A Place for Children on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

Holy Week is here, and with it the very difficult stories of Jesus’ grace, humility and obedience being met with betrayal, exploitation, bullying, torture and finally, cruel crucifixion. Next week I’ll look at Easter and resurrection, but first we have this dark valley to traverse in the next few days.

Retracing Jesus’ last week is never easy. I thought it would get easier as I got older. The fact that it was all prophesied hundreds of years before, that it all happened as predicted in order for the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world forever, does not take away the sting of the hatred in how it happened.

Many will gather this Thursday evening for a Maundy Thursday service, perhaps around a table to experience a Jewish Seder meal or Communion service, or for a foot washing. Friday morning many will gather to relive the time spanning the Last Supper or perhaps the time from when He was taken by soldiers from Gethsemane and up until the crucifixion. So much happened at the Last Supper that can be explored or used as a theme. By this point, hopefully your worship leaders have it well in hand.

My experience is that, while Good Friday is still a school holiday and Maundy Thursday is typically an evening worship opportunity, few children attend. Whether this is because of the subject matter, that it is often a dreary, language-laden experience, or that the needs of children are rarely considered, those who bring children usually look like they feel out of place. By now, the services are probably planned out and bulletins ready to be printed. What can we do, as people who care about children, to help those who come this Thursday and Friday feel part of what is happening and to experience these Holy days?

If children are expected to stay in the service the entire time, you may want to do one or more of the following:
a) Print off a children’s bulletin or colouring pages related to the scriptures being used for the services. Provide a small bag or box with crayons and hand these out as they arrive.
b) Make sure that any visiting parents know where the washroom and nursery are (people who rarely or never come are far more likely on Easter Sunday, but be ready to welcome guests anyway).
c) If there is a spot in the worship space to the side or back which is open, put out markers and a large piece of mural paper with the outline of large symbols from the service drawn on it (i.e. a chalice and loaf of bread, a basin of water and towel, a cross and crown of thorns, etc.). Invite children to come and contribute to the mural while the service is happening. Have a volunteer or two available to quietly answer questions and to remind them to use walking feet and to help them to take in what is happening.
d) Pull children’s books from classrooms or your church library that tell the events of Holy Week and have them available. Mention where they are to parents as they arrive.
e) Have a few bulletins marked for families, with places inviting participation of all ages highlighted. This will give a heads up to parents of when to make sure their kids are ready to engage with what is happening.

If children have their own program during the service, you may want to:
a) Be sure to connect with families as they arrive to share where and when the program is happening. Take the opportunity to find out any health, diet or other concerns from any new children.
b) Try to provide a variety of experiences to engage the learners, involving different senses and relating to the scriptures for the service:
i. bring fresh baked bread or flatbread and grape juice to try
ii. do a hand washing activity (with a tarp underneath!)
iii. listen to the story from a children’s version of the Bible
iv. make or find a child-size cross or piece of wood and pull it across the room, imagining what it would be like for Jesus to carry it through the streets
v. talk about the words that Jesus said to His disciples and/or on the cross
vi. act out a part of the story, being sensitive to the ages in your group
vii. sing a song known to the group dealing with the theme of the service
viii. play a simple dice game like the soldiers would have played for Jesus’ clothes – talk about how it would have felt to be playing this game in the story, what games are nice to play and which games are not and why
ix. watch a short, child-appropriate video of the story

This week is the most emotionally charged and meaningful week of the Christian calendar. Be ready for your heart to be moved again by what happened, and to help young learners to understand the story and what Jesus did for them. While many aspects of Holy Week will be beyond their comprehension yet, much of it they can understand.

Be ready to welcome and support those who make the effort to bring their children to experience this rich time. Their faith and commitment is something we need to celebrate and affirm. Once Holy Week is over, and before you forget, make note of what worked and what didn’t, how children and youth were invited and intentionally included or not, and how this can be even more meaningful next year.

Walk closely with God as you wait at the cross for the Easter Hallelujahs to come!