It’s been one year since we last met in the church.  That’s a crazy long time to wait to go to in-person Sunday School!  We are grateful to our congregation for their patience and support.
 
Imagine the patience that the apostles had to garner when they found that tomb empty.  No more King of Kings.  The Hosanna parade goers just disappeared.  It was a quiet and scary time in Jerusalem for those 12 and their followers.
 
Then the women ran down the streets shouting, “He’s Risen!”  Joy, excitement, confusion and still some trepidation because the lost their most amazing friend. 
 
Many of us may have some confusion and grief because of this pandemic year.  Some have lost loved ones, jobs, routines and hugs (personal connections).  We have to hold on to the patience as the apostles did.  They faced a new normal with a bit of hesitation and a lot of love!  They kept the memories alive.  They kept sharing the stories.  They kept sharing the compassion.  Easter offers darkness and pure joy.  Let your heart lead you into this Easter season by sharing your joy with all you meet!
 
Sweet Easter Blessings to all of you!
 
This week our Easter Sunday Lesson includes all things that remind us of rebirth and Easter JOY!  We have cross crafts, PEEPS snacks, Resurrection rolls, and bunny activities to help you celebrate the "Joy of Jesus" with your family.

We invite children and their families to bake through this last week of Lent.  We have collected simple, kid-friendly recipes for Holy week.  The collection includes:  Palm Sunday palm tree sugar cookies, Temple shortbread coins, Shrove Tuesday Pancakes, Last Supper Apple Blondies, Good Friday Hot Cross bun cookies, and Easter Sunday Resurrection rolls.  You can find all of these recipes on our NSUMC Kids website.  The website offers recipes, scripture, and follow-up questions.  It also has YouTube videos of the scripture story that you can watch as your delicacy is baking, all from the comfort of your kitchen!

You are also invited to share your creations on our Facebook page!

Faces of Easter Lessons 5 & 6
 
Godly Play lessons 5 and 6 present two more moments in Jesus’ faith journey.  Lesson five tells the story of Bartimaeus and lesson six tells the story of His majestic entrance to Jerusalem.
 
Bartimaeus was a blind beggar sitting on the side of the road that led to Jerusalem.  Jesus was traveling from Jericho to Jerusalem when he came across him.  Bartimaeus called out very loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Jesus went to the beggar and put mud on his eyes to heel his sight.  This was the last miracle that Jesus performed before His death. Bartimaeus received mercy from Jesus. Jesus last act was one of mercy.  Mercy is an act of grace and compassion.  Jesus offers all of us the same mercy and it is okay for each of us to call out and let Jesus know when we are struggling.
 
Further on this road to Jerusalem, Jesus approached the Mount of Olives and He sent two of His disciples to fetch a donkey.  When Kings of that time entered the town, they did so, on a royal horse not a donkey.  “Hosanna to God in the highest!” could be heard throughout the town as He entered.  It was a royal greeting for a merciful person.  The word Hosanna can be translated to mean “Save us, rescue us, Savior!”  We all need a little recuing sometimes.  It may be an incidental moment or a moment of huge proportion, but His mercy is always there for us.  That is such a comforting feeling.
 
This week our Sunday School lesson includes Bartimaeus eyes origami craft to help us see the mercy given to us and donkey crafts to remind us to always be humble and kind.  Mercy is love that responds to human need in an unexpected or unmerited way.  We are beyond grateful for the mercy that our heavenly Father shares with us!

Last week we reviewed Jesus’ birth and His visit to the temple as a boy.  This week we will review His baptism and His time in the wilderness.  These events helped prepare Him for the journey to the cross.
 
According to biblical scholars, Jesus was baptized at age 30.  That is a much older age than we are accustomed to being baptized in the 2021st century.  Jesus asked his cousin, John the Baptist, to perform the sacrament.   John was a well-known preacher and baptized people regularly.  John knew about Jesus’ gift and he was not comfortable baptizing Jesus.  Jesus convinced him and the rest is history!
 
Before Jesus began His ministry He was led by the spirit into the wilderness and tempted for forty days.  The temptations that Jesus faced were materialism, hedonism and egotism.  Most of us read those three words and can say WOW!  All three temptations are alive and well in our society!  The forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness helped Him understand what earthly beings faced.  He mirrored for us what it looks like to overcome that temptation. 
 
These forty days of Lent are given to all of us as a gift to annually reflect on what’s really important on our journey.  For our children, maybe it is the overzealous want of a toy or video system, the idolization of an iconic sports or movie star or a little too much self-pride has gotten in the way.  When we ask them to prayerfully reflect, we are supporting their success to resist those temptations on their journey.  As we mirror love, compassion and self-acceptance, they too will grow closer to God.
 
May this Lenten season bring us all closer to the one that teaches us to love unconditionally! This week’s Sunday School lesson includes: flying doves for baptism, object lessons and experiments about temptation. Always remember that your wilderness will become a highway to something better!