Holy Week

Last week was very special because I had the opportunity to teach my 5th graders about Holy Week and the Easter story.  At the Christian school where I teach, every grade level focuses on the Easter story in some way.  For the past few years, I've shown the JESUS film during Holy Week, along with my lessons, and it's been quite powerful. 

The movie is kind of old (1979), but the kids enjoy it and we follow along in the book of Luke as the film is narrated.  The movie is two hours long, so we watched 30 minutes each day and then concluded with an Easter craft on Friday morning (we had a half-day).

Here are snapshots of the lessons I taught throughout the week:

Day 1 Lesson--The Triumphal Entry

• I reminded students that Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus's arrival into Jerusalem.
• Scripture focus:  Matthew 21:1-11
• Essential questions:  "What makes Jesus different from every other religious leader in history?"  "What makes him different from every other human being in history?"

Day 2 Lesson--The Last Supper

• We focused on the betrayal of Jesus and the last supper He and His disciples shared together.
• Scripture focus:  Matthew 26:1-30 and John 13:1-20
• We discussed how, in John 13, Jesus's act of washing the disciples' feet during the supper was a great example of selfless service.  We, as Christians, are to remember this act and humble ourselves, giving generously to (and serving) others.

Day 3 Lesson--The Garden of Gethsemane (Jesus Prays)

• We read about how Jesus predicted Peter's denial as well as how Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.
• Scripture focus:  Matthew 26:31-46
• Discussion questions:  "In verse 39, is Jesus saying he doesn't want to die?  Why do you think He asked God to 'remove this cup from me'?"  "What does it mean, in verse 39, when Jesus says, 'Yet not as I will, but as you will'?  How is this a good model prayer for us?"

Day 4 Lesson--The Crucifixion

• We read about Judas's betrayal, Peter's denial, and Jesus's crucifixion.
• Scripture focus:  Matthew 26:47-27:66
• We discussed how the crucifixion of Jesus is a difficult thing to imagine.  Even though it makes us sad to think about, we can see from the scripture how much God loves us.  As Jesus died on the cross, He forgave those who were persecuting Him.  As Christians, we should forgive those who hurt us.

Day 5 Lesson--The Resurrection

• We read the best part of the story--how Jesus rose from the grave!
• Scripture focus: Matthew 28:1-20; 1 Corinthians 15:12-58
• We discussed how significant the resurrection is.  In no other religion has a "god" raised himself from the dead.  Jesus triumphed over sin and death and He has the power to take us to be with Him when we die. 

I do a different Easter craft each year and this year it was sand crosses from Oriental Trading.  ;) 

The students really liked this craft and I liked the fact that they could do it on their own with very little assistance from me!  They each turned out differently but they all looked great. 

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter!  He is Risen!

One reason I love Christian Education...

Something special happened in my classroom today and I have to share:

This afternoon, after lunch, I started to feel quite sick.  I contemplated calling a sub for the rest of the day, but since it was 1:00 p.m., I decided to try to stick it out.  I took some medicine and tried to put on a good face for the students.  Even though I was planning to stay the rest of the school day, I knew I wouldn't be able to stay after school (like I had planned) to help a student get caught up on make-up work from last week. 

I was conferencing with students on a writing assignment and called this child over to let him know we would reschedule our afternoon appointment.  Another student (I'll call him Sam) overheard me tell the child that I wasn't feeling well and we would need to set another date. 

All of a sudden, Sam called out, "Okay, everybody!  Mrs. Bowman is not feeling well, so we need to stop and pray.  Who's our prayer leader?"  (The prayer leader sat across from Sam, looking kind of stunned).  Sam continued, "Nevermind, let's just do Popcorn Prayers...if you feel like praying, just pop up and pray."  So, he led the class by saying the first prayer and then almost all the students "popped" up and prayed for me aloud. 

It was so precious and encouraging to hear their prayers.  One student really touched my heart when he said, "Dear Lord, please help Mrs. Bowman to feel better.  I pray that she would be here tomorrow and we wouldn't have to have a substitute because no one can substitute Mrs. Bowman."  Aww!  (My husband joked that the boy was just trying to earn points with me!)  ;)

Then, another child called out, "Lord, I agree with that prayer--no one can take Mrs. Bowman's place.  Help her to feel strong and get better soon." 

The prayers continued popping up and then Sam ended with, "Lord, as we close our prayer time for Mrs. Bowman, I just want to say again that I hope you heal her and that she will not have any more pain.  In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Talk about a tear-jerking moment!  I thanked them for their prayers and praised God silently.  The care and concern they showed for me was overwhelming.  I was really surprised by Sam's boldness and initiative to get the prayers started.  That was my favorite moment of the day.  I'm so thankful I work in a place where I am free to pray with my students. 

One of the many things I love about my school...

At my Christian school, we have a group of moms, called Moms in Touch, who meet each week to pray for our faculty/staff, students, and the needs of our school.  Once every few weeks, I'll get a pink prayer slip in my school mailbox that has a scripture on one side and a handwritten prayer on the other side; it's always a pleasant surprise! 

The one I received this week was so specific, especially uplifting, and made me feel so blessed to be a teacher at this school.  I love working at a place where people encourage each other and pray for each other on a daily basis.