INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the roller coaster we call Holy Week. We begin with a parade and then attend a dinner party that is followed by a trial and condemnation, an execution, and a burial. Then, there is an unimaginable surprise. Whew. Hold on to your hats. Even though we have been here before, we make this journey because he made this journey for us. We watch and we listen, and we follow at a distance because that is the best we can do. We shout and we sing; we weep, and we rejoice, because to make this journey is to embrace being alive with all the passion and the promise life offers. We make this journey because, once again, we need to learn how to begin again. Join us for the end and the beginning.

We hope this Holy Week and Easter Season will be new and different for your family. This year, we have provided a Holy Week House Party family resource to help families celebrate an Easter egg hunt or observe Holy Week activities in their homes and communities. The following children’s messages are designed to enable families to continue conversations around the events that led to Easter morning. We applaud families that take the opportunity to share the stories of Holy Week and Easter together and are excited that we can support our church family.

Download Holy Week House Party 2026 (PDF)

The Holy Week House Party activities may be used in various ways. They could be done throughout Holy Week or in their entirety on Easter Sunday. It is recommended that families use the Holy Week House Party resource in combination with Discipleship Ministries’ worship resources, “Journey’s End/A New Start,” for Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter Sunday worship. This resource also contains a downloadable rearview mirror hanger (in English and Spanish) to create family conversations around the events of Holy Week while spending time together in the car or van.

Holy Saturday

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

Jesus Is Buried

57 As evening approached, a rich man came from the town of Arimathea. His name was Joseph. He had become a follower of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60 He 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. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there across from the tomb.

Bible verses are from the https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Readers-Version-NIRV-Bible/New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by http://www.biblica.com/Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Object: Dark cloth to suggest the stillness of this day.

Message:

Have any of you played a game called “Red Light–Green Light”? I love this game because it helps us learn how to move our bodies, and it teaches us how to pause, wait, and think before we move.

Let’s play a quick game together! I’m going to need three volunteers. Let’s try to pick some adults who haven’t played in a while, so everyone gets to just watch and enjoy. (Select three adults to play.)

Here’s how we’ll play. The players will line up, side by side, at one end of our space, and I will be the “caller.” To keep everyone safe, let’s move slowly, like we’re in slow motion.

When I say, “Green Light,” the players move toward me by walking or running slowly. When I say, “Red Light,” everyone must stop and freeze immediately. We’ll keep calling “Green Light” and “Red Light” until one person reaches me. Normally, that person would be the next caller, but today we’ll play just once.

Okay, are you ready? “Green Light!” (Let the players move slowly.) “Red Light! Freeze!” (Pause and observe.) “Green Light!” Move slowly. “Red Light!” Stop! Wonderful job!

Wasn’t that fun? Look at how carefully everyone moved and stopped. We had to pay attention, think, and control our bodies.

Now let’s imagine something different. (Place a dark cloth on the ground and sit with the children.) Today’s Bible story is about a day when everything was very, very still. After Jesus was buried, the stone was rolled in front of the tomb. People who loved him were standing and sitting quietly. There was not much movement, not much noise… everything was still.

Holy Saturday is a day of waiting. I wonder… how do you think the people felt as they looked at the closed tomb? (Pause for answers.) Maybe they felt sad; maybe they felt confused; maybe they were hoping for something wonderful to happen.

Do you have a favorite stuffed animal? (Pause.) Have you ever lost it, maybe because it got old or torn? How did you feel when it was gone? (Allow a child to share.) Sometimes, when we are hoping for something, it’s really hard to sit quietly and wait.

Today, we are going to practice waiting and hoping together. Can you close your eyes, breathe slowly, and imagine waiting for something wonderful to happen? Maybe it’s like waiting for the sun to rise or waiting for a surprise from someone you love.

Let’s pray together while we sit in this stillness:

Prayer: God, it is hard for us to sit still and wait. Today, we remember the waiting and the hope we have in Jesus. Even in our sadness, we trust in Jesus for a new day of joy. Help us remember that your love can bring us out of our fears and sadness. We put our hope in your Son, Jesus. Amen.

(Sit quietly for a few moments, allowing the children to reflect on the stillness and hope of Holy Saturday.)