Holy Week - Day Three (Tuesday)

Tuesday (Parables and Teaching)

Prophecy: “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old” (Psalm 78:2).

Scripture Reading: (Spread these readings over the next two days) Matthew 21:19 thru Matthew 26:16; Mark 11:20-14; Luke 20:1 thru Luke 22:6; John 12:37-50

The Prodigal Son

Specific Parables and Teachings:

• Question of Authority: Matthew 21:23-27
• Parable of the Two Sons: Matthew 21:28-32
• Parable of the Wicked Husbandman: Matthew 21:33-46
• Tribute to Caesar: Matthew 22:15-22
• The Great Commandment: Matthew 22:34-46
• Condemnation of Hypocrisy and Lament over Jerusalem: Matthew 23
• The Widow’s Mite: Mark 12: 41-44
• Parable of the Ten Virgins: Matthew 25:1-13
• Parable of the Entrusted Talents: Matthew 25:14-30
• Parable of the Final Judgment: Matthew 25:31-46

Family Discussion: Discuss the definition of the word “parable” and why Jesus used parables as a teaching method (See Bible Dictionary, “Parables,” 740-41; Jesus the Christ, Chp 19, “He Spake Many Things Unto Them In Parables”).

Suggested Activities:

• Read “Sharing Time: TheAtonement,” Friend, Mar. 1989, 39. By Laurel Rohlfing. 
• Read Stephen E. Robinson's "Parable of the Bicycle"Ensign, May 1992, 5-9.
• Act out a parable. Wear costumes, use props, and record it so the children can view it later.
• Make Oil Lamps to use when discussing the Parable of the Ten Virgins

Instructions: Clay Lamps

1. Mold pottery clay or Sculpy into a shallow, watertight bowl with a solid, flat bottom. You can coil a thin "snake" of clay around itself several times to form the bowl shape; or you can use your fingers to flatten and pinch a ball of clay into the bowl shape.

2. Pinch together a small section of the bowl's upper lip to form a small spout, like that on a teapot, just wider than the wick you plan to use. This the wick channel

3. Dry the bowl in the sun or according to the package instructions.

4. After the lamp has thoroughly dried, wedge a string of candlewick into the wick channel so that about one inch of the wick sticks out above the bowl and the rest of it is coiled in the bottom of the bowl. (If using Sculpy, line the spout opening with a generous amount of tin foil before wedging the wick in place. This will prevent the clay from melting).

5. Fill the bowl with oil and wait for the oil to soak up the length of the wick.

6. Light the wick.

Instructions: Lamp Wicking

* Wicks can be made in a variety of ways. Use a 1/4 - 1/2 inch strip of cotton (a cut up terrycloth rag would work) or woolen cloth as the wick. Twisted cotton, wool fibers, and lengths of 100% jute twine make fine wicks. You can even make an adequate wick out of a twisted napkin. Candle wicking can also be purchased from craft stores.

Other Scriptures you may want to use:

Matt 21:18-22 On His way back to Jerusalem Jesus cursed the barren fig tree (Bible Dictionary p. 674 Fig tree)Matt 21:23-46 Chief priests challenged Jesus’ authority. He rebuked them.
Mattt 21:28-22:14 Parable of the two sons, the wicked husbandman, and the marriage of the king’s son.
Matt 22:15-16 Enemies tried to trap Jesus in His words. He answered their questions about Roman taxes, marriage and the Resurrection, and the great commandment ( BD p.628 Caesar p.701-2 Herodias p.767 Sadducees)
Mark 12:41, 44 At the temple treasury Jesus notice a widow donating a mite (BD p. 733-34 Mite)Matt 23:1-36 Jesus warned the multitude about hypocrisy (BD p.770 Scribe)
Matt 23:37-39 Jesus lamented over Jerusalem
Matt 24-25 Joseph Smith Matt 1 At the Mount of Olives Jesus taught His disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem and the signs of His Second Coming. (BD p.633 Christ p.648 Coming of Jesus Christ)
Matt 25 Parable of ten virgins, talents, and the sheep and the goats (BD p.788-89 Weights and Measures)

* Check out these links from sugardoodle.com for some different ideas for your Easter Week celebration (link one, link two, link three).

