Main Verse:

Matthew 28:6 NLT He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.

Additional Verses:

John 19:38-42

Materials Needed:

• Crescent roll dough (Enough for each person to have one roll)
• Melted butter
• Cinnamon sugar
• Marshmallows (enough for each person to have one)
• Small paper plates (one for each person)
• Bowls for butter & cinnamon sugar mix 
• Oven
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment paper for easy clean up
• Hand wipes
• Table 

Preparation:

Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.  Have the kids wash their hands before you begin.  If you don’t have access to a sink, provide hand wipes.  Hand wipes will also be helpful after they have assembled their “tomb” as well as after they eat it, as hands will be sticky.  Melt the butter on a stove or in a microwave ahead of time.  Depending on the number of children, you may want to have a few bowls of butter and a few bowls of cinnamon sugar so everyone can work at the same time.  

Object Lesson:

Happy Easter!  What do we celebrate at Easter time?  Do we celebrate the Easter Bunny?  Is he the reason that we have Easter?  No.  We celebrate Easter because Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  When Jesus died, His friends were very sad because they loved Him so much.  They did not expect to see Him again.  Some of Jesus’ followers wanted to honor Jesus so they took His body and prepared it to be buried.  They took spices and perfume and they put it over His body and they wrapped Him up in fabric.  Then they laid Him in a tomb that was made out of rock.  But He didn’t stay dead for long!  Does anyone know how long Jesus was dead for?  That’s right he was dead for three days.  But on Sunday morning, a miracle happened.  Jesus’ friends went to the tomb and found that He was not there.  He had risen from the dead.  

We are going to make a sweet treat to remind us that Jesus is alive.  (Give everyone a crescent roll on their plate.)  This is a piece of dough that will represent the tomb where Jesus was buried.  (Give everyone a marshmallow).  We are going to pretend this marshmallow is Jesus’ body and we are going to get it ready to be buried.  Let’s roll it in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar.  This is like the spices that they put on Jesus’ body.  Now let’s put his body in the tomb (help the children roll them up snugly into a ball.  Press all of the seams tightly so they don’t explode too much).  

Bake the rolls according to the package instructions.

(Hand out the baked rolls).  Let’s break them open and see if Jesus is still in there.  (Break one open).  He is not here.  He is risen.  

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