May 19, 2019 Bible Passage: John 11 (Lazarus) Jesus Is Life REMEMBER VERSE I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. John 11:25 26a SCHEDULE CONNECT GATHER RESPOND BLESS 1
Leader Prep Each week you ll find a list of resources along with encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Further Resources A Small Group Enhancement is available for this lesson. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson 12 2016 17 Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 12 is provided for this lesson. The weekly for the next lesson to be sent home for preteaching by parents is found in BLESS. If you have questions about Tru curriculum or are looking for great training, blogs, and other support resources, visit truministry.com. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives I once heard a podcast titled Unconditional Love. The podcast began with a man describing who Martin Luther King Jr. was to his three-year-old daughter. The father told her that Martin Luther King Jr. was a good man who had fought to free people from suffering but that one day someone killed him because he did not like what Dr. King was saying and doing. A few weeks later, the man was driving down the road with his daughter when she spied a cross on the roof of a church. What s that, Daddy? she asked. The man told his daughter that the cross represented Jesus Christ. He told her who Jesus is and how He loves everyone on earth and came to save them. Did they kill Him, too? she asked. I have thought about this story many times since I heard it. The innocence of this child s question highlights the incredibleness of what Jesus did on the cross. Her logic connecting the two events points to what Christ came to save us from human blindness to what is good and human refusal to accept God. But unlike Martin Luther King Jr., Christ defeated death. He is life. He rose again to save us from the penalty of our sin. In fact, Christ defeated the very sin that killed Him. Though many people have refused to accept Him, we know that Christ has power over death in an all-consuming way. In fact, Philippians 2:10 11 says, At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Tori Funkhouser ROCKHARBOR Church Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage 2
In the narrative of the death of Lazarus, we see Jesus feel our pain and empathize with our sufferings in a unique way. Jesus emotions came in different forms in this situation. In John 11:33 we see that when Jesus arrived on the scene, He was deeply moved. We can easily mistake that for empathy for His friends, but the Greek word used refers to more of a deep, indignant displeasure. The passage doesn t clearly state why Jesus was upset, but the focus of His anger seems to be the group of Jews who accompanied Mary while loudly and demonstrably weeping and wailing. Oftentimes funerals in the ancient Near East were accompanied by professional mourners who were paid to loudly weep. This hypocrisy evidently didn t sit well with Jesus, who was genuinely moved by the suffering and emotions of His friends. The hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders is what drew the anger of Jesus more than anything else. This anger quickly gave way to empathy in the revelation of Jesus heart for their sadness. If brevity is the soul of wit, then this, the shortest verse in the Bible, most aptly captures the pathos of the scene in two simple words: Jesus wept (John 11:35). Through this brief utterance we can grasp the love Jesus has for us. Jesus knows our weaknesses and struggles, and that s because He has shared them. Jesus knew how this would end because He has power over life and death. He knew Lazarus would be reunited with his family. And He knew the glory that would come to the Father. This was a necessary preview of Jesus power over death that His friends would need to see as His own demise approached. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14 16 In John 11, we see a clear picture of how Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. He feels anger on our behalf, and He feels sadness along with us. Through His empathy, Jesus offers us a picture of what it means to care for others. Though He is God and we are merely human, He loves us enough to come and be one of us to feel our pain, to be tempted, and to take away the bondage of sin and death. Take a walk or find a quiet place and think about Jesus as the One who not only saves us from death but also empathizes with our weaknesses. Boldly ask Him to give you life and help in the places where you are struggling this week. CONNECT// 10 min. Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. Pass the Pillow 3
Children will play a game similar to Hot Potato as they discuss sleeping and waking. Small throw pillow Upbeat music (suggestion: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet children. Open your time by asking this question: Where is the most unusual place you ve fallen asleep? Gather the children in a circle on the floor. Share that you are going to play a game similar to Hot Potato. Show them the pillow, and explain that when the music begins, the children need to pass the pillow to the left as quickly as they can. Start the music. Keep the music player near you so that you can keep your finger on the pause button, and pause the music when the children are not expecting it. When the music stops, whoever is holding the pillow gets to answer a question about sleeping. After a question has been answered, play the music again and have the children resume passing the pillow until the music stops and the pillow is held by a new student. When you run out of questions, repeat from the top of the list. Would you rather sleep in the car or on a plane? Do you dream a lot when you sleep? Do you like to wake up early or sleep late? Have you ever slept in a tent before? If not, would you like to? Do you wake up on your own for school, or does someone wake you up? If you read before bed at night, what do you like to read? Would you rather be woken up by someone bringing you breakfast in bed or by someone singing and dancing to your favorite song? Do you have your own room, or do you share with a sibling? Developmentally Speaking By second grade, children should be more willing to speak up when their opinions differ from those of their friends. You can encourage this by celebrating their unique answers and commending the times when they speak up to share their thoughts. GATHER// 30 min. Children experience and learn more about God through memorizing Scripture, storytelling from The Big God Story, prayer, and discussion. Remember Verse Each week children will spend time memorizing a portion of Scripture together. The Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. John 11:25 26a 4
