Bible Study – All Saints Sunday
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
During the last weeks of Ordinary Time, the Gospel of Mark continues with the Kingdom of God is open for all people. We hear this message in the readings about the rich man, the disciples jockeying for position, the blind man, the saints, the poor widow, and even Pilate as he queries Jesus about being a king. We don't have to pass an entrance exam; we are already in the Kingdom. Through all the changes that occur in our lives, what will not change is God's love for each of us. The kingdom that Jesus is proclaiming is already here and yet is also still to come – the undercurrent of Advent, which is coming near.
We step aside from the flow of the Ordinary Time and celebrate All the Saints. We stop. We notice. We are surrounded by a flock of witnesses in our midst -- many who have gone before us, some we are just now releasing, and still more with a full life ahead of them. Jesus raises back to life his friend, Lazarus. Lazarus will eventually die, but for now, those who are following Jesus need to know that death has had its stinger removed. "Unbind him and let him go", says Jesus. Each of us, on our last day on this side of life, will know that unbinding and that letting go.
Today is All Saints Day. Can you define a "saint?"
Can you think of any saints?
Do saints have to be dead? (No.)
What would you think if I told you that you all are saints? (Saints are people who follow Jesus and that saints are not perfect, they just want to be close to God and do things that help them to be close to God.)
Opening Prayer: Thank you God, for bringing us saints as examples. Help us to remember that you also call each of us to be a saint. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to John 11:32-44 and read or read the scriptures below.
John 11:32-44
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “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.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 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.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 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.”
Reflection Questions: (See answers at the bottom of the pages)
- Why do you think Jesus brought Lazarus back to life?
- Did Lazarus eventually die?
- Why do you think we have this story for All saints Day?
Click here for the young learner’s lesson.
Videos (Click on url)
John 11:32-44: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtkeFJuIvxA
Gospel of John Summary: A complete Animated Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-2e9mMf7E8
Song: Jesus is My Best Friend – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCfHHotTAis
or What a Friend we Have Jesus - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwi_qKVI8lQ
or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szNpvGr0Ydc
Activities:
Each of us is a saint, and each of us is a different saint. Each of us has gifts that we bring to the world. So, each of us can make a Saint Medallion that stands for us alone. Saint Medallions are rocks with pictures or symbols that reminds and represent that saint.
You will need a rock and a paint brush to create your own medallion. If they are good at baseball, maybe they will want to paint a baseball or a bat, for instance. Or you can simply paint your rock in a color you like. Make sure you the medallion is dry before you handle it.
Go online to https://patriarts.com/ to see what a commercial company has done with saint medallions made from river rocks to get the idea of the craft suggested for today. Also check out the following website for ideas. https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=patriarts%20on%20rocks&rs=typed
Bible Art: Draw a Bible and cut it out. Trace your Bible front and back onto a piece of paper. Using various colored markers, decorate and write “JESUS WEPT” on the inside. Write some of the reasons that Jesus wept. Then write “Remember that JESUS cried and HE cries with us and understands!
Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/jesus-raises-lazarus-from-the-dead
Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead – Multiple Choice: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/jesus-raises-lazarus-from-the-dead-1
Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead - Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/jesus-raises-lazarus-from-the-dead-3
Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead – Maze: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/jesus-raises-lazarus-from-the-dead-4
Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead – Jumble: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/jesus-raises-lazarus-from-the-dead-2
Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for bringing us saints so we can learn from them. Be with us as we strive to be your saints and do those things you have called us to do. Amen.
Answers to the Reflection Questions:
- Why do you think Jesus brought Lazarus back to life? (We believe he wanted people to know that life will go on after death.)
- Did Lazarus eventually die? (Yes, but the Bible does not say when.)
- Why do you think we have this story for All saints Day? (Possibly because what was important to Jesus is that all of us are loved, all of us are called to be saints -- on this side of life as well as on the other side.)
