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Is Jesus Alive? 


This is the question that Hope Together, The Bible Society and Kingsgate Church want to ‘go viral’ in the lead up to Easter 2024 and they need churches and Christians everywhere to get involved.

Alive

One of the things that seemed to ‘go viral’ at the end of December was the horror of seeing Easter eggs in shops on Boxing Day. Maybe you were one of them?

Easter supermarket
It’s easy to assume that, for most people, Easter is just a time to consume copious amounts of chocolate and enjoy the fact that spring has arrived. Who, after months of winter rain and cold, isn’t ready to celebrate cute lambs, bunnies and baby chicks when it gets to the end of March? However, the Talking Jesus research suggests that 45% of people in the UK do think that Jesus is alive, that he came back to life after he died on the cross. Surprised? You can check out the research for yourself here.

We were surprised by this, but what a mission opportunity! Here is a God-given invitation to spark a conversation and ask the question, ‘Is Jesus ALIVE?’ To equip the church with tools to facilitate this conversation, Hope and their partners have produced a range of resources to take people on a journey as they explore the question for themselves. You can find out more and access all our ALIVE resources here.

On the ALIVE journey, participants will encounter some of the people who met the alive Jesus, whose lives were changed as a result; people like Mary who experienced love, the disciples on the road to Emmaus who had hope restored to them, Thomas who needed peace, Peter who found freedom and Paul who was given a new purpose. Many people today are looking for the same things, for love, hope, peace, freedom and purpose. The ALIVE resources aim to build a bridge between felt need now and what the ALIVE Jesus offers.
There are lots of ways to get involved, but the first step is to pray for your non-Christian friends and your community. Gather together with those around you who are also praying for their friends, within the local church.

stencilFollowing this, find ways to spark the conversation with those around you. You could even chalk the streets where you live using Hope’s ALIVE stencil. Wouldn’t it be amazing if over Easter weekend the streets of the UK shouted the question, ALIVE?





alive bookChurches could run the first ALIVE session on Easter day as an invitation event. The sessions are video, and discussion based, designed for a church or small group setting. The ideal is to use the other four ALIVE sessions in the weeks after Easter Sunday. The ALIVE book accompanies the series. Why not buy it, read it and pass it on to non-Christian friends?



Alive Encounters Full Series LYoung people have their own set of resources with videos made by young people for young people, along with small group discussion and youth group talk material. All of which are easy to pick up and use.





snack sheetFor families with children of primary school age, there are free downloadable Snack Sheets and I Spy Sheets. Why not invite friends for an after-school snack or walk, and use the sheets with them? With videos to watch via a QR code as well as things to think, chat about and do the sheets are easy and fun to share.  The family resources use the book, ‘The Awesome Easter Surprise.’ Why not buy it from The Bible Society and give it away to friends as part of your invitation?




So, be part of the conversation this Easter 2024 by asking the question, ‘Is Jesus ALIVE?’ You might be surprised at the journey God takes you on…and we’d love to hear about it! Contact us with your stories at office@hopetogether.org.uk