Let us praise the name of the Lord, for Christ our Lord is risen today! Hallelujah!
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, risen for us, forgive us our sins.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, risen for us, show us new life.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, risen for us, bring us to new birth.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Mark 16:1-8
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. [2] And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. [3] They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" [4] When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. [5] As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. [6] But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. [7] But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." [8] So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Story:
During Spring we are surrounded by examples of new life where during the winter, there appeared to be only deadness. This is a story about Broody, a very unhappy hen - until she discovers new life.
Broody's Chick
Broody was very unhappy. She didn't like her name, but everybody always called her Broody and it had stuck. Broody wasn't like the other hens who were always clucking to each other and gossiping and laying eggs then forgetting about them. Broody never forgot about her eggs. She guarded them as though they were the most precious eggs in the world.
The humans who owned the hens didn't much care for Broody's habits. They seemed to prefer the other hens, although Broody could never understand why. She was the only responsible hen amongst them, yet the humans were always saying, "Oh, that Broody! You'll have to move her off her eggs, or she won't budge! She's no good at all, we ought to get rid of her!"
Broody always shuddered when she heard those words, for she knew what happened to hens who were "got rid of". They ended up de-feathered, trussed and cooked on someone's dinner table. Broody didn't fancy that at all, but even the fear of that couldn't stop her looking after her eggs properly.
But the trouble was, Broody's eggs never hatched. Sometimes they felt hard and cold when she sat on them, and Broody had a faint suspicion that they weren't proper eggs at all, but were used by the humans to trick her. Sometimes she wasn't sure she was sitting on the right eggs, for she often heard a smothered snigger from the other hens, who were only too pleased for Broody to do their work for them.
When other eggs hatched, Broody would bustle over and attempt to care for the newly born chicks. She loved their fluffy yellow feathers and their little squeaky cries. But the chicks only turned to their own mothers, who clucked so loudly at Broody that she always backed off.
One day when Broody was scratching in the dirt and pecking at a few grains of wheat, she caught sight of an egg half hidden in the undergrowth. She had no idea who it belonged to, but there was no-one around, so Broody hurried over and sat on it. Nobody came near, so Broody sat and sat and sat. She didn't get up for food, she didn't get up to roost. She just sat. Broody had no idea how long she sat. It may have been days or it may have been weeks. In the end she grew quite faint from lack of food and water, and quite dizzy from lack of sleep.
In the end, poor Broody became ill and fell off the egg. She lay down in the dirt and prepared to die. But just at that moment there came such a tipping and a tapping from the egg that Broody opened her eyes. As she watched, a bedraggled chick slowly emerged. As Broody's eyes closed for the last time she heard a squeaky chick cry - a cry which was just for her, for Broody herself!
And in that moment Broody knew that the chick really was hers. As Broody died, the chick took on more and more life and became stronger and stronger. And when the chick joined the other hens, people would say to each other in wondering tones, "That new chick! Isn't it just like Broody?"
Activity:
You need:
Mini Easter eggs
A few larger Easter eggs
One
large hollow Easter egg
Before the service, hide the small Easter eggs around the church or room. During the service, explain that eggs remind us of new birth, for out of the egg comes a live chick and these fluffy chicks are symbols of Easter. Remind the children that Jesus came alive again on Easter Day, and it was a bit like a chick emerging from an egg, because Jesus came out of a dark cave or tomb just as a chick comes out of a dark egg. Explain that Easter eggs remind us of Jesus' tomb. Using the large egg, tell the story of Easter and show how when the women came to the tomb it was empty (break open the egg at this point). Explain that the tradition of Easter eggs goes back a long way, but that it is only comparatively recently that chocolate eggs have been used. Either now or after the service, invite the children to hunt for Easter eggs around the church or room, but make sure the younger children can find some as well as the older children.
Diary Time: For details, click here.
Talk to the children about death. Ask if anyone has had a death in the family - a beloved pet, or a grandparent. Ask them about the funeral (they may have buried the pet with suitable solemnity) and ask them what they think happens after that. Talk about resurrection and the fact that Jesus was so well and strong when he was seen after his death, that few people recognised him. Explain that grandmas etc. will be well and strong with Jesus in heaven, but that we will recognise them when we meet them again. Invite the children to write or draw any of this in their diaries.
Intercession:
Risen Lord, fill our church with a spirit of new life this Eastertide that we may begin to expect new ways forward as we follow your bidding. Fill us with your joy and the peace which passes understanding as we rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Risen Lord, when we despair over the state of the world and especially over the violence between different human beings, help us to remember that the whole world is in your hands and that you can find a new resolution of our differences. Remind us that Easter teaches us to hope, and help us to keep that hope always in the front of our minds.
Risen Lord, when things go wrong in our lives and we feel fed up and miserable, help us to see that when we face our situation, good things eventually come out of it, just as for Jesus crucifixion was followed by resurrection.
Risen Lord, we remember today those of our families and friends who have died but who we continue to remember. On this day of resurrection, we hold the memory of them in your presence and thank you that they are safe with you.
Blessing:
May the risen Lord
appear to you this Eastertide
and transform your life.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