Holy Week - Day Two (Monday)

Monday (Cleansing the Temple)

Note: I am posting these a few days ahead of the actual date just in case you want to use the activities in your home for Holy Week!

Prophecy: "Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine alter; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people" - Isaiah 56:7

Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:12-18; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48

Family Discussion: Given Jesus' action in the temple, discuss how he would feel in your own family's home? How might he cleanse it? As a family, choose one way to purify your home and make that your goal for the week.

Suggested Activities:

• Because my kids are young, I love acting things out. On a small table I put play money (from a board game) and play coins. Underneath the table I had the boys gather their stuffed animals. I then showed them a picture of Herod's Temple

• We then talked about what Jesus did at the temple:

Early the next morning Jesus went again to the temple and made a decisive thrust calculated to challenge the Jewish religious leadership. He drove from the outer court area of the temple those who were trading and making money exchange from foreign currency. The money exchange was apparently sanctioned by the Jewish leaders; and by preventing the merchandising, Jesus was in effect challenging their leadership. The issue was clear: Was the temple to be a place of worship of God or of pursuit of gain? As he cleared the temple courts, he said, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:13.)

Again that evening Jesus returned to Bethany.

• We then acted out what happened when Jesus got to the temple. I had the boys come and exchange their money and then they could use the coins to buy an animal for the Passover sacrifice. Then while they were exchanging things, Ryan came out and throw over the table and repeated the words that Jesus had said to those in the temple. I used Gospel Art Kit Picture #224 and paraphrased what was written on the back.

P.S. Most of these activities come from the fabulous book - "A Christ-Centered Easter: Day-by-Day Activities to Celebrate Easter Week" by Janet and Joe Hales.

Happy Cleaning Day to you,

Holy Week - Day One (Palm Sunday)

Easter is by far my favorite holiday! Each year we celebrate Holy Week as a family and have activities that correspond with what Jesus did that last week of His mortal life. Most of these activities come from the fabulous book - "A Christ-Centered Easter: Day-by-Day Activities to Celebrate Easter Week" by Janet and Joe Hales. I would also highly recommend the book titled "God So Loved The World: The Final Days Of The Savior's Life" by Eric D. Huntsman. 

"There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection." - Gordon B. Hinckley 

So here is what we do on Palm Sunday (this year Palm Sunday is on April 1st - no fooling):

Palm Sunday (Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem)

Prophecy: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, they King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass" - Zechariah 9:9

Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12=36

Family Discussion: Discuss the symbolism of using palm branches to usher the Lord into Jerusalem (see this story from the Friend). There is also some great information from the April 2009 Ensign - see the section on "The Triumphal entry into Jerusalem (click here).

Suggested Activities (pick any of these activities):

• Begin your Easter week with a "LOA" (Love One Another) table or wall. Cover a table or wall with poster board or butcher paper. Encourage everone to write complimentary notes to each other on the poster throughout the week. Read the comments aloud on Easter Sunday.
• Make palm leaves out of cardstock. Re-enact Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem. While someone reads from the New Testament (see the Scripture Reading above) you can act out what it must have been like. Then discuss the story from the Friend (link above: "Exploring Palms for the Lord")
• Go on a nature walk with your children. Instruct them to find a variety of objects that are significant to the Easter story. For example, find a branch to signify the palm branches thrust at Jesus' feet as he rode a donkey into Jerusalem; a thorn to represent the crown of thorns Jesus wore on his head; a piece of wood to signify the cross to which Jesus was nailed; a rock to represent the stone that rolled away from the open tomb, etc...
• Create your own Palm Sunday activity

Happy Celebrating to You,