Mark My Words Zechariah 9 verses 9-10

Welcome to Families on Faith Adventures @ Home!

This resource has been put together for you by the United Reformed Church Children’s and

Youth Work team and the synod CYDOs and their equivalents.

We hope you will enjoy sharing a time of faith and fellowship together as a family through

these stories, games, activities, and prayers. They are designed as a ‘pick and mix’ of ways

to experience God’s message through the Bible, exploring what it means to you and express

that in words and action. They are not linked to the lectionary but can be used in any order

as we explore all the different parts of the Bible.

The Walking the Way challenges are one way of continuing our walk with Jesus throughout

the week.

These ideas are designed to be intergenerational - maybe even to be shared with family or

friends via the internet.

These activities are planned to be used together as a family and under adult supervision.

Please be aware of your family’s ages and abilities as some activities may need more adult

support than others. Stay safe and have fun!

With many varieties of activities and things to do to help explore the theme.

Look out for this ‘hands on’ symbol.

Illustration by

Richardgunther.org / FreeBibleimages.org

Mark My Words

Zechariah 9 verses 9-10

From

and

This week’s Bible story is:

Image by - Dominic Barton

Get to know your Bible

The Bible is like a library made up of 66 books written by many different people over many

years.

The Old Testament books were written before Jesus was born. They are the holy stories he

would have grown up hearing and reading. There are 39 of these.

The New Testament tells us the stories of Jesus and his followers. There are 27 books in the

New Testament.

Can you find

and colour the

book on the

bookshelf that

this week’s

story is from?

If you have a

Bible, see if

you can find

the story in

there.

You could print this

out once and colour

each new book on

the bookshelf as you

read stories from it.

Bible context: Zechariah

The book of Zechariah was written by Zechariah around 484 BC. Zechariah was a prophet

and this book tells the stories about the Israelites after they have been set free from

Babylon. Zechariah encourages them to build a temple and reminds them about God’s

promises. The first eight chapters tell the story of them returning from Exile in Babylon and

Zechariah is telling them to put God first and remember God’s promises, God gives Zechariah

eight dreams that give warnings and promises. From chapter 9 the book gives us images and

promises of what it will be look like when the Messiah, the one who is going to save us all

and defeat our enemies, comes. But it isn’t the picture of a mighty warrior or king that we

might expect.

As we enter the time of Holy week heading into Easter, let’s explore our servant king Jesus

and prepare to welcome him again.

Watch and Listen

The Donkey and the King by The Bible App for Kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9-

pVl2_MVY

Palm Sunday in Lego by Bible Builders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYZMhaRepJk

Dave the Donkey by Andrew McDonough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D89VI9R17eY

A read along animation of the story by Bible for Kids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3RVJ9Nl7O8

Jesus rides in Jerusalem by Superbook https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW-_0iH8EHk

Dance and Sing

Rejoice Greatly (Zechariah 9 v 9) by Corner Room Scripture Songs for Little ones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nS57Pu5uQs

We have a king who rides a donkey by the Jamborees

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJqFuiafDf8

Cloaks and Branches by Richard Cootes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jtDqKkdS1M

Hosanna King by Praise team Harvest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96pcmyyHaZk

Gentle like Jesus by StHelen music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT7yylyRMe4

Online versions of the story

The Story: Zechariah 9 verses 9-10 (from The International Children’s Bible)

Rejoice, people of Jerusalem.

Shout for joy, people of Jerusalem.

Your king is coming to you.

He does what is right, and he saves.

He is gentle and riding on a donkey.

He is on the colt of a donkey.

I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the horses from Jerusalem.

The bows used in war will be broken.

The king will talk to the nations about peace.

His kingdom will go from sea to sea,

and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

Scripture quotaons are taken from the Internaonal Children’s Bible®,

Ideas to Retell/Explore the Story

The King no one expected A modern retelling of Palm Sunday

1 Here we are on the streets of Jerusalem

And today is a special day;

Not because it’s the Passover festival

But because the king is on his way.

2 The king that comes to fight for his people,

The king who will put all things right.

A fierce warrior, a mighty leader

Who will vanquish our enemies from sight.

3 He will enter riding a stallion.

His army will follow his lead.

His armour will dazzle and shine.

He will be brave and strong indeed.

4 He will overthrow our enemies.

He will crush them with a strong hand.

And people will bow before him,

His name, celebrated across the land.

