Lent Five
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Read the Gospel for the day over - John 11:1-45 it can be found online at http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/ALent/aLent5.htm
Pay attention to the words or phrases that jump out at you.
Read over the lesson so that you are familiar with what is intended to happen. Gather the materials that you will need for each section of the lesson. If you can, print up the picture for the week from the website. For deeper thinking or for ways to extend the lesson take a look at the following websites:
http://www.textweek.com/yeara/lenta5.htm
http://www.word-sunday.com/Files/a/5Lent-a/A-5Lent-a.html
http://www.efree.mb.ca/lectionarypuzzles/in-awmp.htm#lent05
http://www.silk.net/RelEd/Year%20A/5lentA.htm
Materials needed:
Small table or end of one table
Purple candle
Bible & Bookmark
Rocks of various sizes
Purple cloth (optional)
Cut out 5 large circles from constructions paper. On each circle draw the following emotion faces: happy, angry, sad, tired, and worried.
Gather around the small table or at the end of one table. If you have the purple cloth, put it down and place the candle in the middle of it. Have the children put the rocks around the candle. Ask the children if they know how many days of Lent have gone by since you were last together (6, because we do not count Sunday). You might want to talk about how long Lent has been now and how much closer we are getting to Easter.
Light the candle.
Pray the following prayer together:
Holy God,
We come to learn,
We come to grow,
We come to find Jesus,
Be with us in all we do. Amen.
Blow out the candle. Lay out the circles with the emotion faces. Ask the children to choose the face that shows the best that are feeling at the moment. After all the children have named how they are feeling go over each emotion face and ask them to describe the different faces. Explain that the story to be heard today will have all the emotions in it and that they are to listen for them as they take part in the story.
If you printed up the picture of the day from the website take a look at what is happening in it.
Materials needed:
Comfortable place to set up a story area - around a table or on the floor with cushions
Emotion faces from the Gathering section.
Teach the children the following chant:
We need Jesus, we need Jesus
To help us today
We need Jesus, we need Jesus
To show us the way.
Jesus had some special friends who lived in the town of Bethany. These friends were Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Now Lazarus got sick. In fact he got sicker and sicker. His sisters, Mary and Martha, were getting very worried. (Put the worried face down where the children can see it). Lazarus got so sick that he died. His sisters and all their friends were very sad. (Put the sad face down where the children can see it).
We need Jesus, we need Jesus
To help us today
We need Jesus, we need Jesus
To show us the way.
Jesus heard what had happened to his friend, Lazarus. He told his friends that it was time to go to Bethany. He arrived at Bethany and his friend Martha came out to see him. She was angry. (Put down the angry face). Martha said to Jesus, "If you had been here, my brother Lazarus would still be alive."
We need Jesus, we need Jesus
To help us today
We need Jesus, we need Jesus
To show us the way.
Jesus looked at Martha and told her not to worry (point to the worried face). He told her that everything was going to be okay. He gave her a big hug. Then Jesus said, "Take me to where you have buried my friend Lazarus."
At the same time, some other friends went to Mary and told her that Jesus was with them. Mary was feeling sad and tired. (Point to the sad face and put down the tired face.) Mary decided to go and find Jesus and tell him how she was feeling.
We need Jesus, we need Jesus
To help us today
We need Jesus, we need Jesus
To show us the way.
Mary found Jesus standing outside the grave of Lazarus. He was weeping and feeling very sad. (Point to the sad face.) Jesus looked at Lazarus' grave and began to pray, "God you know that we are all feeling sad (point to sad face). Our dear friend Lazarus has died. We are so lonely without him (point to lonely face). God can you please show all the people who are here how much you love Lazarus and how much you will do for all of us if we just ask you. Thank you God for everything you do in our lives."
Jesus then looked straight at the grave and told some of the people to take away the stone that was in front of the grave. He then yelled into the grave, "Lazarus come out."
Lazarus came out of the grave. Jesus told everyone to help him. The people were all feeling happy (put down the happy face) and so excited to see what Jesus had done. Everyone then knew that Jesus was someone special to God. They all wanted to learn more from him about what God was going to do.
We need Jesus, we need Jesus
To help us today
We need Jesus, we need Jesus
To show us the way.
Idea #1: Emotion Mobiles
This response will help the children to remember all the emotions that played out for all the different characters in the story from John's Gospel.
Materials needed: Construction paper, yarn, two straws or kebab sticks, hole punch, stapler, markers, stickers and anything else you might want to add to decorate the faces
Instructions: Cut out a set of emotion faces for each person in the group. Staple the two straws/sticks together in the centre so that it looks an ‘x'. Cut six lengths of yarn differing sizes. Give each child the prepared faces, yarn and mobile structure. Get them to punch a hole on the top part of the circle and help those who need it, to tie the yarn into the circle and then tie or staple the yarn onto the straws/sticks. Tie the sixth piece of string onto the top of the mobile where the straws/sticks meet for a hanger. Have the children decorate the faces as they would like to. As they work continue the conversation about all the different emotions Jesus and his friends had.
Idea #2: Pretzels
Pretzels have been used by Christians for a long time to help them remember that Jesus prayed before everything that he did. The pretzel when folded over looks like praying hands. Making pretzels together will emphasize how Jesus prayed to God before asking for Lazarus to be raised from the dead.
Materials and Instructions needed:
2 pkg yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
1 1/2 cups water
4 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup coarse salt
Mix 2 packages of yeast with 1 1/2 cups of warm water.
Add 4 cups flour.
Add 1 tsp salt.
Add 1 tsp sugar.
Mix, turn out on floured surface, punch down, then fold. Repeat punch/fold 10-20 times.
Make 6-8 small balls. Roll and shape. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
Place on greased cookie sheet.
Put in preheated 425 degree F oven. Bake 12 minutes.
Idea #3: Paper Cup Project
This idea will connect with the raising of Lazarus and the children's own personal lives and their relationship with God.
Materials needed: paper cups, white paper, large paper clips, glue, scissors, picture of Lazarus from the bottom of the lesson, chant from the story
Instructions: Photocopy the picture so that each child has one. Cut them out and cut out matching sizes of white paper squares. Print up the chant on the outside of the cup or onto pieces of paper that can be glued to the outside of the cup. Give each child a paper cup, the picture of Lazarus, a piece of white paper and a paper clip. Help to unroll the paper clip so that it is flat. Put the picture of Lazarus down so that it is facing the table. Put the flattened out paperclip in the centre of the page. Take the blank white square and glue it to the wrong side of the Lazarus picture with the paper clip in between. When you take each end of the paper clip you should be able to twirl it and see Jesus and Lazarus on one side and the blank paper on the other side. Ask the children when they are done this to think about something that they want God to change in their lives - get them to draw or write it on the blank side of the twirler. When they are done help to poke one end of the twirler through the paper cup (open end) and the other end through the opposite side. Show them the chant on the side of the cup. Explain as they think about what Jesus did for Lazarus they can ask God to help them when they need help.
Gather with the children around the worship table again. Relight the candle. Say the prayer line by line and encourage the children to repeat it after you:
Jesus be with us in Lent,
Jesus be near us each day,
Jesus be with our families. Amen.
Jesus raising Lazarus
