Year B - Good Friday (April 6, 2012)

The Good Friday texts are the same for all three years of the lectionary.  So go to Year A - Good Friday to get commentary on those texts, materials about how children understand those stories, and ideas for sharing the stories with them in worship on this day.  Below is one new idea. 

If you have been featuring a different cross each week of Lent (even if you have not), this is a good day to feature a cross made of nails. 

The nails in this cross remind us of all the very painful, mean, hurting things that happened to Jesus.  So display (in your hand or projected) a nail cross and briefly present the following points.  Conclude each point with “ouch” or “that hurt!”  After this introduction, invite worshipers of all ages to hear the stories of that awful, wonderful day.

One of Jesus’ 12 closest friends led the people who wanted to kill Jesus straight to him.  Judas even kissed Jesus to show his enemies who to go after. 

Jesus’ best friend Peter got so scared that he pretended he did not even know Jesus.

Soldiers whipped Jesus and hammered nails through his hands and his feet to hang him on a wooden cross.  He died there.

While he was dying on the cross his enemies spit on him and jeered at him.

It was an awful day.  The Bible says it was so awful that clouds covered the earth with deep darkness.

But it was also an amazing day.  It was amazing because Jesus actually forgave all those people.  He forgave Peter and the soldiers and all the people who teased him while he was dying.  That is why we call this GOOD Friday.  If Jesus forgave all those people, we know that Jesus will forgive us, too. And, that is very good news!