Mary Magdalene was the subject for the final Stay and Play service of the Spring Term.
After feasting on a delicious breakfast, enjoying a short playtime with some toys and having a quick game of football, the youngsters settled down quietly to hear Fr. Peter and Adele tell the story of how Mary Magdalene, a close friend of Jesus, visited His tomb, only to discover that the body of Jesus had disappeared! Mary had seen a ‘gardener’ nearby, but didn’t take much notice of him as she was so upset that Jesus had gone. It was only when the ‘gardener’ called Mary by her name, that she recognised His voice and realised that he was indeed Jesus and He had risen from the dead.
With this powerful story in mind, the youngsters crafted some empty tomb scenes with paper plates and glued together some gardening pictures as visual reminders of the story they had just heard.
Forget-me-not seeds were planted outside by the little ones to help them remember that Jesus knows them by their name, He loves them and will never forget them. By spending some time in the garden, they were able to think about how Jesus was also in a garden when he called out to Mary.
