Palm Sunday is a joyful time for God’s people to celebrate our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

During the Easter Play in schools this week, we have acted out the Easter Story, including Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The children wave their arms as Jesus walks among them and our actors welcome Jesus by waving their brightly coloured clothes.

It is such a wonderful honour to bring the story of Jesus to almost 3000 children in 6 of our local Primary Schools. We have a unique relationship with these schools that has been built over many years by many people from our local churches.
Reverend Philip Gardner was writing these plays before Burnside City Uniting Church was even formed. Reverend Ruthmary Bond continued this tradition from 2006 to 2012. For the past 5 years I have enjoyed writing, directing and performing the Easter and Christmas plays with many different people from the Burnside Inter Church Council Churches.

One of my favourite questions this year was from a young girl who asked, “If Mary and Joseph were Jesus’ parents, why did Jesus call God his father?” This is an amazing question and shows the ability of children to think deeply about Christian Faith. Perhaps you would like to consider how to answer her child-like faith
question?

As we were leaving another school, two boys in the yard told us that they were trying to act out our play themselves but they needed more actors and off they ran to find their friends to help them.

Thank you for your prayers of support for this ministry. We will never know all the ways that these performances affect the lives of children and their families in our community, but we can be assured that God is at work in these young lives.

As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11 NIV)