Open the Word

Adult & All Age

Open the Word: Dead or alive

Ideas for sermon preparation

Is this a story about a corpse, or is it about life?

The ‘impossible possibility’ of resurrection which is at the heart of the Christian faith is, perhaps, the key to this story and the journey through Passiontide to Easter day. What is John doing in this account of Lazarus? Is he saying that Jesus is God and therefore can do ‘God things’, even raising stinking, dead corpses to life? Or is there a similar but more subtle message? That God is about those things which give life to the people of God, which free us, unbind us, release us — and that therefore we should be about such things too. Help people to ponder on the things in their lives which are life-giving.

In the play Lazarus Laughed by Eugene O’Neill written in 1925, Lazarus says, ‘But I tell you to laugh in the mirror, that seeing your life gay, you may begin to live as a guest, and not as a condemned one!’ How would it feel to be given your life back after facing or even passing through death? Those who have had near death experiences often talk about being ‘dragged’ back to their bodies on a hospital bed from a place which was full of light and love. How does that compare with O’Neill’s Lazarus who now lives as a guest with joy rather than one waiting for death?

The temptation for us sometimes is to look for new life somewhere in the future — better relationships, justice, happiness, hope — to be yearned for at the end of time or at the judgement day. But many Christians believe in what the theologians call ‘realised eschatology’ which means that the end-time things are also the now things. As Jesus stresses, ‘the kingdom is among you’. We are already on the journey of eternal life — it doesn’t start when we die or on the day of judgement. Sometimes facing our own death through imagination — perhaps thinking what we would like our obituary to say or the tribute at our funeral, can help us see the parts of our life which are ‘on hold’ waiting for the time in the future when everything will be somehow better. Jesus said ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly’. (John 10.10) We might add: now!

In Stanley Spencer’s painting, The Resurrection in Cookham Churchyard , those from the village whom he knew so well are rising out of their graves, brushing the soil from their clothes and resuming their lives (see Further resources ). But for Lazarus, and for Jesus himself, the experience they have undergone has marked them forever. How do the experiences we all live through mark us and mould us?

Open the Word: Are we our bodies?

Ideas for sermon preparation

In the 2007 episode of Dr Who called ‘The Lazarus experiment’, Dr Who says ‘facing death is part of being human — you can’t change that’. In what way might meditating on our own deaths be a profitable thing to do? After all ancient cathedrals are full of images of cadavers and skeletons to remind people that ‘you are dust, and to dust you shall return’. (Genesis 3.19)

When our identity becomes solely attached to our physical bodies we can become terrified of how we look or how fit we are, fearful of wrinkles or cellulite! And when we die we have little concept of that part of us which is truly ourselves, living on — how could it without its body? Jesus doesn’t seem afraid of real physical bodies — and not just perfect ones either, he doesn’t even seem to mind a decaying corpse. St Paul struggles to explain what happens after death, but Jesus’ focus seems to be on the way we live our lives and treat each other here and now, with a simple reassurance that there will be a place for us with him in heaven.

Perhaps the best way to enter this story of Lazarus is to pray it in the Ignatian style, using the imagination. After the Gospel has been read, Invite people to close their eyes and imagine they are present with the crowd at the tomb of Lazarus. Encouraging them to spend time hearing the sounds, smelling the smells, feeling the heat and dust, seeing the scene before them as if they were there. Invite people in their minds to take on the role of one of the main characters, Mary, Martha or Lazarus — or maybe a by-stander to the events. Read the passage again gently and, as the story unfolds, encourage people to engage with Jesus personally, sharing with him how they are feeling and having a conversation with him. Why didn’t he come straight away? What’s so special about Lazarus? Or perhaps they will hear Jesus call their own name — call them to come forth into life. Allow time for returning from what, for some people, can be a very powerful experience with God and suggest people may like to share with a trusted friend or jot down in a journal what happened for them so that they can return to it another time.

It has been said that the first half of life is about gaining control, becoming independent and successful — and the second half is all about learning to let go of control, being able to accept help, putting success and power in their right place, until we reach the final letting go into God’s arms at death. Perhaps the gift of older age is this wisdom.

Children & Young People

Open the Word

Ways of presenting the Bible passage to children and young people

For children

New life

The set passage is very long and it may be best to retell the story in your own words. It would be even better if you have a copy of one of the Greek or Russian icons — see the website links in Further resources . Reproduce this to about A4 size and hold it in front of you like an icon as you tell the story. Look down at the picture as you tell the story.

Try to focus on the image, this will help the children focus. Don’t over-dramatise towards the end: let the narrative do its own work. You could also retell the story using the different coloured cloths.

You could freeze-frame the different parts. Different members of the group could become the different people, using the coloured lengths of cloth, each telling the group who they are and their relationship to Jesus.

