First Thoughts: Many Christians have emphasized the supernatural quality of resurrection, viewing it as something extraordinary and outside the realm of the natural world. But if we broaden our perspective a bit, we recognize that resurrection is present all around us: each spring when the world comes back from the dead, in the progress of humanity as one generation makes way for the next, and in our own lives as endings make way for new beginnings. The teaching of resurrection is to help us remain hopeful and faithful in times of loss, realizing that the most despairing end cannot last and that the mandate of life always reasserts itself. As you prepare this lesson, reflect on your own faith journey, noting the places where you came to an endpoint and maybe even despaired that there was any way forward. Can you identify the pattern of death and resurrection in your own endings and beginnings? What new things have entered your life because of this rejuvenating process? How does this recognition reinforce your feelings of well-being and increasing faith?
Teaching On Your Own: (holds up recycling emblem) Who knows what this symbol stands for? Recycling. What does it mean to recycle? We take things we're not using anymore, and instead of throwing them away, we put them in the recycle bin so they can be made into new things. What are some things we can recycle? Glass, metal, plastic, and paper can be recycled. What about us? Can we be recycled? No? Well our story today is about how God recycled a person. His name was Lazarus and he was a dear friend to Jesus. Lazarus got sick and died, which made Jesus very sad. But when Jesus went to visit Lazarus' sisters, Jesus told them that this wasn't really an end to Lazarus' life. It was just a chance for God to bring a new beginning. Then Jesus spoke into Lazarus' tomb and guess what? Lazarus got up and walked out of the tomb! Everyone was so happy. Lazarus was back with his family and friends. But you know what? His life was very different after that. I bet he spent a lot of time talking to people about what had happened to him, telling them that even death isn't so scary when you know God is with you. So even though Lazarus came back to life, he really began a new life. He was recycled! And so are we. (begin passing out stickers if you have them) Sometimes things come to an end and we lose them, but that's only so God can do new things in our lives. Like when we put a newspaper in the recycle bin, it's not going to be a newspaper anymore. It might come back as a textbook, paper towels, or toilet paper. We grow, we change, we lose things, and we begin new things. Endings can be sad and we might be afraid of the new things that are coming, just because we don't know what they are yet. But we are God's recycling project and that's a great adventure!
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 1 holds large recycle sign)
Leader 1: Hey (name), what do you do when you see this sign?
Leader 2: I'm not sure -- the arrows are pointing in a circle. Maybe I should do something like this? (twirls around and around)
Leader 1: (grabs leader to stop and steady him) Whoa! Are you dizzy?
Leader 2: Little bit.
Leader 1: That was a good guess but not quite right. (to students) How about you guys? Do you know what this is? It's a recycle sign. It tells us that instead of throwing away our plastic, glass, or paper, we can use them to make new things. Today's Bible lesson is about the way God recycles us. (If you have recycle stickers you can begin to put them on each child for the rest of the lesson.)
Leader 2: Recycles us? But we're not made of plastic.
Leader 1: True, but God is a master recycler and can recycle anything. Here's the story: a dear friend of Jesus named Lazarus became very sick and died.
Leader 2: That's sad.
Leader 1: Yes, Jesus was very sad about it too. But when Jesus came to visit the tomb he told Lazarus' sisters that this wasn't an end to Lazarus' life. It was just a chance for God to bring a new beginning. Jesus spoke into Lazarus' tomb and guess what?
Leader 2: What?
Leader 1: Lazarus got up and walked out of the tomb!
Leader 2: That's spooky.
Leader 1: You might think so, but it wasn't. It was joyful. Lazarus was back with his family and friends, his life had really changed. I bet he spent a lot of time talking to people about what had happened to him and telling people that even death wasn't scary since God is with us. So even though Lazarus came back to life, he really began a new life.
Leader 2: He was recycled!
Leader 1: And so are we. Sometimes things come to an end and we lose them, but that's only so God can do new things in our lives. Like when we put a newspaper in the recycle bin, it's not going to be a newspaper anymore. It might come back as a textbook, paper towels, or...
Leader 2: Toilet paper!
Leader 1: Right. We grow, we change, we lose things, and we begin new things. Endings can be sad and we might be afraid of the new things that are coming, just because we don't know what they are yet. But we are God's recycling project and that's a great adventure!
Closing Prayer: Thank you, God, that you never throw us away, you always find meaning in our lives and call us toward your holy purpose. Help us to embrace the adventure of becoming your recycled people! In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, revisit the story of Lazarus' death and resurrection inviting the students to play the roles of Jesus, the disciples, Mary and Martha, and Lazarus. Go through the skit enough times that everybody has a chance to play the parts they want. Ask them to think about how Mary and Martha must have felt when Lazarus died. They must have been sad, angry, confused. How did they feel after he was resurrected? They were shocked, happy, and maybe confused again. They felt this way because they thought Lazarus' death was an end, and they couldn't imagine anything good coming out of it. Now encourage the children to think about Lazarus. How did he feel when he came back from the dead? He was probably excited, joyful, and maybe confused. If they were in Lazarus' position and had this amazing experience of resurrection, what would they do with their new life? Possibly share the good news with everyone they met, write a book about the experience, or spend time praying in thanksgiving to God. Ask the students to think of some endings they've experienced in their own lives. This could include changing schools, moving to a new house, having a friend move away, or welcoming a new baby to the family. What were the hard things about that ending? What kind of new things came into their lives as a result?
An activity you can try is based on another scripture passage assigned for this Sunday, Ezekiel 37:1-14: the Valley of Dry Bones. Have the students act out the scene as you describe it. You can reference the script attached to this message for an idea of how to proceed. The lesson of the Valley of Dry Bones tells us that even when things look completely dead, we're not to be fooled. God is always bringing a new beginning to every "dead" place in our lives. Close with prayer.
