Children's Liturgy Series: 3rd Sunday of Easter Sunday (Cycle A)

In today's Gospel we visit the story of two disheartened disciples of Jesus walking home from Jerusalem back to Emmaus just after Jesus was crucified. As they try to process the events of the past few days, a stranger joins them and gives them a lesson on salvation history.  Captivated by this stranger's knowledge of scripture, they invite him to stay for dinner. It's not until this person breaks bread with them, do they realize that it is the risen Lord himself, who then vanishes before them. Hope is restored in them and they rush back to Jerusalem to tell the Apostles the good news.

Father in Heaven we praise and glorify you. We thank you for bringing us together today for this Children's Liturgy lesson. Thank you for revealing to us the stories of the old testament that predicted the things you accomplished (showing us that it was all part of Gods plan). Thank you for giving us hope and making salvation a possibility for all of us. Please send us the Holy Spirit so that we can recognize when you are trying to speak to us through our encounter with others in our day-to-day travels. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

After Jesus died, two of His friends were very sad.
They were walking along a road to a town called Emmaus.
As they walked, they talked about everything that had happened.

Suddenly, a man began walking with them.
It was Jesus!
But the two friends did not know it was Him.

Jesus asked,
“What are you talking about?”

The friends stopped walking.
They looked surprised and said,
“Everyone is talking about Jesus. He died, and we are very sad.”

So Jesus walked with them and talked to them.
He told them stories from the Bible and explained God’s plan.
Their hearts began to feel warm and happy as they listened.

When they reached the town, they asked Jesus to stay with them.
They sat down to eat.

Jesus took the bread.
He blessed it.
He broke it.

Suddenly, the two friends knew who He was!

“It’s Jesus!” they said.
Then Jesus was gone.

The friends looked at each other and said,
“Didn’t our hearts feel happy when He talked to us?”

Right away, they ran back to Jerusalem.
They told everyone the good news:
“Jesus is alive!

1. Recall (What happened in the story?)
-Who were the two friends walking on the road?
-Where were they going?
-Who came to walk with them?
-When did the friends realise it was Jesus?
-What did the friends do after they knew Jesus was alive?

2. Empathize (How did the people feel?)
-How do you think the friends felt at the start of the walk?
-How did they feel when Jesus talked to them?
-How do you think they felt when they recognised Jesus?
-Have you ever felt sad and then felt happy later? What changed?

3. Apply to Real Life (What does this mean for us?)
-Have you ever felt lonely or sad and someone helped you feel better?
-How can you help a friend who is feeling sad?

The friends didn’t know Jesus was with them at first. When might Jesus be with us even if we don’t notice?

What is one way you can share good news or kindness this week?

Father in Heaven, thank you for this lesson of hope. Please send us the Holy Spirit so we can feel your peace and love in our hearts, and spread your message of hope to those around us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.