melted butter, then the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
• Place it on a cookie sheet.
• Repeat until all the rolls & marshmallows have been used.
• Bake the rolls according to the instructions on the roll package.
• When the rolls have cooled, they are ready to serve. NOTE to parents: The marshmallow “disappears” and leaves an empty, sweet surprise.

Talk About:

• What do you see inside your roll?
• How do you think the women felt when they found the tomb empty?
• Remember that even as these rolls are empty, Jesus’ tomb was empty, too, because he rose from the dead.

Jesus Quiets the Storm

Matthew 8:23-27

Jesus got into a boat, and his followers went with him. A very bad storm arose on the lake. The waves covered the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The followers went to Jesus and woke him. They said, “Lord, save us! We will drown!”

Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You don’t have enough faith.” Then Jesus got up and gave a command to the wind and the sea. The wind stopped, and the sea became very calm.

The men were amazed. They said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Discussion Questions

• What was Jesus doing during the storm?  He was sleeping.
• What did the followers think was going to happen? That they were going to drown.
• What did Jesus say to his followers?  “Why are you afraid? You don't have enough faith.”
• How did Jesus calm the storm? He gave a command.

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Jesus Calming the Storm.  Thank you for teaching us that we can always trust in you.

Amen.

Bible Verse for March

 “Be kind and loving to each other.”   Ephesians 4:32

 Science: Storm in a Bottle

Materials:

• Transparent 2-liter soft drink bottle with a lid
• Water
• Salt
• Dishwashing liquid
• Measuring spoons

Guide Your Child To:

• Help fill the bottle about 2/3 full with water
• Add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Add 2 drops of dishwashing liquid
• Close the bottle tightly
• Shake the bottle in a circular motion, from side to side.
• Watch the swirling water tornado form in the center.

Talk About:

• How do you feel about storms? Where do you like to be in a storm?
• How did the people in the story feel about the storm? What happened?

Activity: Peaceful Water

Materials:

• Two transparent, heat-resistant glasses or jars
• Water to fill each glass or jar half-way
• Food coloring

Guide Your Child To:

• Let you boil the water for one glass.
• Watch you fill one glass with hot water and one glass with cold water.
• Add a drop of food coloring to each jar.
• Describe what she sees. (The hot water swirls faster. The cold water is more still.)

Talk About:

• Which glass of water looks more peaceful? Why?
• Did you ever feel inside like that glass of hot water? What would you call that feeling?
• Did you ever feel like the glass of cold water — still and calm?   What would you call that feeling?
• Who gives us peace? Who felt peace in our story?

Cooking: Waves on a Bagel

Ingredients:

• Cream cheese
• Blue food coloring
• Half a bagel for each person

Kitchen Tools:

• Butter knives
• Plastic spoons

Guide Your Child to:

• Help mix the blue food coloring into the cream cheese
• Spread some cream cheese on the bagel and make some peaks in the cream cheese like waves

Talk About:

• Did you ever ride in a boat? What was it like?
• Did you see any waves on the water?
• What happens to waves during a storm?
• Who was in a storm in our story? What did God do?
• How does God take care of you?

Singing: He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

He’s got the whole world in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands.

2nd time through: He’s got the little bitty babies in His hands…

3rd time through: He’s got the mommies and the daddies in His hands…

4th time through: He’s got you and me brother in His hands…

5th time through: He’s got you and me sister in his hands…

6th time through: Repeat original verse

Feeding the 5,000

John 6:1-15

After this, Jesus went across Lake Galilee (or, Lake Tiberias). Many people followed him because they saw the miracles he did to heal the sick. Jesus went up on a hill and there sat down with his followers. It was almost the time for the Jewish Passover Feast.

Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him. He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for all these people to eat?” (Jesus asked Philip this question to test him. Jesus already knew what he planned to do.)

Philip answered, “We would all have to work a month to buy enough bread for each person here to have only a little piece.”

Another follower there was Andrew. He was Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew said, “Here is a boy with five loaves of barley bread and two little fish. But that is not enough for so many people.”

Jesus said, “Tell the people to sit down.” There were about 5,000 men who sat down there. Then Jesus took the loaves of bread. He thanked God for the bread and gave it to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish. He gave them as much as they wanted.

They all had enough to eat. When they had finished, Jesus said to his followers, “Gather the pieces of fish and bread that were not eaten. Don’t waste anything.” So they gathered up the pieces that were left. They filled 12 large baskets with the pieces that were left of the five barley loaves.

The people saw this miracle that Jesus did. They said, “He must truly be the Prophet who is coming into the world.”

Jesus knew that the people planned to come and take him by force and make him their king. So he left and went into the hills alone.

Discussion Questions

• How much bread and fish did Jesus receive from the little boy?   Five loaves of bread and two fish.
• What did Jesus do with the bread and fish? First he thanked God for them and then he passed them out to the people who were there.
• How much food was left over? Twelve large baskets full of food.

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Jesus Feeding the 5,000.  Thank you for teaching us to be kind to each other.

Amen.

