Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (2 minutes)

Hi, everyone! This is the final lesson of our Superbook adventure, “He Is Risen!” For the past two lessons, we’ve been learning about Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus had victory over death, and we can have everlasting life because of His victory!

Don’t you just love to worship God? Let’s sing The Salvation Poem, which reminds us how God sent Jesus—His one and only Son—to die on the cross so our sins could be forgiven. As we sing, let’s ask Jesus to forgive us and invite Him into our hearts in a fresh way. If you’ve never invited Jesus into your heart, there is no better time than today!

Play Video 7: (Song) The Salvation Poem (3 minutes)

Be sure to preview the song so you can sing along with the children.

The Salvation Poem

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Have you ever had good news that you just couldn’t wait to share? How did it feel to share it?

As believers in Jesus, we have the very best news to share with others—Jesus died for our sins and rose again from the dead to give us everlasting life! Now that is something to celebrate! That’s exactly what our SuperTruth today says, “I will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and share the Good News with others.”

Introduce Condensed Bible Story Video (1 minute)

If all children watched the Bible story video in a previous lesson, omit it here and go straight to the SuperVerse.

Now for the children who haven’t seen our Bible story yet, we are going to watch a short version of the video. If you’ve already seen it, then this time as you watch, notice how different people reacted as Jesus died and came to life again.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (9 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Joy, Gizmo, Chris, and his mother to ancient Jerusalem. They witness Jesus’ prayer in the garden, His trial before Pontius Pilate, His death on the cross, and finally His glorious resurrection.

Play Video 10C: SuperVerse Graphic 3

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 3

SuperVerse Discussion (2 minutes)

Do you think it is enough to just HEAR stories about Jesus?

No, Jesus wants us to KNOW Him in a deep way, to have a personal relationship with Him. Is it enough to just READ stories about God’s mighty power?

No, we can actually EXPERIENCE His power for ourselves! This is what the Apostle Paul was talking about in today’s SuperVerse, Philippians 3:10a, which says,

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead.

Let’s say it together, and shout the words “know” and “power.” Children repeat verse.

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group.

Introduce Signposts Video (1 minute) 

Now let’s watch our Signposts video to learn how Jesus fulfilled Bible prophecies through His death and resurrection.

Play Video 6: Signposts Video (4.5 minutes)

Signposts Video

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You for sending Your only Son to Earth to sacrifice His life for our sins and to rise again so we can have a wonderful new relationship with You! Help us live for You in all we do. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Today in Small Group, you will practice sharing the Good News with a relay game. Have fun!

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time. 

Game

When Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to Mary Magdalene outside the tomb. What did He tell her to do? Go tell the others that He is alive!

Mary Magdalene quickly obeyed and ran to tell the disciples the Good News—Jesus is alive!

Before Jesus went up to heaven, He met with His disciples and gave them a very important command. He also gave them a wonderful promise! Let’s read what He said in the Bible; see if you can find the command and the promise in these verses

Read Matthew 28:19-20

Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

What command did Jesus give His disciples? “Go and make disciples of all the nations.”

What promise did Jesus give His disciples? “I am with you always.”

Because we are Jesus’ disciples, this command and this promise are for us, today. Jesus is alive, and His Spirit will go with us as we share the Good News with others!

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “I will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and share the Good News with others.” Who can tell me what the Good News is?

The Good News is the Gospel of Jesus Christ—God’s plan of salvation. As followers of Jesus, we are called to tell others the Good News that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again to give us everlasting life!

Let’s play a game about sharing the Good News.

Have one child stand in the middle of the room. Divide the remaining children into four groups. Have each group line up single-file in the four corners of the room, facing the center. Explain the game and begin timing the race. The child in the middle “race-walks” quickly to the first child in the first corner and says, “Jesus is alive—share the Good News!”, then returns to the middle. The child who received the Good News race-walks to the second corner and says, “Jesus is alive—share the Good News!”, then joins the first child in the middle of the room. Play continues until the last child race-walks to the middle and the whole group shouts together, “Jesus is alive—share the Good News!” Stop the time. Play another round and try to beat that time.

