Jesus Raises His Friend Lazarus

In the Beginning... Jumping into God s Story UNIT 3: LESSON 9: Jesus Raises His Friend Lazarus Bible Summary Key Concept Jesus can do anything! He always cares for me. John 11:1-44 Lazarus had fallen ill, so his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus asking for help. Jesus delayed and stayed with His disciples for two more days. During that time, Lazarus died. Jesus returned to Bethany and Mary and Martha brought Him to the tomb. Jesus wept for His friend. Then He asked them to roll the stone away and called, Lazarus, come out! Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. He waited to come so everyone would believe in Him. Bible Verse He cares for you. I Peter 5:7b Objectives KEY CONCEPT MOTIONS: Jesus [point up] can do anything [spread hands to the sides]! He [point up] always cares for me [point to self]. KNOW WHAT: Children will hear the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. SO WHAT: Children will learn Jesus can do anything. He cares for everyone, all the time, no matter how we feel. NOW WHAT: Children will participate in an activity to remember times they are happy, sad, or mad. They will learn Jesus knows and cares about their feelings. Spiritual Formation Trust People Needed Teacher, Helper Supplies and Visuals (Labeled visuals below can be found in the Lesson 9 Visual folder on the Winter Quarter CDs.) CD player Music for singing Sound effects CD #2 The Beginner s Bible Stick horse (optional) Lazarus (sick) (Lesson 9 LG 1) Lazarus (alive and well) (Lesson 9 LG 2) Envelope (with address on front) White handkerchief or napkin Rock 5 Feelings cards (Lesson 9 SG 3 Lesson 9 SG 7) Beanbag Box of crayons For each child: Key Concept sticker (Lesson 9 SG 8) Take-home coloring sheet (Lesson 9 SG 9, Lesson 9 SG 10) Snack 1 Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 9

Notes: In Advance Recruit a Helper to operate the music and sound effects CDs and to help you with crowd control. Determine which songs you will use and be prepared to lead the children in singing. Song suggestions: Upbeat song for transition from Activity Stations to the Creative Bible Teaching The Happy Dance (Reach Up High CD) Dance, Shout & Sing (Touch the Sky CD) Jesus Is the Best, Oh Yes (Touch the Sky CD) Gather the supplies listed above and arrange your classroom as follows: Create a campfire and hang a ranch sign. See Unit Overview for suggestions. Add other ranch gear and props, if desired. Place the two Bible story pictures, the addressed envelope, the cloth, and the rock on the floor behind the campfire near where you will sit while teaching. Print the five Feelings cards for the Life Application Activity #2, copy them onto cardstock, and cut them out. Prepare the materials that will be given to each child. To prepare the stickers, print or copy the pages onto Avery label sheets #5294. Consider cutting the stickers apart for easier distribution. Print the lesson and practice the teaching time. Please note: You may choose to do both or only one of the Life Application Activities, depending on time and resources. Teacher s Prep READ JOHN 11:1-44. Even among the billions of people in the world past, present, and future God knows you. He knows you by name. Doesn t that say how much He cares for you? You are valued and loved by your Creator. He is longing for you to call out to Him so He can care for you. Consider this God thought. Take heart my child, for I am the God who sees and hears! I heard your first cry the moment you were born, and I ve been listening to you ever since. Your cries for help are as sweet to Me as your songs of praise. I haven t asked you to pray and cast your cares on Me to fulfill some sort of religious ritual. I have instructed you to do this to remind you that I care and that I am here. Just as you speak and listen to me, so I will speak and listen to you. This is what friends do, and I am the God who calls you friend. from He Knows My Name (Tommy Walker) 2 Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 9

