Rotation.org Writing Team
Jesus Raises Lazarus
"I am the resurrection and the life"
LEGO or Story Table Drama Workshop
Summary of Activities
Students will construct and dramatize the Lazarus story using either LEGO characters and lego-built sets or a "Story Table" tabletop setting with posable action figure and props (or a combination of the two). They will also take part in a creative and fun reflection in which they will act out Jesus "breaking through" to resurrect them.
Attached to this lesson plan is a young readers' version of the Lazarus story that condenses and clarifies the text for young people.
About teaching with LEGOs and Story Tables in this Lesson
LEGOS and Story Table posable figures are two similar ways to dramatically re-create and explore any Bible story. They work especially well with stories like Lazarus that have several locations, many characters, and key props like a house, tomb, and cloth. For all intents and purposes, LEGO and Story Table workshops are DRAMA workshops on a smaller scale with figurines rather than live actors. This approach takes the pressure off of kids to read a script and perform. It feels more like play while still tapping kinesthetic (movement) intelligence. View our article and ideas about teaching with Story Tables and LEGOS.
The lesson plan below has "how-to" notes for both approaches.
1. You could go with a straight "Lego" set built by your students and then used to re-enact the story.
2. Or you could use your Story Table "kit"—which some churches already own, or could be easily assembled out of homemade props, scenery, and posable figurines (What superhero posable figure gets to represent Jesus? Who will Barbie be in the story? Mary or Martha?) Story "Tables" are tables upon which the kids and teacher create the story landscape, green felt, cardboard houses, etc.
This lesson also suggests you have a volunteer taking videos of the various steps of the lesson, including a "time-lapse" video of the construction time. See the tips below.
Scripture:
John 11:1-44 (See the condensed "readers version" of the story attached to this lesson.)
Key/Memory Verse:
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; and those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25,26 (Good News)
Lesson Objectives
See the Bible Background at rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives.
Preparation and Materials
- Read the Bible Background and scripture.
- A Bible storybook version of the story or print the attached condensed readers' version.
- A collection of legos, felts, posterboard, tape, and markers to construct Mary, Martha, and Lazarus' home in Bethany and the nearby tomb with stone.
- A collection of posable figures, either LEGO figures or other types of posable dolls, action heroes, dinosaurs, etc.
- Some white cloth in the form of a burial cloth (sack) for the Lazarus posable figure.
- A whiteboard or large sheet of paper and marker (to record timeline, characters, etc.).
- Recruit a volunteer with a cellphone that has a time-lapse setting on their video camera (which most tablets, iPhones and up-to-date Android cellphones do). Share the "notes to the video volunteer" found below.
- Have a screen and proper cable connection to show the video on a TV or larger monitor. (See this article for help if you aren't sure how to do that.)
See endnotes for simple landscape, home, prop and tomb, burial cloth construction.
For the Closing Reflection:
- Non-breakable mixing bowls 6" to 12" wide and 4" to 8" deep (to have the paper taped over), one per student.
- A roll of wide paper to cut into sheets that will drape over the edge of the bowls by at least 2 inches.
- A bag of thick rubber bands to hold the paper to the top of the bowl (like a drum head).
Lesson Plan
In the following lesson plan, the terms "poseable figures" and "tabletop set" are interchangeable with LEGOS characters and sets. Use either or use both together, it's all good.
Open
Welcome your students and explain how the lesson will unfold.
Show them one of your bowls with the paper cover on it and an action figure (or lego person) inside. Shake it a bit as you tell them about what you hope they will learn today about the resurrection of Lazarus—that it's a story about the hope for THEIR resurrection as well! Explain that this is a sad story about a person dying—which is something that will happen to all of us one day, but that it is also a very happy story that teaches us what God will do when we die.
Hear, Construct, and Retell the Story
Now show them all the construction items, props, and posable figures, and tell them that after they hear the story of Lazarus, they will have ten minutes to re-construct ("resurrect" even) the scenes of the story and prepare to RE-ENACT the story to the rest of the –classfrom memory.
Read the scripture using the young readers' version of the story created for this lesson. You may also use a condensed version of the story from your favorite Bible storybook. (Check to see that it isn't missing the key parts of the story!) You may choose to dramatically read the handout with your students, or have several volunteers prepare and present it.
Following the reading of the story, have the class create a timeline of the story on the board, including the scenes and characters. Fill in what they miss. This will be their construction guide.
Basic Outline of the Story
- Lazarus and his sisters in Bethany. Lazarus is deathly ill.
- Jesus and his disciples are several days away when a messenger comes.
- Jesus and the disciples wait.
- Back in Bethany, Lazarus dies and is buried.
- Jesus and the disciples arrive in Bethany four days later and are met by Martha.
- Jesus tells Martha that he is "the resurrection and the life."
- Mary comes out to meet Jesus. Jesus weeps.
- Everyone goes to Lazarus' tomb.
- Jesus prays and then calls Lazarus out.
- Lazarus comes out and Jesus says "untie him, let him go."
Now construct the scenes, and designate (or costume) the posable characters. Depending on how many construction supplies and students you have, you can split into different construction groups. If you only have enough material to construct one scene of the story, have the students take turns re-enacting the story for each other–verbally narrating the story from memory as they move the characters. Do not spend too much time on constructing the scenes.
