Hush

Matthew 27:57-61 New International Reader's Version

Jesus Is Buried

⁵⁷As evening approached, a rich man came from the town of Arimathea. His name was Joseph. He had become a follower of Jesus. ⁵⁸He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. ⁶⁰He placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb. Then he went away. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there across from the tomb.

Bible verses are from the New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Object:

Dark cloth to suggest the stillness of this day.

Message:

I wonder if you have ever played a game of “Red-Light- Green-Light.” I love the game, “Red-Light-Green-Light.” This game teaches us to learn how to control our bodies in movement, while we pause, wait, think, and decide to move or remain still. Let’s play a quick game of “Red-Light-Green-Light.” I will need three volunteers, but let’s try and find three people who may have not played the game in a while. (Select three adults to volunteer to play the game with you. This will eliminate any hurt feelings of children not being selected. You may want to recruit the three volunteers ahead of time.)

Let me quickly explain the rules.

1. The adults line up, side-by-side at one end of the declared space and face the “caller.” I will be the “caller.” To keep everyone safe, let’s have our players move in slow motion.
2. I will shout, “Green Light” and turn away from the children. When the light is green, the players move toward me by running IN SLOW MOTION.
3. When I call out, “Red Light” and turn around again to face the players, then everyone must stop or “freeze” immediately.
4. I will continue to shout, “Red Light” or “Green Light” until one player reaches me. Usually, the first player to reach the caller becomes the next caller, but we won’t have time to play more than once.

Certain variations of the game suggest that when the caller turns around when calling “Red Light,” if a child is pointed out as moving, he or she returns to the starting line. This version can become argumentative and may distract from the object of game, which is body control and cognitive response. You decide if you want to implement that variation into your game.

That was fun. I like the body control that you all demonstrated. Playing this game and trying to remain still reminds me of today’s Bible passage. We have made a lot of movement today, but on Saturday. everything seemed to be very still.

(After playing the game, place a dark cloth on the ground and sit in the stillness with the children. This will reinforce the stillness this day represents.)

On Saturday, the day after Jesus was buried and the stone was rolled in front of the tomb, everything was so still, people could hear every little sound. There was not much movement from those around the tomb. There was nothing that could be done. Holy Saturday is a day of waiting. I wonder how the people who saw Jesus buried felt in the stillness of that Saturday as they sat there looking at the closed tomb. What do you think they thought about? (Allow children to answer.) Do you have a favorite stuffed animal? Have you ever lost your stuffed animal? Perhaps, it was so worn and used that it needed to be thrown out. Did you feel different after it was gone? (Allow one child to share the experience.) When you’re hoping for something, how does it feel? Sometimes it’s extremely hard to sit still in the quiet stillness of the moment. Would you pray with me as we sit in the stillness, waiting and hoping…?

Prayer:

God, it is hard for us to sit still and wait. On this day, we are reminded of the waiting and the hope that we have in Jesus. In our sadness and waiting, we trust in Jesus for a new day of joy and think about how his love can bring us out of these feelings of fear and sadness. We put our hope in your son, Jesus. Amen.