5 I hear the gates are opening.

The sound of crowds starting to cheer.

Here he comes, our mighty warrior!

Our Saviour’s parade draws near.

6 But something is not as expected,

Something does not look quite right.

It’s a man riding a small donkey -

Not a crown, nor an army in sight.

7 He doesn’t look much like a warrior.

He looks like an ordinary man.

This can’t be the king that we wanted,

This isn’t going to plan.

8 He smiles at the crowds as he passes.

He looks so normal and small.

His clothes and feet are quite grubby,

Not like a king, at all.

9 We shout out loud, Hosanna!

We wave our branches and sing.

Here comes our promised Messiah,

Our donkey-riding King!

10 But once the shouting was over,

And when the cheers have all ceased,

In the silence I stop and realise

I have just seen the King of Peace.

Table Top Discussions

Each day over a mealtime, have a quick conversation. Here are a few questions to get you

going:

o I wonder what it means that Jesus was the King of Peace?

o Why did the people respond to Jesus the way they did?

o What does it mean that Jesus would bring peace to the nations, when there are wars

happening in our world today?

o When it says that Jesus saves, what does this mean to you?

o How do we find ways to welcome Jesus into our lives? What does it mean to you?

What’s in the box? What treasures can you find to put in the box for your

little ones to explore?

Perhaps older children could help find the things.

Use a box or a bag to hold the treasures and

encourage any little ones to explore what’s in the

box/bag each week to go with the Bible story.

Something with

rainbow colours

for God’s promise

Something to wave – preferably a

large leaf either real or made of paper

A child’s Bible

Some dierent fabrics or

textures to touch

Pray Together

PEACE Prayer

This is your own space to draw and add what you feel fits for you.

You will need a piece of paper and some pens.

Write PEACE down the side of your paper then add words that you think fit in. You

can also draw pictures and colour them too. I hope you find this activity peaceful,

calming and a chance to reflect on what this word means to you. Enjoy!

Pray Together

World Prayers

‘His kingdom will go from sea to sea,

and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth’. Zechariah 9:10

Using a simple world map and some baking

parchment or greaseproof paper, trace

around the outline of the countries. Put

your tracing on a window so that the light

can shine through. Slowly, using your

finger, trace the outline of the land,

remembering the bible verse that God’s

Kingdom goes from sea to sea to the ends

of the earth. As you outline each country,

pray for the people living there. Ask God to

bring joy and peace. Pause especially

where there are countries that you know

are at war or where the people are hungry

or suffering drought.

Dear God

Where people are fighting

Please bring healing and peace.

Where people are hungry and homeless

Please bring healing and peace.

Where people are sad and frightened

Please bring healing and peace.

Where people are without water

Please bring healing and peace.

Amen

Pray Together

Prayer Circle

You will need: A curtain ring or a pipe cleaner made into a ring

Coloured ribbon or wool in a variety of colours

Think about the colours and what sort of prayer

they might represent.

Here are some ideas:-

• Blue – Peace

• Green – God’s world

• Yellow – Family and friends

• Red – People who are ill, sad or worried

• White – Forgiveness

You can see what colours you have and then decide on what or who you are going to pray

for. Take it in turns to tie the ribbon on the ring and say your prayer either quietly or out

loud. When you have completed your prayers, you could hang the ring from a door or keep it

beside your bed. Take a moment each time you see it to pause and talk to God about the

different coloured prayers. Let the bright colours remind you of the people lining the road,

waving their palm branches, and laying their cloaks on the ground in celebration of the

coming of the king – the King of Peace.

Illustration by lambsongs.co.nz via FreeBibleimages.com

I wonder why Jesus

chose to ride a

donkey into

Jerusalem?

I wonder why the crowd

were hoping for a

warrior king?

I wonder how

Zechariah knew what

would happen so

many years later?

I wonder what signs you

see of God’s kingdom and

what signs you see of

people rejecting God’s

kingdom?

I wonder what Jesus

would say to the people

and what the people

would say to him?

To Do Together…

Peace Wreath

You will need: A circle of card

Some green paper

Some white paper

A small piece of string

What you do:

Draw around some people’s hands and cut them out.

Stick them around the circle of card.

Draw a simple dove shape from the white paper and

stick the dove in the centre of the wreath.

Create a loop at the back of the wreath using a small

piece of string.

