The Little Tree
Children's Liturgy and Story
The liturgy can start with a procession in which a child carries the Easter candle from the West end of the church to the altar at the East end, stopping at intervals to raise the candle high and cry, "Christ our Light". The people respond with "Alleluia!" All the candles in church are then lit from the Easter candle.
Call to worship:
The Lord is risen, he is risen indeed! Let us rejoice and be glad in him!
Invitation to confession:
Jesus, we turn to you.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, we believe and trust in you.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, we worship you.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Luke 24:1-12 (NRSV)
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. [2] They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, [3] but when they went in, they did not find the body. [4] While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. [5] The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. [6] Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, [7] that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." [8] Then they remembered his words, [9] and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. [10] Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. [11] But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. [12] But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Story:
Today we rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Resurrection can be seen all around us during spring, so this story majors on the new life springing up after the "death" of winter.
The Little Tree
The little tree was cold and weary and sick. Yesterday he had been a small twig which was slowly growing into a healthy young sapling, but he had been cruelly torn from the soil where he had put down his roots, and had been wrapped and sealed into a plastic bag with water sloshing round his roots. By now, a day later, the water was freezing cold and his roots felt so wet that the little tree thought they might very well disintegrate and drop off.
The little tree in his plastic bag had been packed into an overnight grip and carried away from his home and the Swedish landscape which was so familiar to him, to the airport and onto a plane. There the grip had been unceremoniously bundled onto a luggage rack and left as the plane soared into the sky and roared from the Arctic Circle way down to the south. Then there had been a brief interlude while the grip was carried off the plane, into another airport and eventually onto another plane.
By the time the second plane had landed, the little tree had no idea which way was up and which way was down. He was unaware that he had landed at Heathrow Airport in London and by the time he was carried on coaches and cars and cabs to eventually arrive in Norfolk, he was practically unconscious, he felt so ill.
That night he was taken out of the grip and presented into strange hands, but they simply left him outside the door and took no further notice of him.
'Perhaps this is death,' the little tree thought to himself. 'This time when nobody takes any notice of you and there are no friendly hands or friendly voices, and you feel too sick and too wilted to make the effort to live. Perhaps this is what dying means.' And his twig-like stem bent in sorrow.
Next day the little tree was pushed roughly into foreign soil which felt and tasted strange and he was watered yet again. But he felt so ill that he hadn't the energy to raise his head. He gave himself up into the hands of those who had charge of him and his few leaves crumpled and died.
He never knew how long he was dead, for it was difficult to remember. But one day around Easter he became aware of human voices.
"Look!" one voice was saying excitedly. "The little Rowan tree has survived! Throughout all the cold frosts and the snows of winter, despite the excessive rainfall we've had and even though it's so tiny, the little tree has made it! Isn't that great?"
"It's just brilliant!" agreed the other voice. "What a symbol of the friendship between Sweden and England! A little tree which seemed to be dead but which has survived the rigours of a terrible journey followed by an English winter. Now it's beginning to bud and by next year it will be a sapling strong and true. This means that the friendship between our two countries will rise and be strong and true for as long as this tree lives."
And the little tree was so proud of his new green shoots that he turned his face to the sun and determined to grow big and strong and to live forever.
Activity:
You need:
Small Easter Eggs
Coloured card
Coloured pens or crayons
Small fluffy chicks (one for each child)
Glue
Prepare an Easter Egg hunt for the children. Hide small easter eggs around the church and let the children hunt for them during or after the service, making sure that everyone gets at least one egg! If you can, use hollow eggs and explain that they represent the cave where Jesus was buried. When the eggs are opened, there's nothing inside, just as there was nothing inside when the disciples went to the tomb.
Help the children to make Easter cards for their families. On the front they should draw whatever they please to represent Easter, and they should write their greeting in the inside. To make the cards a little more special, glue an Easter chick to the front of each card.
Prayers:
Risen Lord, we pray for all branches of the Christian Church as we all celebrate this wonderful day together. May all our prayers rise in praise and thanks to you.
Risen Lord, bring new life to all those areas of our world which seem dead and hopeless. May this Easter bring new hope, renewed enthusiasm and new opportunities for a better life.
Risen Lord, may we know your renewing spirit within our hearts. As your resurrection heralded new life, so may we as Easter people know newness and resurrection in our lives.
Risen Lord, we pray for all who are ill or facing death. May those who are dying know your risen power and may those who are sick be raised to newness of life. We name them before you...
Blessing:
May the risen Lord pour
His renewing Spirit into you.
