Today we are celebrating Palm Sunday:
It is all about Jesus and His Big Parade! The time had come for King Jesus to enter Jerusalem. It was a day that marked the beginning of an incredible week.
During this coming week, we will remember all that happened to Jesus during Holy Week.
King Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. People had heard of all the miracles that Jesus had done. They were looking for a king and so they lined the streets to see Jesus ride by on a donkey. This was to be the final time that Jesus would enter Jerusalem and this time had a special meaning. Jesus was solemnly entering as a humble King of peace. Traditionally, entering the city on a donkey symbolizes arrival in peace but if Jesus had arrived on a horse, that would have been a symbol of a war-waging king and this was not the mission of Jesus. The people at this time were looking for a king that would free them from the Roman Government that was ruling them and they thought that Jesus would be this king.
Some of the people walked in front of Jesus and some walked behind Him. All the people were waving palm branches and were shouting, " Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." The people also spread their coats and palm branches on the dusty road for Jesus to ride over.
However, not everyone was happy with the crowd cheering about Jesus. The Pharisees ( the religious leaders) were upset with the crowd and they called out to Jesus, telling Him to tell the crowd to be quiet. But Jesus answered, that if the people were to be still then even the stones on the road would cry out!
Take Action:
Most of the children in our church have been given a copy of My Own Keepsake Bible. It is a wonderful color in the bible for children, perfect for the ages of children 4-12 years of age. You can get your own copy HERE. If you have this bible, open it and read from page 317 to 318. There is a fabulous color in page on page 319. If you don't have this bible, you should find this story in all children's Bibles. You can also read it in Mark chapter 11 and Luke chapter 19. Have you found this website, www.biblegateway.com ? This website is great for giving you access to any passage of the bible in any translation, you could read this story there too.
Here is a photo of our bible reading today:
Don't worry if you don't have this bible because I have prepared a picture to color in and a color in the bible reading chart for your children to use during Holy Week!
Here is the Hosanna color in the picture, you will find this in the Kid's Zone or click on the pic.
To help your children learn all about Jesus in Holy week, I also made a bible reading chart. They can color in a leaf every day when they have read the passage of scripture with you. This is a great way to prepare your heart for Easter Sunday.
Here are some questions you could ask your children to reinforce the story they have read:
What does a normal king look like? What is his job?
What do you think a parade would look like for a king?
What animal did Jesus ride on, coming into Jerusalem?
What does it mean if a king rides a donkey? (They are coming to make peace)
What does it mean if a king rides a horse? ( They are coming to make war)
What did the people think their greatest need was? ( to be rescued from the Roman government)
What is the most important need all people have? ( to be forgiven of their sins)
Prayer Time:
Have a time of prayer with your children sometime during this lesson. You could praise Jesus just like the crowd did in our story today. The children could use their color on the page to pray with - "Hosanna! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord."
I hope this lesson is a blessing to you and your family. If you use the printables, I would love to see their work! You could email me any photos to karen@scripturalgrace.com or you can post a photo on our Facebook page HERE
If you would like to read the timeline of Jesus last week (for adults) you will love this post and it comes with a free printable timeline chart for Holy Week and a prayer journal/workbook. Find it HERE
You might also enjoy reading this post https://www.scripturalgrace.com/post/preparing-your-heart-for-easter. There is a lovely banner for your Easter home decor and poster.
Have you read our Lent and Easter Scripture plan? You will find it here: https://www.scripturalgrace.com/post/scripture-writing-plan-for-lent-easter-with-free-printable
Check back next week - I hope to have something special to celebrate Easter Sunday!
xx Karen.