Walk with Faith
Holy Week
Faith is our strong belief in the teachings of religion and as scouts we each strive to strengthen and develop our faith as we build our relationship with God. A journey, a walk with faith is our aim for each day that we are blessed to have life. This ‘Walk with Faith’ is a journey taken by many Christians all over the world as they recognise the life, suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
ScoutsTT encourages you to embark on this journey, making it a personal one as we ponder and engulf ourselves in the story of Jesus starting from Palm Sunday, all the way to Easter Sunday. Each day is one filled with mystery, adventure, betrayal and so much more as we encourage you to take part in the activities each day, driving you closer and closer to the excitement of New Life and New Beginning that the Resurrection promises each and every one of us. So, I encourage you, make that promise, just as you do with our own Scout Promise, to do your duty to God.
Holy Week is the last week of Lent. It starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Glorious Saturday. This week commemorates the last days of Jesus’ life on Earth.
Daily Activities:
Activity 1
Using a bible or bible app, read the readings for each day and do your section’s relevant activity in the boxes provided for each day. Read it with your family or friends and discuss their thoughts on the readings. Remember to take time to reflect on each story, be creative and have fun. Feel free to share your pieces with us on our Facebook (@ttScouts) and Instagram Pages (@ScoutsTT).
Cubs: Do a drawing
Scouts: Do a poem (6-10 lines)
V/Scouts & Rovers: Give a reflective summary
Activity 2
Go to your place of worship (at least 1 day during the week) and engage in the celebration.
Write an introduction about what you saw, heard and felt. Ensure to include the activity for your relevant section.
Cubs: Do a drawing
Scouts: Do a poem (can be 6-10 lines)
V/Scouts & Rovers: Give a reflective summary
Daily Reflections
Palm Sunday
Day 1
Reading – Mark 11:1-10
Celebrations honouring Jesus Christ’s victorious entry into Jerusalem. He entered on a donkey, people laid their coats on the ground and waved olive branches singing ‘HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST’, as he passed by. Churches enact the procession where palm branches are blessed and members walk waving and singing praises with them. Crosses are made with them and are placed in homes and cars.
Reflection
- What does Holy Week represent?
- Why is Palm Sunday celebrated?
- Can you make a cross with your own palm branch?
Activity
Cubs: Have your own procession at home, waving palms and giving praise to God.
Scouts: What can you do to praise God in your daily life? Why is praising God important?
V/Scouts & Rovers: What is the significance of the elements in Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (donkey, olive branches etc.)?
Holy Monday
Day 2
Reading – Matthew 21: 12-13
Jesus and his disciples go to the temple and Jesus turns over the tales, since the people were selling rather than praying.
Reflection
- Do I go to church as often as I should?
- When I do go to church, do I pray and engage in the service/mass?
Make a promise to God, to actively make an effort to pray and engage in service/mass more.
Holy Tuesday
Day 3
Reading – Mark 11: 15-19 & 28-31
Jesus returns to the temple and teaches the people many things with parables (stories) and gives the people a new commandment, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’
Reflection
- Do I show love, by reconciling / helping those who have wronged against me?
- How can your show love for your neighbour (friends, family, fellow man)?
Holy Thursday
Day 5
Reading – Mark 14: 22-25 & 32-45
Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. He has the Last Supper which is the Institution of the Eucharist and also the First Mass. They go to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he asks them to stay and watch as he prays, but they fall asleep. Soldiers came and arrest Jesus.
Reflection
- Do you get tired or distracted whilst praying?
- Have you tried asking God to be with you and give you the strength to stay awake with Him?
Activity
Cubs: Wash/ Massage the feet of your siblings and/or parents. Why do you think Jesus saw it necessary to wash the feet of His friends?
Scouts: What characteristics can be seen in someone that serves others? Discuss with family or friends, what can you do and write down key points from your discussion. Demonstrate how you are going to serve others in this time of quarantine.
V/Scouts & Rovers: Prepare a meal for your family using the example of the Seder Supper. Light a candle and find a scared spot to pray and spend time with Jesus.
Good Friday
Day 6
Reading – Mark 15: 17-37
Jesus is beaten and tried before Pilot. We remember the crucifixion of Jesus, the day He died. It is a solemn day where He made a sacrifice for us. He was placed on a cross between two thieves on Calvary. Christians venerate (reverently kneel, bow, kiss and touch) the cross on this day as a symbol of devotion.
Reflection
- Do you know that Jesus suffered and died for you?
- Do you understand what Jesus’ sacrifice means for you?
- Do you know what the cross represents?
Activity
Cubs: Create a cross out of materials at home. On sticky notes, write something you need forgiveness for or something you need help with and stick it to the bottom of the cross. This represents us giving our mistakes and shortcomings to Jesus on the cross. At 12 noon, take a drawing / picture of Jesus and place it on the cross, representing Jesus being nailed and killed on the cross.
Scouts: Discuss with your family, what is the Stations of the Cross. You’ll need crumbled charcoal briquettes in a large bowl and a clean white cloth to use as an altar cloth.
