Today's selected readings: – John 11: 1-45

Kid's Church talk: -

• How many of you (the children) have ever done any gardening?
• How good have you been? (Discuss)
• Have you ever found that some of the plants you put in eventually die? (Discuss)
• Why do you think this may be the case (Lack of care, watering, wrong location in garden etc)
• But have you also noticed that at certain times of the year plants appear to die (Especially bulbs) and then later in the year start coming back to life.
• Obviously they were not really dead, but dormant (explain)
• In todays story we read how Jesus was able to bring Lazarus back from what appeared to the dead.
• We don't know if Lazarus was really dead or was in a dormant state.
• We may well say "But how can this be so?"
• In the middle of Central Australia, a man saw his dog hit by a truck and thought he was dead. He buried his dog in a metre deep grave and headed back home (some 13km away). He was amazed to get a phone call to say that his dog was home and looking for him. He had (it seems) come back from the dead. (Actual Story)
• We don't know if it was like this for Lazarus or not.
• What we do know is that those who doubted Jesus were suddenly alive in their faith again
• Today we are reminded that we should be alive in our faith. Telling others about Jesus, showing by example, doing good deeds to people.
• This way, others will see we are serious about our love of Jesus, and want to be alive like us.

Kids Church Activity:
To make small posters affixing a branch to poster first and then gradually adding the leaves to bring the tree back to life. Stress to the children that sometimes a tree may look dead, but when the spring comes, so too does what looks like a dead tree, come back to life. When we live the example Jesus wants of us, we too can come alive for him. Slogan at the bottom of the tree to read "Jesus breathes life into us all"

What you need to get ready:
A4 sheet of card, tree branches, leaves, glue