Hang your wreath on your door to remind you that

Jesus the peacemaker rode into Jerusalem on Palm

Sunday. He is the King of Peace.

To Do Together…

Donkey Bookmarks

You will need: A square of grey paper

Some grey, white and black paper

What you do:

Prepare some shapes for decoration: two black circles, two larger white

circles, two long ears and a large oval for the nose. Make a black spikey

shape for the hair and create some teeth from a rectangle of white

paper.

Fold the square of grey paper in half diagonally to make a triangle. Run

your fingernail along the crease to make it nice and sharp.

Fold one of the pointy tips down towards the bottom fold. You are only

folding one of those layers. When you are done folding, your paper

should still be shaped like a triangle, but with a

smaller, upside-down triangle inside it. This will

create a "pocket" for your bookmark.

Fold the bottom corners of the triangle up

towards the top point. Take the left bottom

corner and fold it towards the top of the triangle.

Make sure that the edges align, then run your

fingernail along the crease to sharpen it. Repeat this step for the other side.

You will end up with a diamond shape.

Take the first corner you just folded and fold it half-way inside the triangle.

Be sure to tuck it under the "pocket." Repeat this step for the other corner.

Add the pieces of decoration you have already

prepared to finish your bookmark.

As you mark your book, remember the passage in

Zechariah which marks the prophecy of what is to

come.

To Do Together…

Playing With The Story

You will need: Some toy figures or Lego

Some pieces of fabric or dolls’ clothes

What you do:

Think about what Zechariah wrote and maybe also look at the story of

Palm Sunday. Play with the story using figures.

Think about Jesus riding into Jerusalem and how people cheered and

laid clothes down for him. Consider that Jesus came to be a

peacemaker, not a king or a warrior.

Our Walking the Way

Challenge this time is…

Everyday Faith:

Scrapbooking:

Take it Further:

Zechariah spoke/wrote about the picture God had

given to him of the future and of God’s kingdom.

The people lining the streets on Palm Sunday still

didn’t really expect things to be as Zechariah had

said, though. What do you think God’s kingdom

on earth should look like? Can you think of some

of the steps we need to take to make things closer

to how God wants them? Your challenge is to

speak out or write about the things you see that

are not fair or right or which could be better and

share your views with others, even if they choose

to ignore what you say. Make your voice heard.

As we think about the coming week and the run up

to Easter, read a bit more about the events of Holy

Week in your Bible or look at last year’s bumper

Easter issue of FOFA@H

https://urc.org.uk/wp-

content/uploads/1638/09/Families_on_Faith_Adv

entures_-_Week_52_-

_Journey_to_Easter_Holy_Week_.pdf

Choose the

one event that feels right to spend some time

thinking about and do something creative – draw

or paint a picture, write a poem or a song, make

something, or simply write out the words of the

Bible story. Add a few words about what it means

to you, and put it in your scrapbook.

The coming week is called Holy Week, as we travel

from Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey,

through his last meal with his disciples and

preparing for what is going to happen, leading up

to Jesus being arrested and sentenced to death.

Next Friday is Good Friday, when we remember

the death of Jesus on the cross and him being

buried in a tomb. But it’s not the end of the story.

Why not take some time each day to read part of

the story and maybe put something to symbolise

that part of the story into a box to remind you of

it.?

John 13 v 4-14, Luke 22 v 39-46, Matthew 27 v

15-26, Luke 23 v 26-46, and a sneak preview of

next week’s event, Luke 24 v 1-12

Adventurers Go!

You’ve shared together, now share with us!

Why not send photos of your crafts, your treasure boxes, your Walking the Way challenges -

or dress up to make a tableau of the Big Story and take a photo to send in.

Email your photos to: [email protected]

with parental permission for them to be used in publicity and online URC social media.

Alternatively, share them on our Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/URCchildren.and.youth/

Remember you can find more resources on our website:

https://urc.org.uk/resources-for-children-and-youth

And if you’ve enjoyed these activities, why not see whether your local church runs Pilots or

Friends on Faith Adventures (FOFA) when things get back to normal again.

Created for you by Nicola Grieves (Eastern Synod), Judy Harris (National Synod of Wales),

Hannah Middleton (Northern Synod), Philip Ray (Wessex Synod, North), Lorraine Webb

(Programme Officer for CYW), and Ruth White (Wessex Synod, South) on behalf of the

CYDO+ and Children’s and Youth Work team and Pilots.