Option: for each player or at random times during play, call out different ways to race, such as to hop on one foot, walk backward, skip, etc.; both the player going to the middle and the one sharing the Good News must immediately follow the command. See below for alternate version of game for Grades 1–3.

That was great! You really shared the message quickly! Why do you think we placed you in four corners of the room?

The four corners represent the entire Earth that needs to hear the Good News! Let’s say our SuperTruth again together: “I will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and share the Good News with others.”

OPTIONAL ALTERNATE VERSION FOR GRADES 1–3

Divide the class into four groups. Have each group line up single-file in the four corners of the room, facing the center. Start the race. The first child in the first corner will race by walking as fast as possible to the second corner, hand off the baton to the first child in that line and say, “Here’s the Good News! Go share it with someone else!” The original player then goes to the end of that line. The child who received the baton race-walks to the third corner, and play continues until the last child races to a corner. Stop the time. Play another round and try to beat that time.

Teaching

Someone is knocking on the door! Answer the door and receive the gift box. Be curious and surprised.

That’s interesting! I like surprise gifts. Let’s open it after our Bible story. Set it down beside you to create intrigue.

What does our SuperTruth tell us that we are celebrating today? Jesus’ resurrection.

Yes! We celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after He died on the cross for our sins. Look perplexed.

What are we supposed to do with the Good News—is it an important secret we must keep? Smile. NO! We need to tell others.

That’s right! It definitely isn’t a secret to be kept! Let’s shout the SuperTruth again, in our most excited voices: “I will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and share the Good News with others!”

Let’s review our Bible story, because it is the most important story we will ever hear! God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to Earth to rescue us from our sins. Jesus died on the cross for our sins so we could be forgiven. He was buried in a tomb and was resurrected, which means He came back to life again! That is the Good News—the absolute best news we will ever hear!

This was God’s plan of salvation for us from the beginning of time. Even the smallest detail, like Jesus’ burial, was planned by God! Let’s read what the Prophet Isaiah predicted about Jesus’ death centuries before Jesus was born! Read Isaiah 53:9:

He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man’s grave.

You see, only wealthy people could afford to be buried in a tomb that was carved out of stone. Most people were buried in a grave in the ground. Jesus or His disciples weren’t rich here on Earth, but God provided a wealthy man’s tomb for Jesus, to fulfill His Word! Look over at the box, pick it up and shake it a little.

I can’t wait to see what is in this box! Put the box down.

A large stone was rolled in front of the entrance of the tomb to close it tightly. The leading priests and Pharisees sealed the entrance to the tomb and Roman soldiers stood guard to make sure no one could enter or exit the tomb. But this could not keep Jesus inside! Read Matthew 28:2–4:

Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

Jesus had risen according to God’s plan, just like He promised! That is an amazing story, isn’t it! It’s time to open our gift, but first, let’s see who it is for. Have a child read the gift tag on the box aloud.

It’s for everyone, from Jesus! Unwrap and open the box. Look surprised. 

It looks like it is empty—no wait, there is a small piece of paper inside. Have a child read the piece of paper.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never ever die.” John 11:25–26

This is Jesus’ gift to everyone! Our SuperVerse, Philippians 3:10a, says:

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead.

When we believe in Jesus, we experience His resurrection power in our lives, too. We were once dead in our sin, and now we are made alive in Christ Jesus! That’s why we should go and share the Good News!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Hand out the Cross Pattern to any child who missed the previous lessons.

In our challenge, we have been using these crosses to remind us that we should pray to do God’s will instead of our own will. Jesus submitted to God’s will even when it meant dying. Jesus knew that by His death and resurrection, He would defeat sin and death. This is the Good News we are to share with anyone we can.

Ask children to share what happened as they prayed for God’s will during the past few days, then close with prayer.

Dear Jesus, thank You for dying and then rising again to give us eternal life! Please help us seek Your will in all that we do and share the Good News with others so they can celebrate, too! In Your name we pray, Amen.

SuperVerse

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead.

