Saturday 25 April 2020
Welcome to our first Messy Church At Home! We’re very sad that we can’t meet in person just now and have our usual fun together at Messy Church. However, we hope that you might enjoy trying a mini Messy Church At Home and we would love to see any creations that you decide to make! Now let’s get started, I wonder what we’re going to do today?
Have you been on a journey recently? You probably haven’t been very far from home as we mainly go out just once a day for a walk or some exercise at the moment, unless we’re grown-ups going to work, getting supplies or helping other people. I’m sure you might have discovered some new walks and places near your home that perhaps you didn’t even know existed before?
Today we’re going to hear a story about two people who were on a walking journey when someone unexpectedly joined them. You can watch this story on the video below.
Wow, Jesus appeared alongside two of his friends and he helped them to understand that HE IS ALIVE. This was good news to share for his friends back then and it is good news for us today. Here are some activity ideas you can try now to think more about this story.
Footprint Art
You can use: paper or cardboard (could use a cereal packet), paint and/or pens/crayons, a pencil, scissors, cotton buds (if you have them) and wipes might be helpful!
Can you make a picture to show footprints walking across the paper to remind us of the journey in today’s story?
You can dip your fingers or a cotton bud into the paint and ‘walk’ along the paper, leaving a footprint trail behind. Repeat this with a different colour of paint walking beside the first set.
Then, with a third colour, add a third set of footprints joining the first two a bit later on this journey, to show when Jesus came alongside them. Or if you don’t have paint, you could use different colours of pens or crayons to show the journey being made.
You could maybe add in some trees along the way and the house they arrived at.
Can you draw round your own foot, decorate it and write on it ‘Jesus walks with us’ and then cut it out and stick it somewhere to remind you of this?
Slo-fast races
You will need: a clear space inside or out; a timer
The challenge is to see who can go from A to B the most slowly: make a note of the time it takes each person – you can all do it together. Then see who can be fastest to go from B back to A.
Think about how sometimes when you’re sad, a journey can seem to take a really long time, but when you’re happy, the same journey can pass by really quickly.
The two friends of Jesus went one way with very heavy sad hearts as they were struggling to understand all that had happened, but they came back again the same day at full speed and full of excitement, with the amazing news that Jesus was alive!
Story and Song Celebration Time
You can read today’s story in the Bible in Luke 24:13-35 or you can find this online by clicking here.
Jesus’ friends were so sad and confused after his death as they had hoped that he was the Saviour, that God had promised to his people.
They had heard that the tomb had been found empty which was a shock and a surprise to them but when they recognised Jesus for themselves, they knew it was true.
Jesus helped them to understand from the Bible that he was the Saviour that had been promised and that he had defeated death.
We continue to share this good news together today and we can thank Jesus that he walks beside us, like he walked beside Cleopas and his friend. We can speak to him in prayer about anything and we know that he listens to us.
Let us finish by joining in with a new action song for Messy Church. It’s called My Lighthouse and it helps us to remember that when we follow Jesus, we can trust him to lead us through our troubles and storms.
Remember to send in any pictures of what you have made to our Facebook page or you can email them to familyworker@outlook.com, we would love to share some on our Facebook page. Thank you for visiting Messy Church At Home and we hope you’ll join us here again soon.