Forming Faith Blog

Jesus Is Risen! (John 20a)

Posted on March 24 2026 by Gregory Rawn
  • Date: April 5, 2026
  • Bible Reading: John 20:1-18
  • The Point: Death has not won; Christ is risen and calls his disciples by name!
  • Unit Theme (April 5—April 26): Good News Spreads

Mary Magdalene was the first disciple to witness the resurrection and the first to proclaim that Jesus is risen! How can we also spread this good news?

Colorful Easter eggs. We celebrate that Jesus is risen from the dead on Easter.
Photo by ClickerHappy
About the Story

Following Jesus’ crucifixion on a Friday, his body was wrapped in linen and spices, and he was placed in a tomb in a nearby garden. A large stone was rolled in front of the tomb. As Saturday was the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene went to visit the tomb on Sunday, the first day of the Jewish week. Visiting the tombs of those who had died was a common practice and sign of mourning. When she arrived at the tomb, she found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. She quickly alerted the other disciples. Two of the men ran to the tomb to see, but they also did not understand what had happened. 

Mary remained at the tomb, crying at this unexpected turn of events. She saw a man that she thought was the gardener, but when he called her name, she realized it was the crucified and risen Jesus, who told her to tell the disciples what she had seen and heard. She hurried out again to share the good news with the other disciples. Mary was the first to witness the resurrection and the first to proclaim it.

(Adapted from Living the Word: Small Groups and Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship)

Context Insights

The following are a few insights found in our background resource Living the Word: Contexts & Connections.

  • Culture/Religion: The resurrection of Jesus takes place within the context of the first-century Jewish hope for resurrection. Though not all Jews believed in the resurrection, the doctrine represented “common Judaism.” However, the Easter account represents a Christian adaptation: rather than the general resurrection at the end of time, Mary encounters Jesus raised from the dead at a specific point in history.
  • Literature/Genre: This passage serves to bring together two of the main themes of John’s Gospel. First of all, for John, the resurrection represents the culmination of Jesus’ glorification. Second, Mary’s recognition of Jesus at the tomb is also the capstone of the theme of human misunderstanding. Mary is the last person in the Gospel to fail to recognize Jesus, but more importantly, she is the first person to see Jesus truly glorified.
  • Audience: The audience of this passage was made up of early Christians, who were trying to reinterpret their identity after the end of temple Judaism. With the end of the temple system of worship and the inclusion of the Gentiles in the wider Christian church, John’s audience was searching for roots. Mary’s encounter with Jesus served as one of the formative experiences of early Christianity.
Connections and Suggestions

We have Narrative Lectionary curriculum resources for all age groups (see also our 2026-2027 NL resources!). Here are a few activity summaries you can use. The full activity descriptions and much more are available in the product noted.

  • Kids: Play an active game where students stand facing a line of masking tape (the tomb entrance). When the leader calls “Out of the tomb,” the students jump over the line. When the leader calls “In the tomb,” students jump backward over the line. If students jump the wrong way or take too long, they are out. Leaders can increase the speed of the instructions or even call the same instruction multiple times in a row. (From Living the Word: Kids (PK-2nd))
  • Youth: Brainstorm a plan for “exponential” service where youth do a simple act of service (like a random act of kindness) for several people, and then they challenge each of those people to do acts of service for several other people. This way, the number of blessed people grows quickly. Connect this to how Jesus’ disciples spread the good news. (From Living the Word: Youth)
  • Intergenerational education: Connect Jesus’ resurrection with planting seeds that appear dead but come to life. Make growing kits that can be handed out at a local food pantry or other service agency (check with them first). Gather seeds, sandwich bags of potting soil, and perhaps seed-starting pods and a pot. Put them in a paper bag or box and label with masking tape and markers. (From Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education)

I hope you find this useful! If you have any questions or feedback on this blog post (or anything else), comment on this post below or on Facebook, or send me a message.

In Christ,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

Order Faith Formation Resources

Lent is over and Easter is here, but it’s not too late to order the Spring Quarters of our various resources and download them immediately. Our Narrative Lectionary (Year 4, 2025-2026) and Revised Common Lectionary (Years C & A, 2025-2026) resources are online, ready to order, and available for immediate download! If you don’t have much time for full-length children’s Christian education, then check out our Kids Mini Lessons for the NL and RCL. If you don’t use a lectionary, check out our non-lectionary Living the Word: Classroom (PK-2nd, 3rd-6th).

Brand new RCL faith-at-home resource!

I’m excited to announce a new product series for Spirit & Truth Publishing: Taking Faith Home. Taking Faith Home is a set of weekly devotional resources (often distributed as worship bulletin inserts) that follows the Revised Common Lectionary. Originally published by Milestones Ministry, they handed it off to us as of January 1, 2026. We offer it as a Church Year (Dec. 2025 to Nov. 2026) and a Program Year (Spring & Summer 2026 and Sept. 2026 to May 2027). You can also purchase by quarter (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall). Learn more here!

Easter Season, VBS, and More!

Are you looking for resources for the Easter season, VBS, topical Sunday school, family/intergenerational events, retreats, and more?

Learning Together is a series of five-lesson units on a variety of topics. Our faith formation resources are easy to use, theologically sound, and inclusive. Each unit can be used at any time in many different settings, but here are a few suggestions:

+ Easter: The I AM Statements of Jesus (free!), Travelers (Immigrants and Refugees), Do Justice, Celebrations
+ VBS: Paul’s Adventures (NEW!), Celebrations, Created to Care, God’s Gift of Water, Heroes of the Bible
+ Education/Events: Women of the Old Testament, Bible 101

Our unit Celebrations is a recommended VBS curriculum by Building Faith (and the only curriculum they reviewed from a small, independent publisher)!!! You can read outside reviews on both our Do Justice and Created to Care units!

I am very honored to announce that I was a guest on the premiere episode of season 3 of the Around the Table podcast! The topic: how faith formation is different than Christian education. Check it out at Around the Table S03E01.

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