Game: Human Tic-Tac-Toe Whiteboard Dry erase marker Masking tape SET UP Write the Remember Verse on a whiteboard. Create a large tic-tac-toe board on the floor of your room using masking tape. Each square of the board should be approximately two feet by two feet, or large enough for a child to stand in. Have everyone join you near the whiteboard. Divide the children into two teams. Have one team be the X s and one team be the O s. Practice saying the verse several times with the children, fluctuating your voice so that the verse takes on a rhythm that helps them remember it better. Then invite all the X s to say the verse with just their team. They can look at the board if they need to. After they have said it, they can send a member to stand in a square on the grid and make an X symbol by crossing her arms in front of her. Next, it is the O s turn to say the verse and send to the board a player who can make an O with his arms in front of him. Continue alternating the two teams, giving them different assignments for how to say the verse. Example: This time, X s, please say the verse so that you sound like football players. The team that has three in a row first vertically, horizontally, or diagonally wins. Note: Even the children who are already on the board should continue saying the verse with their team. Examples of ways to say the verse: Football players Southern drawl British accent Chipmunks (high voice) Storytelling Bible Passage: John 11 Storytelling Technique: Revealing Objects from Paper Bags Jesus Is Life Slow Fast Hopping on one foot Patting their heads and rubbing their stomachs Optional: Investigate Questions (see Resources) Bibles Paper lunch bags (7) Marker Thermometer Small teddy bear (must fit inside a paper lunch bag) Dead leaves or flowers Fresh leaves or flowers Tissues (2) Large stone (must fit inside a paper lunch bag) Toilet paper (1 roll) Small throw pillow (from CONNECT) PREPARE AHEAD Use the marker to number the paper bags 1 through 7. Place the thermometer in Bag 1, the teddy bear in Bag 2, the dead flowers in Bag 3, the fresh flowers in Bag 4, the tissues in Bag 5, the stone in Bag 6, and the 5
toilet paper in Bag 7. Have the children sit around you in the Storytelling area. Bring the pillow from CONNECT with you and place it behind you. Line up the brown paper bags on the ground so that the numbers face the children and so that the children read the numbers in order from 1 to 7, left to right. As you storytell, you will reveal the objects in the bags. As you reveal each object, flatten the bag, lay it down, and display the object on top of it. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. We have been hearing about God s Son, Jesus, and how He loved and valued people. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and made the blind see. Nothing was too big or strong or scary for Him. Jesus has power over everything even death. Jesus is life! Invite the children to turn with you in their Bibles to John 11 and follow along as you read verses 1 7. Jesus had a friend named Lazarus. One day, Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick. Take the thermometer out of Bag 1 and display it. Even though Jesus wasn t in the same town as Lazarus, Jesus wasn t worried. It might seem a little strange that Jesus didn t rush to Bethany right away to save Lazarus. He certainly could have. But Jesus waited for God s perfect timing. Jesus said that this sickness wasn t going to end in death God was going to do something amazing. After two days, when Jesus was ready to leave, He told His disciples that they needed to go with Him to see Lazarus. Have the children follow along as you read verses 11 15. The disciples were very confused because Jesus compared Lazarus s death to being asleep. Pull the teddy bear out of Bag 2, and pretend to go to sleep with the teddy bear and pillow. Jesus knew that Lazarus had died, but Jesus said that He needed to go wake Lazarus up. Sit up quickly and put the teddy bear and pillow down near Bag 2. Something great was about to happen. When Jesus arrived in Lazarus s town, Lazarus s sister Martha came out to meet Him. Invite the children to follow along as you read verses 21 22. Martha had great faith! She knew that even though Lazarus had died, God could still do something amazing. Have the children follow along as you read verses 23 27. Does anyone know what resurrection means? Pause for answers. Yes, resurrection means rising from the dead. Jesus said that if anyone believes in Him, even though the person dies (pull the dead flowers out of Bag 3) he will live (pull the live flowers out of Bag 4). Jesus was explaining that He is God and He has power over death. Jesus is life! Martha thought Jesus meant that Lazarus would rise again someday later, in the future. But Jesus was talking about what was about to happen at that moment. Then Martha s sister, Mary, came out to Jesus. She was crying very hard. Pull one tissue out of Bag 5, and wipe your eyes with it. When Jesus saw her weeping, He was deeply moved in His heart. We can see how much Jesus loved this family. Invite the children to follow along as you read verses 33 36. Pull the second tissue out of Bag 5. Wow Jesus wept. He knew that Lazarus would be alive again very soon. Remember how He had told His disciples back in verse 4 that this sickness would not end in death? But He wept anyway. Jesus was sad about what sin, sickness, and death had done to those He loved. Even though Jesus is life and has power over death, He understands our sadness. And when you cry, Jesus knows what you are feeling. Have the children follow along as you read verses 38 41. So they rolled away the stone from Lazarus s grave. Pull the stone out of Bag 6. What do you think is going to happen next? Invite answers. Then have the children follow along as you read verses 43 44. Yes! Jesus called to Lazarus, and he came out of the 6