May your lives be refreshed
And may you know in your hearts
the glory of God this Eastertide.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Be with you, be in your homes
And in your families,
With those whom you love
And with those for whom you pray,
Both now and always. Amen.
Call to worship:
The Lord is risen, he is risen indeed! Let us rejoice and be glad in him!
Invitation to confession:
Jesus, we turn to you.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, we believe and trust in you.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, we worship you.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Luke 24:1-12 (NRSV)
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. [2] They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, [3] but when they went in, they did not find the body. [4] While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. [5] The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. [6] Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, [7] that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." [8] Then they remembered his words, [9] and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. [10] Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. [11] But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. [12] But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Story:
Today we rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Resurrection can be seen all around us during spring, so this story majors on the new life springing up after the "death" of winter.
The Little Tree
The little tree was cold and weary and sick. Yesterday he had been a small twig which was slowly growing into a healthy young sapling, but he had been cruelly torn from the soil where he had put down his roots, and had been wrapped and sealed into a plastic bag with water sloshing round his roots. By now, a day later, the water was freezing cold and his roots felt so wet that the little tree thought they might very well disintegrate and drop off.
The little tree in his plastic bag had been packed into an overnight grip and carried away from his home and the Swedish landscape which was so familiar to him, to the airport and onto a plane. There the grip had been unceremoniously bundled onto a luggage rack and left as the plane soared into the sky and roared from the Arctic Circle way down to the south. Then there had been a brief interlude while the grip was carried off the plane, into another airport and eventually onto another plane.
By the time the second plane had landed, the little tree had no idea which way was up and which way was down. He was unaware that he had landed at Heathrow Airport in London and by the time he was carried on coaches and cars and cabs to eventually arrive in Norfolk, he was practically unconscious, he felt so ill.
That night he was taken out of the grip and presented into strange hands, but they simply left him outside the door and took no further notice of him.
'Perhaps this is death,' the little tree thought to himself. 'This time when nobody takes any notice of you and there are no friendly hands or friendly voices, and you feel too sick and too wilted to make the effort to live. Perhaps this is what dying means.' And his twig-like stem bent in sorrow.
Next day the little tree was pushed roughly into foreign soil which felt and tasted strange and he was watered yet again. But he felt so ill that he hadn't the energy to raise his head. He gave himself up into the hands of those who had charge of him and his few leaves crumpled and died.
He never knew how long he was dead, for it was difficult to remember. But one day around Easter he became aware of human voices.
"Look!" one voice was saying excitedly. "The little Rowan tree has survived! Throughout all the cold frosts and the snows of winter, despite the excessive rainfall we've had and even though it's so tiny, the little tree has made it! Isn't that great?"
"It's just brilliant!" agreed the other voice. "What a symbol of the friendship between Sweden and England! A little tree which seemed to be dead but which has survived the rigours of a terrible journey followed by an English winter. Now it's beginning to bud and by next year it will be a sapling strong and true. This means that the friendship between our two countries will rise and be strong and true for as long as this tree lives."
And the little tree was so proud of his new green shoots that he turned his face to the sun and determined to grow big and strong and to live forever.
Activity:
You need:
Small Easter Eggs
Coloured card
Coloured pens or crayons
Small fluffy chicks (one for each child)
Glue
Prepare an Easter Egg hunt for the children. Hide small easter eggs around the church and let the children hunt for them during or after the service, making sure that everyone gets at least one egg! If you can, use hollow eggs and explain that they represent the cave where Jesus was buried. When the eggs are opened, there's nothing inside, just as there was nothing inside when the disciples went to the tomb.
Help the children to make Easter cards for their families. On the front they should draw whatever they please to represent Easter, and they should write their greeting in the inside. To make the cards a little more special, glue an Easter chick to the front of each card.
Prayers:
Risen Lord, we pray for all branches of the Christian Church as we all celebrate this wonderful day together. May all our prayers rise in praise and thanks to you.
Risen Lord, bring new life to all those areas of our world which seem dead and hopeless. May this Easter bring new hope, renewed enthusiasm and new opportunities for a better life.
Risen Lord, may we know your renewing spirit within our hearts. As your resurrection heralded new life, so may we as Easter people know newness and resurrection in our lives.
Risen Lord, we pray for all who are ill or facing death. May those who are dying know your risen power and may those who are sick be raised to newness of life. We name them before you...
Blessing:
May the risen Lord pour
His renewing Spirit into you.
May your lives be refreshed
And may you know in your hearts
the glory of God this Eastertide.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Be with you, be in your homes
And in your families,
With those whom you love
And with those for whom you pray,
Both now and always. Amen.