Re-enact, Retell the Story using the Scenes and Posable Characters
The first time they re-enact this with someone reading the story out loud.
You can "play" the retelling a little bit like a game the second time around by covering up the outline the class created and seeing who can retell the story closest to the original. Depending on their age, you can add as much information as you think they need to keep improving their retelling. You can even cover up each of the ten scenes (as on the list above) and uncover only those which students get right in their retelling, while leaving others covered up until someone remembers to include it, or you give them a hint about it.
Questions to ask after the retelling:
- What was the reason Jesus gave for waiting to go help his friend Lazarus?
- What was the reaction of Martha and Mary when Jesus arrived?
- How would you have responded when you saw Lazarus walking out of the tomb?
- What would you have said to Jesus or asked him?
Video Tip: Your volunteer videographer should take some video of the construction step using their time-lapse video setting.
Video Tip: When it's time for students to retell the story, make sure the video camera is set to real-time recording (not time-lapse) and the students know to move the figures slowly and speak clearly. In time-lapse setting, no audio is recorded.
A Breakthrough Resurrection Reflection
The point of this playful reflection is to create a strong visual memory.
Invite each student to select a posable character that represents themselves. Have them put their posable character in a bowl and cover the bowl top with a sheet of paper. Attach the paper to the bowl using a rubber band. You now have a "tomb."
Hand out markers and have students write responses to the following questions and prompt on their tomb covering:
1. Write something important that Jesus said in today's scripture.
2. Write something that keeps you from following Jesus as closely as you should.
3. Write a prayer to Jesus asking him to bring you back to life (resurrect you) after you die and bring you to heaven.
One at a time, pass the "posable Jesus" to a student. Have them turn the bowl so that the paper covering is facing the rest of the students, then count to three and have the posable Jesus "break through" the paper to rescue the student's character.
Tip: If your paper is too thick, or the "posable Jesus" hand is too blunt or soft, the paper may not break. You can solve this by using thinner paper, or by making a small starter slit in the center of the paper covering the bowl. (Tip: Test paper and your Jesus figure in advance of class.)
Be sure your video volunteer captures this in "real-time" speed, not time-lapse. 
Some thoughts on the "break through" activity you can share:
Resurrection isn't just what happens when you die. It is also a power that can break through to us, rescue us now and begin restoring our soul in this life too! Imagine how Lazarus' life was changed after he truly knew Jesus was the giver of life. So too the power of the resurrection begins to transform YOU when you begin to believe and follow Jesus. What happens when our bodies die, is the next step in our resurrection, from this earthly existence, to our home with God in heaven. It's something we can't earn, but it is something we can ask for. (Kids are fascinated with these ideas, so be clear and be ready to answer questions.)
View all the videos! and close with prayer.
Adaptations
For younger children or those short on time, prepare some of the story setting ahead of time, and cut the paper for the bowls ahead of time. Instead of writing on the bowls paper have the children draw pictures. For very young children, use posable figures instead of LEGOs (which can take too much time for little hands).
Suggestions for Construction Materials and Posable Figures
Scenery: At a minimum, you will need a home in Bethany and nearby tomb covered by a stone.
- LEGOS
- Wood blocks
- A shoe box
- A rock
- Blankets and felt make good landscaping. See if your church has the old Betty Lukens Felt Board backgrounds.
Poseable Figures
- Any action hero will do. Wonder Woman and Barbie for Martha and Mary would open up some interesting discussion possibilities. Who would Hulk be? (Avoid preschooler age figurines like "Little People" as older children may balk at them.)
- Many families have "buckets" of plastic dinosaurs. WDWJB? (What Dinosaur Would Jesus Be?)
- LEGO people.
Props:
- Some strips of cloth for the Lazarus figure. Some strips of cloth to represent a "robe" for Jesus and maybe others. (In the top photo we simply folded a piece of white felt, stapled down only one side, leaving bottom and top open, and turned inside out so staples were inside. It allowed the Lazarus figure to stand up and easily slide in and out.)
- Churches who regularly use a "Story Table" in their Drama Workshop may have Bible figures, buildings and things like plastic trees. For more on those 'kits' read the Story Table forum.
Notes to the Video Volunteer Creating the Time Lapse Video
The typical iPhone or iPad time-lapse feature will condense 5 minutes of video into about a 30 second clip. Thus, you will probably want to create three or four different 5 minute clips.
Video clips you can create: (1) The kids' action figure or LEGO retelling of the Lazarus story. (2) Teaching and kids learning the Bible story. (3) Some fun close-ups of the kids working together to build their set.
Time-lapse tips: Time lapse video is best shot with your camera in a stationary position. Do a practice run at home before trying it in class. When taking the video of the re-enactment, have the kids do everything in s-l-o-w motion so the time lapse doesn't miss anything and lasts long.
Be sure you bring your powercord, adapter and an extension cord so that your device battery doesn't die on you. You will also need your cord to connect your device to a larger screen for showing. Check your storage as well–as four or five minute clips of video will take up space.
Written by the Rotation.org Writing Team
Copyright 2018, Rotation.org Inc.
Lego Tomb Scene photos courtesy of Luanne Payne, Hampton U.C., Hampton, Ontario
