WAY2GO Magazine Jan 2023

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"Jesus came as a rabbit at Easter and later in the year turned into a pumpkin." I heard this comment on the radio recently and could hardly believe my ears! It made me think about the very real lack of knowledge in our society about our public holidays. They are Christian and religious holidays, but they’re also national holidays which increasingly less and less people know the background to. How do we educate people about Easter without alienating them while staying true to our beliefs? How do we reach out to our communities with the Good News of Jesus, the baby born in Bethlehem, who died on the cross and rose again on what we now call Easter Sunday? What does Evangelism look like in 21st Century Aotearoa New Zealand? And above all, how do we tell our stories? And how can we “Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope”? (1 Peter 3:15)

In this edition of the WAY2GO magazine we’ll look at ideas for sharing the Good News of Jesus in our homes and communities this Easter.

Liz Eichler Children and Families Team Leader, SUNZ

MAKE A

Holy Week

BRACELET

Holy Week is the week before Easter Sunday. It starts with the donkey ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, then there’s Maundy Thursday where many remember The Passover, through to Good Friday, a day of reflection, and finally onto what some call Resurrection Sunday, but many others just know as Easter. Here’s a simple idea that you can make as a whānau at home during Holy Week or on a Sunday at church ahead of time. If you make it ahead of time it could be worn during Holy Week and talked about each day at home.

YOU WILL NEED:

• coloured beads (green, red, orange, pink, orange, black, white, purple)

• some smaller beads to go in between the bigger beads (optional)

• thin elastic (like hat elastic)

• a Bible, preferably a modern version

Palm Sunday | 2 April

Read Matthew 21:1-11

Thread the green bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use green for Palm Sunday? (colour of the palms, trees, nature)

Monday | 3 April

Read Matthew 21:12-17

Thread the red bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use red for this day? (emotions, feeling angry)

Tuesday

| 4 April

Read Matthew 22:34-46

Thread the orange bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use orange for this day? (traffic light—get ready to stop, pause, think, ask questions)

Wednesday

| 5 April

Read Matthew 26:1-16

Thread the pink bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use pink for this day? (colour of appreciation and gratitude)

Maundy Thursday

| 6 April

Read Matthew 26:17-30

Thread the orange bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use orange for Maundy Thursday? (bread, dusty feet)

Good Friday

| 7 April

Read Matthew 27:1-2, 31-56

Thread the black bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use black for Good Friday? (traditional western colour for mourning)

Holy Saturday

| 8 April

Read Matthew 27:57-66

Thread the white bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use white for Holy Saturday? (colour of the cloth, tomb, stone)

Easter Sunday

| 9 April

Read Matthew 28:1-10

Thread the purple bead onto the elastic.

ASK: I wonder why we use purple for Easter Sunday? (Purple is a royal colour)

Wear the bracelet to remind you of Jesus’ journey through Holy Week and how we can be a part of that journey through remembering and sharing His story.

HOLY WEEK

Hospitality

Hospitality is a great way of inviting people into your life, and a way to enter into their lives. Have you ever thought of hosting a Passover Meal, or a Seder Meal? These meals are traditionally celebrated in the evening of Maundy Thursday—the day before Good Friday. The name is thought to come from a Latin (“a new

Mark 14:12-26 – have a simple meal together and read this passage at some stage. The food is not important, it’s the being together.

Take part in a Seder Meal – https:// www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/ easter-walking-through-holy-week/ quite a detailed example you could adapt.

https://godventure.co.uk/

Here’s something a bit different, a fun activity that highlights the parallels between Exodus and Easter

passover-treasure-hunt/