Listen. Watch the prerecorded Children’s Message together. 

What are some of the things that Pastor Nate said we can see better in the dark?

Jesus is going to allow things to get dark for some of his friends that he loves. This is not the kind of dark when the lights are off, but the kind of dark when life gets sad and scary. He is going to do this so they can see something really special that you can only see in the dark. Look for that in this story. 

Read John 11:1-3 together. 

What scary thing is happening to Jesus’ friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus?

What do you think they want Jesus to do?

Let’s read the next section to find out what Jesus does.

Read John 11:5-6 together.

What does Jesus NOT do, even though he loves them?

How does Jesus make things darker for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus?

How would you feel if you were Mary, Martha, and Lazarus?

Jesus waits for two days and then he decides to go to see Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Is Jesus too late? Let’s find out. 

Read John 11:17-22 together. 

What happened to Lazarus while Jesus was away?

What does Martha say to Jesus when she sees him? How does she feel? What does she believe for Jesus? How dark is it now for Jesus’ friends?

Remember how we said that there are some things we can’t see unless it is dark? There is something special about Jesus that his friends can’t see unless it is dark. Jesus is now going to give us a clue:

Read John 11:23-26 together. 

What does Jesus promise Martha about Lazarus? 

What does Jesus say about himself?

Jesus says that he is “the resurrection and the life.” Resurrection means coming back to life after you are dead. But what does Jesus mean? Let’s find out.

Read John 11:33-40 together. 

How does Jesus feel when he sees his friends crying? 

What does Jesus tell them to do? Why doesn’t Martha want to do it?

So, Jesus is with his friends. It is very dark, life is really sad. Lazarus is dead. But remember how some things can only be seen in the dark? Jesus is about to show us something amazing. 

Read John 11:41-45 together. 

What do we learn about Jesus’ power? What amazing thing did he do?

What did many of the people do when they saw this? 

Respond. If this story is true, if Jesus has the power to raise people from the dead, what will we do?

How can we follow the example of the people in verse 45 who trusted Jesus?

How will we praise God? 

How will we trust Him as a family, even when it is “dark” (dark = life is sad or scary)?

Share. What is something simple that we learned that we can share with our friends, family, and neighbors. Who will we share it with? 

Activity. Build a fort with chairs and blankets, so that you can make a space that is “dark”. Then see what you can find in the house that you can see better in the dark under the fort. (Here are some hints: day-glo watches, alarm clocks that glow, phones, laptops, tablets, glow in the dark toys …)

Memory Verse:

John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”