Have children slowly read aloud Philippians 3:10a from the board.

Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul. He didn’t want to just hear about Jesus; he wanted to know Jesus personally—closely, deeply, intimately. He didn’t want to only hear about God’s mighty power—he wanted to experience it personally. There is a big difference between hearing about something and experiencing something yourself! When we believe in Jesus and our sins are forgiven, we experience the mighty power of God through salvation. We were dead in our sins and received new life in Christ! Today, we celebrate the resurrection and God’s mighty power—let’s share that Good News with others!

Have children face the board with the SuperVerse written on it. Say the SuperVerse aloud a few times. Do the following steps to help children learn the verse:

Erase two words from the verse and ask for volunteers to say the verse.

Replace the missing words and erase four other words. Ask for a volunteer to say the verse.

Replace the missing words and erase six words. Ask for a volunteer to say the verse.

Replace the missing words and erase ten words. Ask for a volunteer to say the verse.

Erase the entire verse. Ask for three volunteers to say the whole verse from memory.

Prayer

We just learned our SuperVerse, Philippians 3:10a. Paul talked about knowing Christ intimately and experiencing His mighty power. Paul didn’t only want this for himself, he wanted all believers to know and experience God’s mighty power! He wrote a prayer about this in Ephesians, which is another book of the Bible.

Read Ephesians 1:19-20:

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

This is what our lesson is about—knowing and celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and sharing the Good News of Jesus’ power and resurrection with others! Before we pray, take a moment to think of one or two people you could share the Good News with. If you can think of more than two people—that’s even better!

Allow some time for thought and silent prayer, then pray aloud:

Dear Jesus, we thank You for Your sacrifice on the cross, and we celebrate Your resurrection from the dead. The best thing we can do to show our thanks is to share the Good News with others so they can know You and the incredible greatness of Your power in their lives. Help us to be bold in sharing Your love with others. In Your name we pray, Amen.

Action Game

I want to read from the Bible about what took place at the tomb of Jesus when Peter and John heard the news of Jesus’ resurrection! This will give you a better understanding of our game. Read John 20:1-10:

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!” Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home.

It sounds like Peter and John had a race to the tomb, doesn’t it? Can you imagine the thoughts going through their minds—could Jesus really be alive? John won the race but he didn’t go into the tomb until later. Peter came in second place, but went into the tomb first! They saw the empty tomb and the burial cloths Jesus had been wrapped in. Now, they finally understood Jesus’ words about His resurrection! In our game today, we are going to be in and out of the tomb like Peter and John.

Have the children line up single file behind one another down the center of the room, facing the leader. Leave as much room as possible between the children. Tell the children that the right side of the line is “In the Tomb” and the left side of the line is “Out of the Tomb.”

The leader shouts a command and ends it with either “In the Tomb” or “Out of the Tomb.” Upon hearing the command, the children jump from one side to the other and do the command. If the children stay on or jump to the wrong side, they must sit out of the game for two commands, and then they may return. Have another leader control when children may return to the game.

Use the commands below or create your own:

• Clap your hands as fast as you can—in the tomb.
• Clap your hands as fast as you can—in the tomb. This is a duplicate command to trick!
• Sit on the floor—out of the tomb.
• Stand up—out of the tomb.
• Jump up and down three times—in the tomb.
• Do five jumping jacks—in the tomb.
• Shout “Christ Is Risen!”—out of the tomb.
• Hop on one foot—in the tomb.
• Wave hello—out of the tomb.
• Touch your toes—out of the tomb.
• Hum a tune—in the tomb.
• Pat your back with both hands—out of the tomb.
• Shout “Celebrate the resurrection!”—in the tomb.
• Spin around two times—out of the tomb.
• Shout “I will share the Good News with others!”—in the tomb.
• Run in place to share the Good News—out of the tomb.

Game options: Play just for fun—no one is removed from play when an error is made. Eliminate players from the game as they err. The last child standing wins.

Origami Craft

Note: This craft is suitable for older children who enjoy origami.

