Introduction
God is a God of miracles. The greatest miracle was His complete defeat of death. He died on the cross and three days later rose from the grave. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.
Program Ideas
Dye Easter Eggs
Supplies: Boiled eggs, hosiery, onionskins, cabbage, flowers, leaves and dill
Preparations:
- Slice the cabbage in small pieces.
- Cut the hosiery widthwise into five–inch pieces.
Directions:
- Place a flower, leaf, or dill sprig over an egg.
- Wrap the hosiery over the egg; pull and tie tightly to hold in place.
- Repeat the steps for the rest of the eggs.
- Transfer the onionskins and cabbage to separate pots.
- Place the eggs deep into the cabbage leaves (for blue) or onion skins (for golden).
- Fill up the pot with water.
- Bring the pots to a boil over medium heat.
- Turn off the heat, cover the pots with a lid and allow to cool.
- Keep the pots in the refrigerator for five hours or overnight.
- Remove the pots. Cut the hosieries off and clean the eggs with a napkin.
Beaded Eggs
Supplies: Styrofoam eggs, ½ inch straight pins and sequins.
Directions:
- Push the first sequin pin on the top of the egg.
- Work around this pin, adding more sequins around the first sequin in a ring. For this project, I added pins that were just threaded with a seed bead around the top sequin.
- Continue this way, changing colors of the sequins for each band you make.
World Services
Rather than purchasing eggs as a gift, have you thought of making a SA Justice gift? Purchase chickens through SA Justice and make a difference in the lives of people experiencing extreme poverty in many nations across the world. Check the website www.sajustice.us for further information. A chicken provides people with food to eat but also a product to sell (eggs). What better way to celebrate new life, by giving life?
Suggested Songs for Worship
Miracles—Jesus Culture
“Is There a Heart O’erbound by Sorrow?” #246*
“Christ The Lord is Risen Today,” #143*
“How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds,” #58*
*The Salvation Army Song Book
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
John 11:25
Everybody loves a comeback. It’s like the game you think is lost, then all of a sudden the tide begins to shift, and before you know it the underdog has been victorious. There are lots of stories of individuals who’ve had major setbacks but were able to turn their lives around. Jesus performed many miracles during His ministry, but the most outstanding involved those He raised to life. These are the ultimate stories of comeback.
Mary and Martha knew Jesus well. They were close friends. They were very worried about their brother Lazarus and sent word to Jesus that he was sick. They obviously hoped that Jesus would come and heal their brother, but Jesus made the decision to stay where he was for two days longer. While Jesus delayed, Lazarus died. Finally, Martha heard that He was on the outskirts of town. She rushed out to meet Him. Jesus told her that her brother would rise from the dead and boldly declared, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” In this circumstance we see Martha’s faith grow. So how can we grow in our faith in troubling times and come to know our miracle-working God more deeply?
State your troubles (verses 20–21)
Martha was filled with grief when Lazarus died, and she boldly told Jesus what was wrong. In our lives, troubles come in all shapes and sizes—broken relationships, sin you can’t let go of, addiction you can’t break, and deep difficulties at work. We may experience an action that causes deep embarrassment and shame. We may be overwhelmed by debt, inconsolable grief or loneliness. Our first step in faith must be to state our troubles like Martha did. Jesus can turn them around.
Get close to Jesus (verse 20)
You have a choice to make. You can stay where you are or you can take a step towards Jesus. Martha could have stayed in her house or run the other way. Instead, we see that when, “Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met Him …” Even before Jesus entered the city, Martha went out to meet Him. Wherever we are right now, we need to take a step toward Jesus.
Tell Him your hurts (verse 21)
When Martha met Jesus, she told Him her hurts. “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died …” We too use the phrase “If only.” If only I’d done this, if so-and-so hadn’t done this to me, if only, if only. Sometimes we even blame God. Jesus knows our pain and feels it too. Verse 33 tells us that when Jesus saw Mary and the others weeping He was deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled. And then the shortest verse in the Bible—“Jesus wept.” You are not alone—Jesus loves you.
Learn who Jesus is
We should never be afraid of being real with God. He can handle our honesty, our attacks, the rawness of our emotions and He will speak truth into our situations: “Your brother will rise again” (verse 23). Once we see who Jesus is, it isn’t difficult to believe what He can do. It’s what happens when our knowledge of Jesus is turned into a personal relationship, when knowledge becomes experience, when we meet Jesus.
Martha had the knowledge, but Jesus interrupted: “I am the resurrection and the life (v. 25).” The literal translation is “I, even I, and only I, am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” The resurrection is not just an event, it is a personal experience. Jesus doesn’t just give life; He is life. There is no hope apart from Him.
Bible Study questions for John 11—I am the Resurrection and the Life
- Who were Mary, Martha and Lazarus? Siblings who were close friends of Jesus
- Where did they live? Bethany, about 2 miles from Jerusalem
- Why didn’t the disciples want Jesus to return to Judea? (v 7) The Jews wanted to stone Him, and kill Him
- How long did Jesus wait before heading for Bethany? 2 days
- How do you think Mary and Martha felt about Jesus’ delay?
- Has there been a time in your life when you felt that God did not respond as quickly as you felt He should? Did He later answer your prayers?
- How long had Lazarus been dead when Jesus arrived in Bethany? 4 days
- Why do you think that Jesus wept when He spoke with Mary about her brother’s death, even though He knew He was about to bring him back to life (resurrect him)? (John 11:32–36, 38) Scripture doesn’t tell us. Possible He felt compassion for Mary and Martha’s sorrow.
- How do the Pharisees respond to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead? Anger and fear, He must die. They were afraid of losing their dominant position in society
Close in prayer.