Activity Stations (20 MINUTES) Choose which activity stations you will use from the list included in the Activity Stations folder. Creative Bible Teaching (15 MINUTES) [Play upbeat music as children transition to the teaching area. Encourage kids to clap their hands along with you. Clap in a variety of styles, like overhead, on your knees, on your belly, etc. Once kids are gathered, cue your Helper to play the first sound effect. Using the stick horse, or just pretending to ride a horse, gallop in a circle around the kids.] [SFX 1: Cowboy theme.] Yee-haw! Rope em high, rope em low, rope em tight, don t let em go! [To horse.] Whoa! [Look around at kids.] Well, bust my britches! Howdy, buckaroos! Welcome to the Yi Yo Ranch! My name is, and today we re visiting the Wild, Wild West, where lots of wild and exciting things can happen. We ll also learn about Jesus and all the amazing things He s done! While we re in the Wild, Wild West, I m gonna be Cowboy Cole [or Rope Em Rhonda]. To help us get started, let s remember our two very special Wild, Wild West rules so we can have the most fun. Rule number one: be kind. What is it? [Kids respond, Be kind! ] We can be kind by sitting down so everyone can see and by being very quiet so everyone can hear. Rule number two: be safe. What is it? [Kids respond, Be safe! ] You can be safe by keeping your hands to yourself. Good job! I can t wait to talk about all the amazing things Jesus can do. Jesus can do anything, and today we ll learn how much Jesus cares for others. No one cares for others like Jesus! Hey, buckaroos. Want to hear our Bible story? [Kids respond, Yes. ] Well, the Bible ain t filled with silly, sissy stories. The Bible is filled with true stories that help us learn more about Jesus! We ve been reading the Bible from the beginning and learning some amazing things. The Bible is the best book in the world! I reckon before we start we should get the ants out of our pants and do some foot-stompin, square dancin, and singing! Yelp out a big ol yee-haw if you re ready to sing! [Kids respond, Yee-haw. ] Well, bust my britches. That was louder than a herd of buffalo! Let s start off with a song. Up on your feet, buckaroos! 3 Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 9

MUSIC Song suggestion: The Happy Dance [Invite kids to sit on the count of three.] That was more fun than roastin marshmallows over a fire. But what are we waiting fer? Let s get to our Bible story. It s about Jesus and how Jesus can do anything! Jesus is so powerful, there s nothing he can t do. Let me just get my Bible [pick it up], and we can get started. Buckaroos, you can help, too! Let s put on our cowboy ears. [Tug on right ear.] Clip, clop, clip, clop, clip, clop. Now the other one. [Tug on left ear.] Clip, clop, clip, clop, clip, clop. Now let s get our cowboy glasses on. Shout yee-haw when we bring them to our eyes. Ready? [Hold hands to eyes, shaping glasses.] Yee-haw! Now let s listen to find out how Jesus helped His friend Lazarus. [Open Bible.] Our story begins at Mary and Martha s house. They were the sisters Jesus visited in last week s story. They had a brother named Lazarus, but Lazarus was very, very sick. Buckaroos, let s pretend to be sick. Let s cough cough! cough! and wipe our noses. Mary and Martha were worried about their brother Lazarus. [Show sick Lazarus picture.] Lesson 9 LG 1 That s a picture of Lazarus. He doesn t look so good. The Bible says Lazarus was so sick, he was going to die. Now Mary loved Jesus and knew Jesus could do anything. So she sent a message asking if Jesus would come help her brother Lazarus. See? [Show letter to kids.] Jesus got the message, but He didn t go see Lazarus right away. Jesus waited, because He wanted everyone to know He could do anything! After two days, Jesus was ready to go. Listen to what Jesus said to His disciples. [SFX 3: Jesus voiceover: Our friend Lazarus is dead, but I am going to see him, so I can heal him. ] You see, buckaroos, Jesus is so amazing. He knows everything. He knew Lazarus had died, even though no one told Him. After talking to His disciples, Jesus went to see Lazarus. Do you think it was too late for Jesus to go see Lazarus? [Kids respond.] Let s find out and get back to our story. Back at Mary and Martha s house, the sisters wrapped Lazarus body in a soft, white cloth. [Show white handkerchief or napkin.] After Mary and Martha wrapped Lazarus body, they put him inside a tomb. A tomb is like a cave with a big opening. They needed a big rock to cover the big hole [show rock], and sometimes the rock was so heavy, they needed ten men to move it! Buckaroos, let s pretend to move the rock over the tomb. Ready? Puuush! [Pretend to shove a huge rock.] After they put Lazarus body in the tomb, Mary and Martha went home. Two days later, Jesus finally arrived. When Martha heard Jesus was there, she ran to see Him. Buckaroos, pat your hands on your legs to run like Martha. [Pat hands quickly on knees.] Keep running! And stop. When Mary saw Jesus, she fell at His feet crying and said: [SFX 4: Mary voiceover: If you had come sooner, my brother Lazarus would not be dead. ] 4 Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 9