Bible Verse for March

Be kind and loving to each other.”    Ephesians 4:32

Singing: One Boy Had Two Fish

Tune: "Happy Birthday to You"

One boy had two fish (hold up 2 fingers)

and five loaves of bread. (hold up 5 fingers)

He shared them with Jesus. (hold hands out palms up)

Lots of people were fed. (wiggle fingers to show lots of people)

Science: Smelling Chart

Materials:

•  One piece of construction paper for each person doing the activity
• 4 small squares of felt for each person
• Vanilla extract
• Peppermint flavoring
• Perfume
• Cinnamon
• Glue
• Eye droppers
• Glue four felt squares onto construction paper

Guide Your Child To:

• With a dropper, add a few drops of a liquid scent to one square of felt. Repeat using the other two scents.
• Rub cinnamon onto the remaining square.
• Smell the scents, trying to identify each one.

Talk About:

• How does this smell? What is it?
• Where else might you smell it?
• Who made smells?
• Who made noses to smell with?
• What might you have smelled if you had been there when our story happened?

March 2013 Hope's Happenings

Enrolling for Next Year

It’s time to register for next year! Information came home a couple of weeks ago about enrollment for the fall. Be sure to register soon to hold your child’s spot for next year. If your child will be graduating from COH this year, feel free to refer a friend or family member to COH.

Please see Mrs. Bonson in the office if you have any questions, or if you need an application or information to refer a friend!

Spring Program

The Spring Program is for Mrs. Pilon’s Zebras & Mrs. Grider’s Monkeys only; it is ONLY for the K4 classes. The Spring Program will be Thursday, March 21 at 1:00 in Activity Center.  An invitation will be coming home soon with more details!

Spring Break

Just a reminder that our Spring Break is from March 29 through April 8. We pray that you and your family have a blessed time together during this break from school. We will look forward to seeing you at school on Tuesday, April 9.

Calling All PreK Parents!

Have you checked with your child’s elementary school about Kindergarten registration?  Most schools have a “Kindergarten Round-up” in the spring, in which your child can see a classroom, meet the teachers or possibly look inside a real school bus. But even if you do not attend a “Round-up,” you must register your child for Kindergarten in the fall.

If you are unsure which elementary school your child will attend, please see us in the office and we will be more than happy to help you figure it out!

PreK Field Trip

On Wednesday, April 24, the PreK Students only will be going on a field trip to “You Are the Potter,” near the mall. More information will be available in the coming weeks.

Easter Parties

Our Easter Parties will be on Thursday, March 28,  from 1-2 pm. We will be letting parents take the lead role in planning and running this party. In a few weeks, your child’s teacher will have a sign-up sheet outside her classroom with all the roles that need to be filled. If there’s a particular role or donation that you’d like to make, please be sure to sign up. 

We will also be doing an Easter Egg Hunt. Everything for that event will be provided by the preschool, so PLEASE DO NOT send in anything to fill the eggs, or the eggs themselves.

General reminders: No red or purple drinks or foods for the snack.  If you are signed up to oversee the craft, please talk to the teacher prior to purchasing any supplies, as the school may already have some of what you need (glue, paint, markers, paper, etc). If you do bring in additional paint, it needs to be washable (non-acrylic). 

Also, we cannot do projects with lots of glue (it will be too difficult to transport home after the party, as they won’t be dry).

Take What You Need

We continue to have the opportunity to bless one another. If you have clothing or toys which your children have outgrown, please feel free to bring them in on Tuesday for other families to take as needed. On the flip side, if you see anything that would work well for your child, please take it home. You DO NOT need to donate anything in order to take what you need.   

As you have items you would like to share, please bring them in on a Tuesday. However, anything left on Thursday after everyone has been picked up will go to a nearby shelter; it will not be kept for the following week.

News from New Hope Church

Sunday Mornings

Looking for a place to worship on Sunday mornings and a place where you can connect and serve the Lord? New Hope Church is an independent, evangelical, protestant church located in the Center Grove-Greenwood community. 

Get to know New Hope by checking out the information provided on the church’s website (www.newhopegreenwood.org), and please stop by on a Sunday morning to check us out.  Our services are at 9:00 and 10:30. If you have any questions, please ask us in the preschool office or call the main church office at 888-HOPE (4673).

New Hope Crafters

The New Hope Crafters meets on the second Saturday of each month from 9-5 here at the church. It is open to anyone with an interest in any type of crafting from card making, to scrapbooking to quilting and more. 

Mom’s Group

MOMs Group has gotten off to a great start this year. So far they have studied God's Word, fellowshipped with other believers and moms, heard a guest speaker on couponing and created Scripture to hang on our walls at home.

If you haven't had a chance to pop in, please feel free to stop by and join in all the fun we are having.  Mom’s Groups meets on Wednesday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15. Childcare is provided for $1 per child per session. Scholarships are available.

Lit n’ Latte

The women’s book club meets on the third Thursday of each month at 8:30am at Strange Brew.  Feel free to call the church office at 888-HOPE (4673) to find out which book they’re reading next, and feel free to join the group anytime!