Easter reflections in BSL
Susan Myatt is recording reflections in British Sign Language to provide churches support in offering worship to those who are profoundly deaf. This is an Easter reflection and the following is signed:
Easter Story in 5 parts
Introduction by the signers, with Rev Susan Myatt, Steven Leece, Malcolm Johnson, Susan Bond
Palm Sunday - Based on Bible verses: Matthew 21: 7-11
What happened (1st person signing)
Jesus rode into Jerusalem, in Israel on a donkey.
A huge crowd gathered – they chopped palm branches and waved them, and lay them on the ground to make a path for Jesus.
Palm trees were symbols of peace and victory.
Some people laid their own cloaks on the ground for Jesus - This showed respect.
The people shouted: “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
People thought Jesus was the King that God had sent. Hosanna means ‘please save us’.
Questions from 2nd person signing
Palm branches, cloaks why?
Shouting Hosanna why?
The Last Supper - Based on Bible verses: Matthew 26: 20-27
Signed Haiku by all
TABLE DISCIPLES around LOOKING-AT-JESUS
PERSON IT’S-HIM (identifies) BETRAY-ME
BREAD BREAKING GIVE-OUT
CUP up DRINK PASS-ROUNDJESUS SAID REMEMBER (me)
Jesus prays in Gethsemane - Based on Bible verses: Matthew 26: 36-45
Silhouette image of Jesus in prayer
Drama showing Jesus (1 person), disciples (2 people) and narrator (1 person )
The disciples went with him.
He told them about his extreme strain – his heart was ready to break because of the pain and suffering. He asked them to watch and pray.
The disciples didn’t manage to watch and pray…they fell asleep.
Q: Why do you think they fell asleep when he had told them such an awful thing?
A: They didn’t really grasp the full meaning of what Jesus was saying.
Jesus prayed earnestly to God his Father.
Jesus asked God to take the cup away from him if it as possible. He hoped maybe there was another way.
Q: What do you think the cup means?
A: The cup symbolises God’s judgement. Jesus didn’t want to drink it because he knew it was so painful.
He prayed so seriously that blood from his skin fell to the ground.
Q: Do you think that can really happen?
A: It can happen in times of extreme stress – the blood vessels dilate until they break and go into the sweat glands. It happened to soldiers in the trenches during WW1 too.
Jesus finished praying and got up
Q: You must be thinking: “Why didn’t Jesus run away?”
A: There was no other way to remove our sin, and Jesus had come from God, so Jesus accepted that he must do what God wanted him to – he was ready to suffer and to die.
Then the Roman soldiers came to arrest him.
Jesus dies on the cross - based on Bible verses: John 19: 1-21
Mime of being whipped and given the crown of thorns, carrying the cross, being nailed to the cross, offered a drink, soldier piercing his side, he dies.
He is risen!
Song by Ernest Seagar: ‘Easter Song’ (signed by all)
A Happy Easter message from the signers.
To download this video to use at church
please click here.