I thought you might like to read the script I wrote to start our Easter Journey. For once I actually wrote it word for word - although I didn't read it every time, but it meant that we got all the actions in!!

So-

Once upon a time – actually you know it wasn’t once upon a time – this isn’t a fairy story! This really happened!

About 2000 years ago – give or take a few – there was a great teacher called Jesus. You have probably heard of Him – we have been into school and told you lots of things that have happened in His life.

Well, one day, after He had been preaching and teaching for about 3 years, He knew He was about to die. He also knew that that was ok because it was God’s plan. Lots of the Old Testament prophets had talked about Him and He was doing all the things they said He would do.

One of the things a man called Zechariah has written was that a King would arrive riding on a donkey, not even a grown up donkey but a colt, a young donkey - because he was a humble man, that is someone who didn’t make himself more important that he really was.

Well, this day Jesus said to His helpers that they were going to have a Parade – a big, fun and noisy walk down in to the city of Jerusalem.

Do you lot know how to have fun or be noisy? Yes?

Well – let’s try this:

When I say DONKEY – you have to go “HEE HAW” and make your hands into ears

When I say JESUS – you have to chant “JESUS, JESUS, JESUS ” and punch the air

When I say CHEER – you have to shout “HIP HIP HOORAY”

And when I say HOSANNA, which is a bit like hooray – you have to waves your hands as though you are holding big leaves from a Palm tree and shout” HOSANNA”

Let’s have a practice – Donkey, Jesus, Cheer, Hosanna

Right so back to the story

JESUS said to his friends “We are going to have a parade, and I need a DONKEY– so I want you 2 to go into the village over there,” The bible doesn’t tell us which 2 disciples went, “ and you will find a young DONKEY, called a colt, tied up. Untie him and bring him back here. If anyone stops you just say the master needs this DONKEY and he will send it back when he has finished with it”

So they did, they found the DONKEY and took it back to JESUS. They put their coats on it and JESUS got on. He started walking down to the city and the people who had been talking to him went ahead of him. They started CHEERING and shouting HOSANNA. Lots more people heard the noise and they came to see what it was all about. They started putting their cloaks down on the ground for the DONKEY to walk on.

Then someone thought they needed a flag – so they took a branch off one of the many palm trees and started waving it around CHEERING HOSANNA, HOSANNA. Look it is JESUS .

“God bless him! HOSANNA. God bless him who comes in the Lords name. JESUS -HOSANNA. They CHEERED “Peace in heaven –JESUS, son of David, praise God. “

In the end the whole city was buzzing about the parade and the sight of JESUS on a DONKEY

But there were some people who weren’t joining in, some people weren’t CHEERING. Some people weren’t shouting HOSANNA. They were very jealous of JESUS and they went and told him off for making such a big fuss. They wanted JESUS to stop the people CHEERING. But you know JESUS said to them – “If they keep quiet – the stones would start shouting instead!”

Wow – that was fun wasn’t it! Now that the parade is over I want you to stop doing the actions. What a funny thing to say – Jesus said that the stones would start shouting – why?

Because Jesus knew this was the day when lots of people would remember. It was going to be a really difficult week for Jesus and he wanted it to start with all these people realizing He was some one very special – He was God’s son."

Just wonder - have you realized that yet?