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.

Good Friday - April 3, 2026 – Reaching Destination

John 19:28-30, New International Reader's Version

Jesus Dies

28 Later, Jesus knew that everything had now been finished. He also knew that what Scripture said must come true. So he said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar of wine vinegar was there. So they soaked a sponge in it. They put the sponge on the stem of a hyssop plant. Then they lifted it up to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰ After Jesus drank he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and died.

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: Nail (Use the template from the Holy Week House Party resource. You can have additional copies for each child.)

Message:

(Hold up the nail cutout so everyone can see it.)

Tonight is a special and serious night. It’s called Good Friday. This is the day we remember Jesus and what happened to him on the cross. A long time ago, Jesus was on a cross, and it was extremely hard for him. He felt alone.

Some of his closest friends were afraid. They told people they didn’t know him. One of his friends, Judas, even turned him in to the authorities. The two robbers on the crosses next to him made fun of him, and the soldiers who had hammered the nails into his hands and feet were mocking him too. Even some of the people standing and looking up at him laughed.

And worst of all, Jesus felt like God had gone away. He felt that God was hiding from him. Have you ever felt all alone? Maybe someone let you down, or made fun of you, or you just felt sad and like God was far away? (Pause for responses.) That’s how Jesus felt on the cross.

But then, even while he was hanging there, Jesus looked down at the people around him. He saw some of his friends, his disciples, and his mother and other women who had been with him through his ministry. And he loved them. He remembered why he was there. All the pain and suffering he was going through; he was doing it for them… and for you too. He wanted everyone who turned to him and asked for forgiveness to be forgiven.

Jesus hung on the cross all day long. Late in the afternoon, after taking a drink, he said, “It is finished.” That meant the work of saving the world was done.

I wonder … when you feel alone or sad, do you remember Jesus? Because of what he went through on Good Friday, Jesus knows just how you feel.

Do you know how to sign “I love you” in sign language? Watch me. (Demonstrate as you verbally give directions.) To sign “I love you,” first point your thumb and index finger to form an L, then lift your little finger, and keep your middle and ring fingers against your palm. Then you point your hand toward the person you are talking to. (Demonstrate slowly.)

There’s also a sign in American Sign Language for Jesus. We do it by pointing to the palms of our hands. Why do you think we point to our palms? (Pause for responses.) Yes! That’s right, the palms remind us of the nails that were placed in Jesus’ hands on the cross. The sign for Jesus is a reminder of the love and sacrifice he showed for all of us.

Where have you seen crosses before? (Pause for responses such as necklaces, earrings, stained glass windows, church signs, etc.) The cross is very important. It helps us remember what Jesus came to do. It reminds us of the nails, the suffering, and the love he showed for everyone.

Over the next few days, you can talk with your family or friends about nails and the cross. You can tell them what Jesus did for us and how we can remember his love and forgiveness. Without the nails and the cross, we wouldn’t know what it means to be fully forgiven. But because of Jesus, we have hope—hope for eternal life, life that never ends, in heaven with him.

Hold your nail cutout tightly. Whenever you see it, remember the story of Jesus’ love, his suffering, and the hope we have because of him.

Let’s pray together. Fold your hands, close your eyes, or kneel if you like.

Prayer: God, every time I see a nail, remind me of the pain and sorrow that Jesus went through to save us. Thank you for giving us hope and the promise of eternal life in heaven. Help me remember Jesus’ love and share it with others. Amen.