Easter"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark..."  Our Easter service begins in the dark. We gather in the village churchyard around the unlit Easter fire. After our opening liturgy, the fire is lit and the tall Easter candle is lit from the fire. We carry our own candles and as we go into the church we light them from the Easter candle. Still in the dark, we process around the church with our candles, singing the Easter hymn, and pausing at various places in the church to proclaim the good news of the resurrection. When eventually we sit down in the pews, we can watch the great plain glass East window gradually lighten, as the Resurrection day dawns. In the distance the cock crows. But children rarely come to this service... How do we help them to experience not only the joy of that first Easter, but also its mystery and awe? Easter resourcesEaster gardens: Creating a variety of different sized Easter gardens Easter focus: Making a worship focus for Easter Prayer focus: An Easter prayer focus was created by an 80 year old and a 10 year old working together. Resurrection eggs: Colourful plastic or wooden eggs help children engage with the Easter story. Each egg has a text and a symbol - for example a palm leaf for Palm Sunday and a dove for Jesus in the temple. |