grave, alive again! Can you imagine how much joy Mary and Martha and all of his friends must have felt? There Lazarus was, walking around in his grave clothes. He must have looked like a mummy! Pull the toilet paper roll out of Bag 7. But He was alive and well, restored because Jesus is life. Invite a child to come up and model how Lazarus s grave clothes may have looked wrap her a few times in the toilet paper. Then thank the child and have her sit back down. Because of what Jesus did for Lazarus, many people came to believe in Him. When God s love shows up and fills us with life, it pours out to all those around us. Our lives are changed, and other people s lives are changed as well. Jesus power is so great! Nothing is more powerful than He is not even death. And He chooses to use that power in our lives because He loves us. All of us are made in God s image. We are His sons and daughters, and He came to make us fully alive. Jesus is life! Share about a time when Jesus brought new life to you. Discussion Questions What did Jesus mean when He told His disciples that Lazarus had fallen asleep? John 11:11 13 Why do you think Jesus wept? John 11:33 35 What did Jesus say would happen when people who believe in Him die? John 11:25 What happened after Jesus told Lazarus to come out of the grave? John 11:43 44 What is your favorite thing about this part of The Big God Story? Why? RESPOND// 15 min. Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond to God through creative activities and games. Alive Mural Children will create a mural to express that Jesus is life. Fresh flowers or leaves, broken off from the stems (at least 10 per child) Small disposable bowls (1 per child) Butcher paper (5') Marker Tape Glue Crayons Soft worship music (suggestion: I Am Listening to You, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) SET UP Divide the flowers or leaves among the bowls about 10 flowers or leaves in each bowl. Write ALIVE in large block letters across the center of the butcher paper. The children will glue the flowers or leaves inside or around the letters. Tape the paper to the table. Place the bowls of flowers or leaves around your table at the children s seats. Spread out the glue and crayons. Cue the music. 7
After Jesus healed Lazarus, many people decided to follow Him and put their faith in Him. They saw that Jesus is life, and they wanted to be near Jesus. What would you like to say to Jesus today? Pause and allow children to think about this question. Jesus is alive today, and He wants to live in your heart and help you live the way He created you to live. He made you in God s image, and He loves you. And whatever you are feeling right now, Jesus understands you, and His heart is full of love and care for you. Start the music. Invite the children to celebrate Jesus gift of new life by gluing the flowers or leaves around or inside the letters of ALIVE. Also invite them to use the crayons to write prayers or praises to Jesus on the mural. Leaders should offer to pray with children who are interested in learning more about trusting Jesus for salvation. Once the glue dries, display the mural in your room. (Optional) Lazarus Run Children will run through a tunnel as they recall that Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb. Stopwatch Invite the children to join you in an open area of the room. Split the children into two groups, and have them stand in two equal lines facing each other. Have the children across from each other join hands, forming a tunnel. Designate one end to be the front of the tunnel and one end to be the back. Have the two people at the front end yell, Lazarus, come out! At that point, the two children at the back end will run through the tunnel to the front end and join hands, becoming the new front end. As soon as they join hands, they can yell, Lazarus, come out! and the next two children at the back end of the tunnel can make their way through the tunnel. Play until everyone has had a chance to run through the tunnel. Then play again and time the children using the stopwatch. Play a third time and see if the children can beat their time. After the game, discuss: How do you think Lazarus felt when he came out of the grave? What do you think people thought about Jesus after they saw Lazarus come out of the grave? BLESS// 5 min. Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Remember Verse cards (see Resources) HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 13 (see Resources) Recipe cards and Parent invitations (see Resources) 8
Before you bless the children in your group, pray about the blessing that God would have you give to them. Gather the children and have them kneel in a circle with you. Invite them to clasp their own hands together as a symbol representing that Jesus makes us whole. Then open a Bible and read 1 Corinthians 15:54, 57: Death has been swallowed up in victory thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. May you know God has power over death and that He alone gives life. May you know His love and feel the comfort of His Holy Spirit in your struggles. Send home Remember Verse cards, the HomeFront Weekly, and the Recipe cards and Parent invitations with your kids. 9