My Aubergine Door

Tag: Easter

  • Denial: The Ultimate Indifference

    Peter denies his Lord

    Scripture reference: Mark 14:53-54, 66-72

    Peter's denial of his Lord
    “The Denial of St Peter”
    c. 1610 Oil on canvas, by Caravaggio

    First I’d like you to help sing a song, and then I’m going to tell you about Peter and his light.

    Who knows a song that starts with the words “This little light…”? Can you help me sing it?

    This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, (2x)
    Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

    Hide it under a bushel, NO! I’m gonna let it shine, (2x)
    Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

    Won’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine, (2x)
    Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

    It was very dark and it was very late at night in the city of Jerusalem. But no-one was asleep at the house of Caiaphas, the high priest. They were waiting … waiting … There he came, our Jesus, tied up between two soldiers. That’s who they were waiting for – Jesus! “AT LAST,” said the rulers of the Pharisees. “Now we’ve got him! Now we can get rid of him!” And they rubbed their hands together, and they took Jesus upstairs. Then they spit on Jesus and blindfolded Jesus and hit him.

    Where were Jesus’ disciples? Didn’t Peter say he would always, always stay with Jesus, no matter what? Maybe they all ran away when the soldiers tied up Jesus in the garden….

    But, wait, there was Peter, hiding in the yard. Peter ran away , all right, but he came back because he loved Jesus. Peter followed the solders, all the way to the house of the high priest. Peter could see Jesus upstairs. But Peter was so afraid. He didn’t want anyone to know he was one of Jesus’ helpers! What if they caught him, too, and tied him up just like Jesus, and spit on him, and hit him? Peter was so scared that he hid his love for Jesus, and he kept his love for Jesus a secret. Peter hid his light three times in a row.

    There was a fire burning in the yard, and the night was cold, so Peter went to warm his hands by the fire. A servant girl looked at Peter’s face and said,

    “Weren’t you with that man Jesus?”

    Peter’s heart pounded. He was terrified. “No, no, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” And Peter’s light flickered for the first time.

    A little later, another servant girl said, “I’m sure this man is one of Jesus’ disciples.” Again Peter lied. “NO I don’t know him.” And Peter’s light flickered for the second time.

    Once more, one of the men looked at Peter’s face and said, “You must be one of Jesus’ disciples. You talk just like one of them. And… didn’t I see you in the garden with him?” That’s when Peter’s face became pale and Peter began to curse and swear again:”I DON”T KNOW what you’re talking about.” And Peter’s light flickered for the third time that night.

    Then Peter looked up. He saw Jesus looking at him very sadly, and Peter ran away into the darkness, crying, because he had lied about the Jesus he loved so much.

    ♥

    Listen to Denise Hewitt’s version of “This Little Light of Mine.”

    If you’re partial to Odetta’s rendition…

    ♥

  • Sold for the Price of a Slave

    Judas Betrays Jesus

    Scripture reference: Zechariah 11:4-12 Luke 22:1-6

    bananas

    I need a helper today. [Choose a child and ask …. What’s your name?]

    Now I need one more helper who doesn’t mind wearing this on their eyes. (Choose a second child and ask … What’s your name?]) Come and sit down here beside me. [Tie blindfold on the second child].

    Today we’re going to talk about choosing. And I’ve brought some things along for ______ and _____ to use. Let me show them to you first.

    With the first child:

    [Hold up items: a banana: big, yellow  and another banana: black, mushy, and rotten]

    Now: It’s your turn. Look carefully. Can you choose one that you’d like to share with your family?  [the child will generally choose the appropriate response]  That was a good choice!

    [Hold up items again: an orange: big, heavy and another orange, somewhat wrinkled, small]

    With the second child:

    Now, It’s your turn. [Check to make sure the blindfold is still on, and don’t have the child touch the fruit]

    Are you ready to choose one you’d like to share with your family? —– hmmm  —- wait —- this looks hard! How can you choose like this? Oh, oh,  what shall we do? [some child will respond – She/he can’t see!]. O.K. let’s take off the blindfold. Now you can make a good choice, can’t you!