[Subdued.] Mary was mighty sad. Jesus was very sad, too. He asked where Lazarus body was, so Mary and Martha took Jesus to the tomb. As they were walking, Jesus cried. Jesus loved Lazarus, and He loved and cared for Mary and Martha so much, He didn t want them to be sad anymore. Even when I m sad, I don t like my friends to see me cry. But Jesus loved His friends so much, He cried with them. That s amazing. But listen to this! [Read from Bible.] The Bible says when Mary, Martha, and Jesus got to the tomb, Jesus told them to move the rock away. Then Jesus said: [SFX 5: Jesus voiceover: Lazarus, come out! ]... and guess what happened? Lazarus came walking out of the tomb. He was alive! Jesus showed Mary and Martha how much He cared for them by raising Lazarus from the dead! [Show picture of Lazarus, well.] Here s a picture of Lazarus, all better! Lazarus was alive. Jesus can do anything! Jesus loves us and cares for us so much. And it doesn t matter how we feel, whether we re sad or glad or mad. Jesus cares for us all the time. Lesson 9 LG 2 Today we re learning that Jesus [point up] can do anything [spread hands to the sides]! He [point up] always cares for me [point to self]. Buckaroos, say that with me on the count of three. One, two, three. Jesus [point up] can do anything [spread hands to the sides]! He [point up] always cares for me [point to self]. Say it as loud as you can. Jesus [point up] can do anything [spread hands to the sides]! He [point up] always cares for me [point to self]. Now let s say it in our whisper voices. Jesus [point up] can do anything [spread hands to the sides]! He [point up] always cares for me [point to self]. Well, bust my britches! Thinkin that there Jesus cares for me makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It makes me wanna sing! Yup, Jesus makes me want to dance, shout, and sing! Up on your feet, buckaroos. MUSIC Song suggestion: Dance, Shout & Sing [Invite kids to sit on the count of three.] 5 Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 9

Life Application Activity (10 MINUTES) Note: the following two activities will take longer than ten minutes. You may choose to do either or both. ACTIVITY #1 Jesus [point up] can do anything [spread hands to the sides]! He [point up] always cares for me [point to self]. Jesus cares for us no matter how we feel! Buckaroos, do you like to play games? [Kids respond, Yes. ] Well, yore in luck, cause I got one for ya! I ll go ahead and ask some questions. If n you get them right, we can yell yeehaw real loud! When we get three in a row, we get to do the Cowboy Victory Dance. To play this game, you ll have to show me your happy face. [Encourage kids to grin with you.] Yee-haw! Look at them there happy faces. Now, let me see your sad faces. [Model sad face.] Well, I ll be! Those are some sad ol faces. Okay, now, let me see your mad face. [Model mad face.] Well, pickled pigs feet! You are some mean-lookin hombres. I m going to ask you some questions. If you think you d feel happy, show me your happy face. If you think you d feel sad, show me your sad face. And if you think you d be mad, show me your mad face. Here s your first question. You just found out your family is getting a brand-new, cuddly, fluffy puppy! How would that make you feel? [Everyone makes a happy face.] When you re feeling happy, who cares for you? [Kids respond, Jesus. ] Buckaroos, you are goo-ood! Say yee-haw! [Kids respond.] Here comes another question! You just found out your little sister broke your very favorite movie. You loved watching that movie, but now it doesn t work. How would that make you feel? [Everyone makes a mad face.] When you re feeling mad, who cares for you? [Kids respond, Jesus. ] Well, bust my britches! You sure are smart. Say yee-haw! [Kids respond.] Let s try one more. You just found out your very best friend is moving away. You had so much fun playing with your friend, but now he s going to live somewhere else. How would that make you feel? [Everyone makes a sad face.] When you re feeling sad, who cares for you? [Kids respond, Jesus. ] Look at that! You got it right. Say yee-haw one more time! [Kids respond.] Let s all stand and do the Cowboy Victory Dance. [SFX 6: Victory dance.] 6 Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 9