You could use these words.

Here is a story showing us who Jesus is. It tells us about Jesus and life. When Jesus came close to people, they changed. They could see things they’d never seen before and do things they’d never done before.

Jesus came so close to people that they became his friends, and one of the closest was his friend Lazarus. Lazarus had two sisters called Martha and Mary and they were also close friends of Jesus. They sent news to say that Lazarus had died.

Jesus and the other disciples were not close to the place, they were far away. Jesus waited for several days and then decided to visit his friends. He told the disciples that Lazarus had fallen asleep. They were confused and didn’t understand him. Jesus then had to tell them clearly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’

When they arrived near the cave where Lazarus had been buried, Martha came to meet him. She was full of grief and anger. She felt that if Jesus had come sooner her brother would not have died. She wanted Jesus to do something. Jesus came close to her and said, ‘Your brother will rise again’. Martha believed that this would happen on the last day. Jesus came very close to her and said something strange: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will never die.’ It was as if Martha saw Jesus in a new way.

She then went back home to fetch her sister Mary. There were many people there and they all came back to the cave. Mary saw Jesus and fell on the ground and started to cry. She had also wanted him to come earlier and help. When Jesus came close to Mary and saw her distress he also began to weep.

Jesus then came close to the cave and asked people to take the stone away. Martha said that the smell from the cave would be terrible as Lazarus had been dead for four days. Jesus came close to the opening and prayed to God.

He came really close to the opening and shouted with a loud voice ‘Lazarus come out’. Lazarus came out wrapped in strips of cloth. ‘Unbind him’, said Jesus, ‘and let him go’.

This is a story showing who Jesus is, a great sign which tells us about Jesus and life.

For young people

What do you think?

Read verses 1-6. Talk about Jesus’ friendship with Lazarus and his sisters. How did Jesus feel? How did Mary and Martha feel? Read verses 17-35. Why did Jesus begin to weep? Does that teach us anything about Jesus? Read verses 38-44. How would you have reacted if you had seen this? How might Mary and Martha have felt? Why do you think Jesus brought Lazarus back to life?

Good news, bad news

Divide the young people into two groups. Ask one group to stop you when they hear some good news and the other to stop you when they hear some bad news.

Read John 11.1-45.

What do you think?

Read the Bible passage to the group.

Lazarus was raised from the dead. Invite the group to imagine they are an investigation team from a TV research programme looking into scams or cons. They should create a TV programme that looks into the alleged events of this day and interviews witnesses. Some characters should try to suggest it was all a scam to give Jesus some publicity. Their final interview should be with Lazarus himself and the story should be presented in a ‘we can’t quite believe it, but it is true’ finale.

The interviewer may ask the following questions, or similar, of each witness:

What did you see? What did you think was happening? How did people react?

Story: Remember

A children's story about Jo, who remembered something at her great-grannie's funeral

Jo was 5 and she loved her great grandma loads. Great-grandma had been rather strict with her own children but Jo seemed to bring out the child in her again. She loved it when Jo came to visit her in her room. To everyone's amazement, she said, 'I'm not going to be called Great-grandma. You can call me Granny Annie.'

Jo always muddled it up and often said Annie Granny. Everyone thought that strict Annie would go mad, but she loved it and said, 'Just call me Annie.' Then one day Granny Annie had to go into hospital and the doctors told the family that she would not live for much longer.

Dad told Jo that Annie was really ill and that she would die soon. Jo burst into tears and her dad held her close. Then after a while when the tears had gone Jo said that she wanted to go and see Annie in the hospital to say goodbye. She had a day off from school and sat on Granny Annie's bed and talked to her just like she did when she had visited her at home. The next day Annie died and everyone was sad. People tried to keep Jo out of the way because they didn't want her to get upset but Jo knew her own mind. She said she wanted to go to the funeral. She cried a lot.

The funeral directors after the service in the church said to Jo's parents that perhaps it would be better if Jo didn't come to the crematorium. Jo heard this and was really angry. She shouted at the funeral people, 'She was my Annie, and I'm going. You can't stop me!'

Jo sat holding her dad's hand and she cried a lot because she desperately missed Annie. After the service there were cakes and sandwiches at home and people started to remember the stories.

People talked about the past and the hard times in bringing up children. Then Jo said, 'I saw her do something naughty once.' Everybody stopped talking and looked at Jo! 'She drank her gravy off the plate, but she did look around to check if anybody was looking.' Everybody laughed and remembered so many things.

A week later, Jo went with the family to take Annie's ashes to the garden of remembrance. They were scattered in the same place where Annie's husband's ashes had been scattered before Jo was born. Jo put two small flowers on the spot and prayed for them both.