Easter Clown

 (Resource Pack 88)                                                                                                                                                                    KEY  STAGE 1,  2 & 3     

VISUAL AID: Suitcase full of clown’s outfit plus a daffodil

To the first few minutes of the song ‘All that Jazz’ from the film Chicago, dress up from scratch, from a suitcase, and become a clown.

Begin by opening the suitcase, looking surprised, take out a hideous pair of trousers, and put them on; next a waistcoat with a squirty flower attached, then two long plastic shoes, then a large checked tie on elastic, then the wig, then nose, and finally a hat. All of these are available in the resources pack. Once you are fully dressed, squirt the children with water, by inviting them to smell the plastic flower.

Then proceed to eat, only the petals of a nearby daffodil, which will be in a vase.  

Make the point that when the children go home tonight and say that a person came into school today, right into assembly, and squirted people with water, and then ate daffodil petals, their parents will not believe them!

In a similar way, people thought the early disciples of Jesus were lying when they told them he had risen from the dead.

First some women who were Jesus’ friends came to his tomb, and the stone had been rolled away. An angel told them Jesus wasn’t there, he had risen.

The disciples didn’t believe the women, they thought they were telling lies!

One of them, Mary Magdalene, actually met Jesus and talked with him, thinking it was the gardener.

They didn’t believe her either! That is until some of them ran to the tomb and saw for themselves.

Jesus appeared to his disciples in an upper room, and because Thomas wasn’t there, he thought the disciples were lying.  Then Jesus appeared to him, and told him to touch the holes in his hands. So he believed.

After that some people believed and some didn’t. But in the bible it says that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at one time!

Still today are those who do and don’t believe.

But this is the reason that Christians think this is a happy time., because Jesus didn’t stay dead. They believe he came back to life, and then later went to be with his Father!

Today he can live in each one of us, by the power of the Spirit of God!

This is what the church calls PENTECOST…another story.

Comparisons can also be drawn, about the various differing stories told by the witnesses in the gospels, and the different tales they will tell their parents this evening. Because the stories will not be identical, not WORD FOR WORD, it makes them more believable!

WARNING!

Warn the children, not to eat any other parts of a flower as they are poisonous.

‘Easter Jubilation’ by Out of  the Ark music, an excellent follow up. (Use long ribbons)