In a moment of silence, reflect on the fact that Jesus died at 3:00 p.m. on Good Friday and that time is approaching. Read Matthew 27:33-50. Say, “Jesus died for our sins-all those ugly things we do. The Bible says that every single person has sinned against God. Sin makes us dirty; only Jesus can clean our sins.”
Place your hands in the charcoal bowl saying, “Our sins make us dirty before God.” Now walk to a clean white cloth and placing your hand prints on the cloth. Then wash your hands in a basin of warm soapy water, dry them and say, “Jesus died for us to make us clean before God”.
After every child has participated, say, “It’s a sad thing that Jesus had to die, but we know that we’d never have eternal life if Jesus hadn’t died. We can have hope and joy because Jesus didn’t stay in the grave; he came back to life on Easter Sunday! Let’s celebrate!”
V/Scouts & Rovers: Along with family and/or friends, take a reflective walk, pondering the Stations of the Cross.
Glorious Saturday
Day 7
Reading – Mark 15: 42-47
A day of sadness, Jesus is lying in a tomb. Soldiers are guarding it. Holy Saturday evening is considered ‘The Vigil’ and Easter celebrations can begin, as Jesus will soon no longer be in the tomb.
Reflection
- How do you feel knowing that Jesus is now laying in a tomb?
- Are there moments in your life where you feel you are in that tomb (feelings of death and hopelessness)?
Activity
Cubs: Ensure this activity is being supervised by your parents.
Supplies:
- 8-ounce clear cups
- Distilled white vinegar
- Baking soda
- Measuring cup and spoon
- Gummy worms
- Sharp knife and fork
- Cutting board
- Music player and worship music
Ahead of time, cut each gummy worm into four lengthwise pieces. Stand around a table looking at a small cup of water with a gummy worm in it. Say: “When Jesus died, his followers shed many tears”. Put one cup of warm water into a clear cup to represent the tears.
Say: They wrapped him in white burial cloth. Stir three tablespoons of baking soda into the water to represent the white burial cloth.
Say: “They put Jesus’ body in a tomb”. Place four gummy worm pieces into the baking soda mixture. Say: “Jesus’ followers didn’t know it, but Jesus would come back to life three days later. These candies are going to come to life, too, but we have to wait like Jesus’ followers did”. Place the cup aside for 15 minutes while the gummy worm pieces soak in the mixture. Lead the children in singing several worship songs while they wait.
Say: “On Sunday, the women went to Jesus’ tomb with the spices and ointment they’d prepared to anoint Jesus’ body”. Then pour vinegar into another cup. Say: “But when they arrived, he wasn’t there.” Use a fork to fish the gummy worms out of the baking soda mixture, and drop them into the cup of vinegar along with ¼ teaspoon of the baking soda from the water/baking soda mixture.
Then say: “Jesus had risen”! Have kids wait and watch as the worms begin to rise and dance in the vinegar. When the worms stop dancing, you can get them to dance again by adding another pinch of baking soda.
Ask: “What did you think about what happened to the worms? What do you think about what happened to Jesus on Easter Sunday? How can you live in a way that shows that you’re alive in Jesus, too?”
Scouts: You’ll need three clear cups. Fill the first cup with blue water. When Jesus died, his followers were blue with sadness. (Blue symbolizes Jesus’ death). Fill the third cup with yellow water. Fold two absorbent paper towels into fourths, and connect the cups with paper towels as shown.
But on Sunday morning, they found he was alive! (Yellow symbolizes Jesus’ resurrection). The colored water travels through the paper towels, filling the center cup with green water. Jesus’ death and resurrection gives us life! (Green symbolizes life for us.)
V/Scouts & Rovers: Spend some time preparing for ‘leaving the tomb’, a time of new life. Clean a room at home, reflect on ways you can actively be a better person or even practice some self-care.
Say: Jesus’ followers surely felt that they were in a shadow on the day after Jesus’ death, but hope remained.
Choose a word that can remind you of the hope you have in Jesus, such as love, hope, or forgiven. Draw the word in bubble letters on a poster board and cut it out (see the photo).
Stand in front of a bright light holding the poster as shown to create a shadow. Take a photo of your shadow. Share your photo on social media, reminding others that hope always remains in Jesus.
Easter Sunday
Day 8
Reading – Mark 16: 1-6
The Good News, Jesus is risen! Jesus’ friends went to the tomb and found that the stone was rolled away. A man in white who was standing there, told them that he has risen.
Reflection
- How do you feel that after this long journey, that Jesus has risen?
- What do you think the Resurrection means for you?
- What can you do as person living in the Resurrection?
Activity
Cubs: Make a sign in your front yard displaying your celebration of the Good News of Jesus’ Resurrection. You may write “He is risen!” with a sunburst or an empty tomb or write “Jesus lives!” with a large lily.
Scouts: Using old newspapers, make a wheel that depicts the Holy Week and what each day represents.
V/Scouts & Rovers: Take pictures of the sunrise. Using an editing software (Paint, Photoshop, Canva etc), design an image depicting what Easter Sunday means to you.