    Thank you for helping,  ___ and ___

    Jesus had helpers, too. One of them was called Judas. At first Judas loved Jesus and wanted to be near him. That was a good choice.

    But then Satan came along—just like a big blindfold—and covered up Judas’ eyes and his heart. And Judas let Satan stay there and didn’t push Satan away.

    Soon, Judas stopped loving Jesus. He chose a very evil thing. He went to visit some bad men who wanted to kill Jesus and said “I choose to help you catch Jesus. What will you give me if I help you?” The bad men said, “We will give you some money” and so Judas chose the worst thing of all: he took the money and put it in his pocket – to help them kill Jesus.

    Now you may keep your good choices—off you go to church school.

    ♥

  • Jesus’ Resurrection

    The Wrong Place to Look

    Scripture reference: Luke 24:1-12; 24:5,6
    tomb

    The day of Sabbath rest was over in Jerusalem. It was the start of a new week. The rosy sun was just beginning to push the darkness out of the night sky; the birds were fluffing their feathers and chirping their songs.

    Mary Magdalene and the other women were up early, too, but they weren’t singing.

    There was something they wanted to do for Jesus. On that terrible day at Golgotha they had watched Jesus die on the cross and they had cried and cried. The women had followed when Rabbi Joseph had taken Jesus’ body gently down from the cross and brought it to his own empty cave in the small garden. Rabbi Joseph had wrapped Jesus’ body in a soft white cloth and put him on a bed of sweet-smelling spices. So the women knew where to find the Master they loved so much. Mary Magdalene and her friends wanted to do something for Jesus, so they prepared more spices and sweet-smelling perfumes. They would bring them to the cave and cry together.

    Everything was so sad, and so mixed up!

    But what about the promises?

    How could Jesus be dead? He’d promised them a kingdom; how could he be king of a kingdom, lying in a cave all wrapped up and covered with spices, with a guard of Roman soldiers standing in front of the big stone?

    He’d promised them treasures in heaven; how could he give them anything when those greedy soldiers at the cross had taken away all his clothes?

    He’d promised them that he would destroy God’s temple and raise it back up in three days; how could he fix the temple when the curtain had ripped into two pieces and he wasn’t even there to fix it?

    He’d promised to set the prisoners free, but how could he? Nobody was even listening to him anymore!

    He’d said he was king, but why did the soldiers spit on him and make fun of him, and give him a pretending crown? And why would he let that crook on the cross beside him say those awful things?

    And what about that great parade into Jerusalem when the people threw their coats on the ground and made a beautiful carpet for Jesus to ride on, and waved palm branches and shouted: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”?

    What happened to all the promises? Jesus was dead. All the promises were lost.

    …..

    But wait …. The most important promise of all – what was it?  “In three days I shall be raised again…” Had they forgotten?

    Mary Magdalene and the women didn’t understand. All they could do was cry and go to the garden with the spices they had ready. “How are we going to roll away that big stone?” they worried. “Maybe we’re not strong enough to push it out of the slot….”

    There was the cave: the soldiers were gone, and the big stone had been rolled away!!!

    The women had forgotten! Into the cool, quiet rock space they tiptoed, carrying their spices, looking for the body of Jesus. There was the soft white cloth; there were the sweet-smelling spices; but where was Jesus?

    Then suddenly, two shining angels! “Have you forgotten?” said one angel. “Have you forgotten Jesus’ promise? You’re looking for him in the wrong place: he is not here; he is not dead – he is alive, just as he said he would be! Come, and look!”

    And the women came, and they looked.

    And then they remembered Jesus’ promise – bigger than their small hearts and their small imaginations: big enough for YOU and for ME!

    Jesus is not dead: HE IS RISEN! Hallelujah.

    ♥