The Real Easter Message

Youth Small Group Material

The real message of Easter has become a little lost amid the shelves of chocolate eggs we see in the shops. In our session today we are going to revisit the Easter story and find a way to spread its message to those who do not know Jesus. There will be an opportunity to get creative and design your own Easter egg to tell the world about what Jesus did for us all on Easter Sunday.

Welcome

Today’s session is all about the real Easter message, so let’s see how much you can remember about the Easter story.

Easter Bible Trivia Countdown (5:12)

The group can jot down their answers on a piece of paper and add up how many they got at the end. They will need to answer each question quickly before the green timer bar at the bottom of the screen is full. You could also pause the clip, read the question and then set off the timer if your group needs more time. There are ten questions in total.

WORD

Can anyone remember John 3:16 from memory? Share it with the group.

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16)

What does this verse tell us about the importance of the Easter story?
What was God’s motivation for sending his Son to earth?

Our world needs to experience the love of God more than ever. The real message of Easter has become a little lost amid the shelves of chocolate eggs that we see in the shops. In our session today, we are going to revisit the Easter story and find a way to spread its message to those who do not know Jesus.

Give each member of the group The Real Easter Message handout. The aim of the activity is for the young people to watch the two Bible Project clips, note down the key events of the Easter story and summarise the message in each clip. This information will be used later in the session to help with the creation of a Real Easter Egg for adults. Give time for discussion in between each clip so that the group can share their summaries of the story.

The Crucifixion of Jesus: Luke 19-23 Bible Project (4:26)

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/gospel-luke-4/

The Resurrection of Jesus: Luke 24 (5:16)

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/gospel-luke-5/

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY

Ask the group to find a partner and number themselves one and two. Person one will have two minutes to tell the Easter story, including as many key events as they can remember. Person two can time the two minutes and give feedback on how well person one remembered the Easter story.

For the second round, person two will have two minutes to share the real message of Easter. For this activity, they will need to imagine that person one knows nothing about Easter and thinks it is just about eating chocolate. This time person one will be the timer and give feedback to person two.

WITNESS

Watch: The story in The Real Easter Egg 2010-18 (2:38)

Imagine that the Meaningful Chocolate Company, the creators of The Real Easter Egg, have decided to expand their chocolate egg range.

Your task is to create a luxury Easter egg for adults that shares the real message of Easter. Create a presentation to show the rest of the group your amazing chocolatey ideas.

You will need to think about the following:

the mission behind the creation of the egg
the design of the egg
the type of chocolate you will use
the packaging
the way you will share the story of Easter
the marketing strategy

Give the group a selection of pens, paper and card to create a short presentation to give to the rest of the group about their Easter egg. Give the group time to discuss and complete their presentation and then share your ideas together. You may decide to choose a winning design and give them a prize (a Real Easter Egg…?).

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY

If you have the time and resources, you could give each member of the group a medium-sized plain chocolate egg. Provide the group with icing pens and ask them to decorate the egg in a way that reflects the true message of Easter.

WORSHIP

In today’s session, we have taken time to reflect on the important message of Easter. We are reminded of the immense sacrifice Jesus made on the cross and the difference that makes for each one of our lives today.

We’re going to have a time of reflection where we take the opportunity to say thank you to Jesus for living the Easter story.

Give each member of the group a pen and piece of paper. As the music plays, encourage them to write a prayer, poem or psalm of thanksgiving for the gift of new life they have in Jesus. When the music stops, encourage them to read their reflections out loud and then bring this time to a close in prayer.

Charity Gayle – ‘Thank You Jesus for the Blood’ (Live) (5:27)