Children's Message 3/29/20

John 11:38-44 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

What makes you smile? Flowers, especially bluebonnets make me smile. They are beautiful and they smell good. They remind me that Spring is here. Spring is a time when life comes back to the earth. The trees and flowers bloom, the birds come back and the activity of life is all around. Just as flowers can indicate Spring is coming, so in our Scripture lesson Jesus performed a miracle that indicated that something even more wonderful was coming. When Jesus heard that His friend Lazarus had died, He traveled to see Lazarus' sisters. Everyone was sad until Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and called him to come out of the tomb alive. Raising Lazarus was a wonderful thing, but it actually indicated that something even more wonderful was to come. In just a few weeks Jesus would die on the cross, be buried in a tomb, but then He would rise never to die again. Jesus' resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday also indicates something wonderful is still coming. Jesus promised, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies." With these words, Jesus promises that when we die, a new life awaits us in heaven. It might be hard to believe in the life to come when someone we love has died. But we can be sure of that because Jesus has the power to bring Lazarus back to life, and because He had the power to conquer even His own death on Easter morning. Therefore, as we believe, we can be sure He has the power to raise us and all believers and give us a new life in heaven.