Great job! No matter how we feel, Jesus knows and He cares about your feelings. Today we learned Jesus [point up] can do anything [spread hands to the sides]! He [point up] always cares for me [point to self]. One more time. Jesus [point up] can do anything [spread hands to the sides]! He [point up] always cares for me [point to self]. Let s sing to Jesus! MUSIC Song suggestion: Jesus is the Best, Oh Yes [Invite kids to sit on the count of three.] ACTIVITY #2 Happy When is a time you felt happy? Why did you feel happy? Do you think Jesus knows when you feel happy? (Yes.) Does Jesus care for you when you feel happy? (Yes.) Buckaroos, today we learned the Bible story about Jesus and Lazarus. What happened to Lazarus? [He got sick and died.] Who asked Jesus to come see Lazarus? [Mary and Martha.] How did Mary and Martha feel when their brother Lazarus died? [Sad.] How did Jesus feel? [Sad. He cried.] What did Jesus do? [He did a miracle and brought Lazarus back to life.] We learned that Jesus [point up] can do anything [spread hands to the sides]! He [point up] always cares for me [point to self]. Buckaroos, we are going to play a game to help us think about our feelings. Jesus always knows our feeling and cares about us. Lesson 9 SG 3 (1 of 5) Sad When is a time you felt sad? Why did you feel sad? Do you think Jesus knows when you feel sad? (Yes.) Does Jesus care for you when you feel sad? (Yes.) Lesson 9 SG 4 (2 of 5) Surprised When is a time you felt surprised? Why did you feel surprised? Do you think Jesus knows when you feel surprised? (Yes.) Does Jesus care for you when you feel surprised? (Yes.) [Teacher and Helper gather kids in a circle. Place the five Feelings cards face-down in the center of the circle. Show the beanbag while you explain the game.] I am going to ask one of you to throw this beanbag at the cards. We ll pick up the card it lands on and see the picture underneath. Then we ll answer some questions. You ll each get a turn. [Choose one child to start. Replace the cards each time and repeat the game until every child has had a turn.] HAPPY When is a time you felt happy? Why did you feel happy? Do you think Jesus knows when you feel happy? [Yes.] Does Jesus care for you when you feel happy? [Yes.] SAD When is a time you felt sad? Why did you feel sad? Do you think Jesus knows when you feel sad? [Yes.] Does Jesus care for you when you feel sad? [Yes.] SURPRISED When is a time you felt surprised? Why did you feel surprised? Do you think Jesus knows when you feel surprised? [Yes.] Does Jesus care for you when you feel surprised? [Yes.] Lesson 9 SG 5 (3 of 5) MAD When is a time you felt mad? Why did you feel mad? Do you think Jesus knows when you feel mad? [Yes.] Does Jesus care for you when you feel mad? [Yes.] 7 Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 9

Mad When is a time you felt mad? Why did you feel mad? Do you think Jesus knows when you feel mad? (Yes.) Does Jesus care for you when you feel mad? (Yes.) AFRAID When is a time you felt afraid? Why did you feel afraid? Do you think Jesus knows when you feel afraid? [Yes.] Does Jesus care for you when you feel afraid? [Yes.] Buckaroos, today we learned the Bible story about Jesus and Lazarus. We learned Jesus [point up] can do anything [spread hands to the sides]! He [point up] always cares for me [point to self]. Let s pray to Jesus and tell Him thank You for caring for us. [Lead the children in the following finger play. Then have the children repeat after you as you pray.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Give a little clap. [Clap hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Fold them in your lap. [Fold hands in lap.] Lesson 9 LG 6 (4 of 5) Jesus can do anything! He always cares for me. Lesson 9 SG 8 Jesus can do anything! He always cares for me. Dear God, Thank You for the Bible story. Thank You for caring for us. Thank You for our snack. In Jesus Name, Amen. Snack and Coloring Activity (15 MINUTES) Use this time to continue building community and to learn more about your kids and their concerns. Listen closely so you are better equipped to pray for and reach out to each child. GIVE each child a snack to eat. GIVE each child a Key Concept sticker to put on their shirt while they are eating their snack. GIVE each child a coloring sheet to color while they are waiting to be picked up. ASK each child a question or two about themselves: Is there something you really want to tell Jesus, but haven t? How do you think Mary and Martha felt when they saw Lazarus alive again? Jesus raises Lazarus (John 11:1-44) Lesson 9 SG 9 8 Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 9