Saying Sorry Action: Option 1

➜Action: placing a battery tealight or paper star on a piece of dark fabric

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For alternative actions that can be used during any unit at any time of year, see Saying Sorry Actions: Options 2, 3 and 4 on pp. 40–2 of Book 1.

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Saying Sorry Action: Option 1

Action: bursting out of a ‘dark cave’

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When we do things that make God or other people sad,

it can make us feel like we’re in a dark cave.

Let’s curl up in a ball as if we’re inside a dark cave

feeling sad and lost.

Lead the children in curling up on the floor, or crouching.

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Jesus’ love is stronger than the dark!

Jesus burst out from the dark cave!

We can burst from OUR dark caves with Jesus.

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After 3, let’s get ready to burst out of our cave with Jesus.

Let’s jump and shout, ‘Alleluia! God gives me a new start!’

1, 2, 3 . . . Lead the children in jumping up with hands in the air

Alleluia! God gives me a new start!

 

Saying Sorry Action: Option 2

Action: dipping finger in water and drawing a cross on forehead

This option is particularly appropriate for churches that use sprinkling with water (‘asperges’) during Easter.

If relevant, it’s particularly appropriate to use the same water that will be used in your main church service.

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If there’s an older child present who is unlikely to spill the water you could invite her or him to take the water around the circle when indicated. You may wish to ask more than one child to take bowls around the circle, going opposite ways or starting at different points in the circle. Alternatively take a bowl around yourself and/or ask adults to help.

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At Easter, we remember our baptism!

The special moment when we promised to follow Jesus

and to love everyone as Jesus loves.

We sprinkle everyone with water

to help us remember when water was sprinkled on our head.

Mime sprinkling water.

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If appropriate (adapt accordingly):

Did you see the water being sprinkled in church?

Or: Right now the adults are being sprinkled with water!

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Name is going to bring this bowl of water around.

If you like, you can dip your finger into it show finger

and draw a cross on your forehead. Demonstrate.

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Let’s remember our baptism

and our promise to follow Jesus.

If you haven’t been baptized,

you could ask God

to help you get ready for baptism.

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While this takes place, lead the group in either:

Option 1: singing the ‘I’m sorry’ refrain, or

Option 2: humming the first two lines of the ‘We need a new start’ song, followed by singing the refrain ‘We’re sorry, we’re sorry. We need a new start’.

 

When the group is ready:

The Good News is:

God always wants to give us a new start!

After 3, let’s shout, ‘God gives us a new start!’

1, 2, 3: God gives us a new start!

Let’s use our new start to follow Jesus.

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Saying Sorry Action: Option 3

Action: placing coloured tissue paper on a cross (on a tray if it will be carried around the group) or an Easter Garden (see Book 2,  p. 149)

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Invite two children to give out pieces of coloured tissue paper.

Name and Name are going to bring around some paper.

If you like, you can take a piece and hold it in the air

to show that there are things that you wish you hadn’t done.

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As the paper is given out, lead the group in either

Option 1: singing the ‘I’m sorry’ refrain, or

Option 2: humming the first two lines of the ‘We need a new start’ song, followed by singing the refrain ‘We’re sorry, we’re sorry. We need a new start’.

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When the group is ready:

When we do things that make God or other people sad,

it can make us feel sad and cross inside.

Let’s crumple our paper up to show how we can feel

when we know we’ve made someone feel sad.

Let’s put our feelings into the paper.

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Jesus’ love was stronger than either the dark cave or the cross,

and stronger than every wrong thing.

Jesus’ love is so strong that it can change

even dark things into beautiful things.

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As we sing, let’s give our paper and feelings to God.

Let’s put it on either our empty cave or our cross.

As leader, place your paper on the garden/cross as an example.

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Look! The paper looks like little flowers

springing up to new life.

Let’s watch God’s love changing

either the dark cave

or the cross

into something beautiful with our sorries.