One of the disciples who saw the empty tomb was Peter. He described what Jesus did in a book of the Bible that he wrote.Read 1 Peter 2:24:

He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.

The cross you are about to make represents Jesus’ sacrifice to free us from sin so we can live a life pleasing to God. Jesus not only died for us but rose again to give us new life now and for eternity.

Hand out a cross pattern to each child. If you did not cut out the pattern, have children each cut out their own pattern. Then, children should follow instructions 1–11 in order as they are written on the pattern. Display your model cross and assist children as necessary to complete the craft. Read 1 Corinthians 1:18:

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

The cross represents the power and love of God for us who choose to believe. This cross can serve as a reminder that we have forgiveness through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross and new life and power over sin and death by His resurrection.

Domino Game

Divide the children into two teams. Give each child a domino. Assign each team a table. Have each team place their dominoes in the form of a cross on their table. Have them place the dominoes flat—not standing up—on the table to form a cross similar to the illustration. The dominoes do not have to be perfectly straight! Assist as necessary to align the dominoes correctly. Have both teams line up behind the mark/line.

Great job on making your crosses! We have been talking about Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus died for our sins, but He didn’t stay in the tomb, did He?

Jesus rose again to defeat death and the grave, so we could have new life with Him! That is what we are celebrating today! Read Matthew 28:5–6:

Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen. Come, see where His body was lying.”

In our game today, our dominoes are lying down, but we are going to raise them up again to symbolize the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus! This is what we celebrate today! Are you ready to play?

Start the race. The first player from each team runs to their table and stands up one domino—any domino. The players then run back to the line and the next players take their turns. The first team to raise up their entire cross wins! Remind the children that it gets harder as more dominoes are stood up—with more potential to knock them over or bump the table. Important—each player may only stand up one domino per turn, so when dominoes are accidently knocked over, it will take more turns for that team to raise their cross!

Bible Study

Have Children look up verses in Psalm 22 and then the corresponding verses that fulfill the prophecy in the New Testament. Lead a discussion using the questions below.

1. Psalm 22:1:

My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me? Why are You so far away when I groan for help?

Mark 15:34:

Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?”

• Why do you think Jesus felt abandoned? God had to turn away from the sin that Jesus bore.
• Why didn’t God help Jesus? God’s plan must be completed.

2. Psalm 22:7-8:

Everyone who sees Me mocks Me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, “Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save Him! If the Lord loves Him so much, let the Lord rescue Him!”

   Matthew 27:42-43

“He saved others,” they scoffed, “but He can’t save Himself! So He is the King of Israel, is He? Let Him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in Him! He trusted God, so let God rescue Him now if He wants Him! For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

• Could Jesus have saved Himself? Why or why not?
• How difficult do you think it would be to have Jesus’ power and know you are God’s Son but not save yourself or retaliate?

3. Psalm 22:16:

My enemies surround Me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on Me. They have pierced My hands and feet.

   Luke 24:38–40:

<“Why are you frightened?” He asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at My hands. Look at My feet. You can see that it’s really Me. Touch Me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” As He spoke, He showed them His hands and His feet.

• Jesus was mocked and ridiculed by the angry mob and crowds on His way to the cross and as He was crucified. How do you think He endured this? He loved us so much and wanted to fulfill God’s plan and provide forgiveness.
• What do you think was going through the disciples’ minds at this point? Do you think it would be difficult to see the wounds and know what Jesus had endured for you?

4. Psalm 22:18:

They divide My garments among themselves and throw dice for My clothing.

   Matthew 27:35:

After they had nailed Him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for His clothes by throwing dice.

• Isn’t it amazing, all the details that had been prophesied and then fulfilled by Jesus? What does this say about God and His plan and His Word? It all comes to pass, God’s Word is truth, God has the power to accomplish and work through anyone, He has the power to accomplish anything He wills.
• What did the soldiers do in this verse? Why do you think they would want to keep His clothes?

Remind children that David’s Psalm was written over a thousand years before Jesus’ crucifixion took place! Emphasize to children that Jesus endured all the suffering and pain to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for us!