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Lead the group in singing again as the paper is placed. Some groups may like to ask two children to take the cross or garden around the group as you sing so the other children can stay in their places. Once the paper has been collected, the cross or garden can then be placed in the centre of the circle.

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When the group is ready:

Look at our beautiful garden/cross!

After 3, let’s shout:

 ‘Alleluia! Hands raised God gives me a new start!

1, 2, 3 . . . Alleluia! Hands raised God gives me a new start!

 

Saying Sorry Action: Option 4

Action: sunbathing in God’s love

Optional:

Song: ‘Alleluia! Jesus Christ, the Son, is ris’n!’

Words: © Sharon Moughtin-Mumby

Tune: ‘If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands’ (traditional).

 

 

There is a uniquely English traditional wordplay on the ‘Son rising’ and the ‘sun rising’ on Easter Day that’s worth celebrating!

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When we do things that make God or other people sad,

it can make us feel dark inside,

like the sun’s stopped shining.

Let’s close our eyes and feel the dark.

Lead the children in closing eyes for a moment.

  

On Easter Day, Jesus ‘rose’,

like the sun ‘rises’ in the morning!

Let’s open our eyes and show the light of God’s love

rising like the sun.

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Let’s crouch down low . . .

Lead the children in crouching down.

Let’s show the sun coming up and up and out . . .

in the morning:

lead the children in showing the sun rising with your hands as you stand up: holding hands together in front of your chest then reaching up and out

up, and up, and out!

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Now let’s hold our faces up to the sun

and imagine God’s love,

warm and bright,

shining on our face and body,

and all over us like the warm sun!

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Let’s hold our arms out.

Lead the children in holding arms forwards with hands up.

Imagine sunbathing in the warm light of God!

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Optional:

Lead the children in singing:

Alleluia! Jesus Christ, the Son, is ris’n!

Alleluia! Jesus Christ, the Son, is ris’n!

And God’s love will shine on us!

God’s love will shine on us!

Alleluia! Jesus Christ, the Son, is ris’n!

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When learning this song for the first time, you could teach it ‘my turn’, ‘your turn’ first.

Let’s learn a song about sunbathing in God’s love!

 

Saying Sorry Action: Option 5

Action: placing small ‘x’ shapes on a cross or Easter Garden (see Book 2, p. 149)

For groups with school-aged children, who might be familiar with the idea of an ‘x’ and ‘getting it wrong’.

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Sometimes it can feel like we’ve got it wrong.

Name and Name are going to bring around a basket of ‘x’s

as we sing.

If you like, you can take an ‘x’ shape

and hold it up to show

you know you’ve got some things wrong.

Model holding up the ‘x’ show it looks like an ‘x’

(and not Jesus’ cross).

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As the crosses are given out, lead the group holding up their ‘x’ and either

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Option 1: singing the ‘I’m sorry’ refrain, or

Option 2: humming the first two lines of the ‘We need a new start’ song, followed by singing the refrain ‘We’re sorry, we’re sorry. We need a new start’.

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When the group is ready:

We all do things that are wrong.

When Jesus died,

he took all our wrong things onto HIS cross.

Jesus’ cross is our cross as well.

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Let’s turn our ‘x’ shapes around . . .

Lead the children in turning the ‘x’ shape around to look like a † shape.

Look! They look like Jesus’ cross!

Let’s give our ‘x’s to Jesus

and make his cross into our cross too.

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Lead the group in singing again as the crosses are placed on either your Easter Garden next to Jesus’ cross, or onto a larger cross. Some groups may like to ask two children to carry the garden or cross around the circle on a tray to collect the little crosses. The garden/cross can then be placed in the centre of the circle.

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When the group is ready:

If we give our cross to Jesus,

the dark cave becomes our dark cave too!

Let’s curl up in the dark cave with Jesus.

Lead the children in curling up on the floor.

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After 3, let’s burst out of the cave with Jesus.

Let’s shout, ‘Alleluia! Hands raised God gives me a new start!’

1, 2, 3: Alleluia! God gives me a new start!