Object Lesson:

Display pots of soil, a watering can, and a seed packet.

I am going to plant seeds in these pots. Over the next few weeks as we see them growing, they will remind us of the new life Jesus brings.

Shake the seed packet near the microphone so those nearby can hear the rattling of the seeds. Tear the top off the seed packet and attempt to pour the seeds into the soil while squeezing the seeds so they can't come out.

Hey, these seeds won't come out. They're in there, all right. I can hear them rattling around. But they won't come out.

Speaking to the seeds: What's going on?

Seeds: We don't want to come out.

What do you mean, you don't want to come out? Who ever heard of such nonsense?

Seeds: We don't want to get dirty. It's nice and clean in here.

Look, this is ridiculous! You're seeds. It's your job to go in the dirt.

Seeds: We're going on strike.

Listen, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise.

Seeds: How do we know we can trust you?

You'll just have to get to know me. I've never met seeds that didn't want to get planted. What's the problem?

Seeds: We're afraid.

Afraid? What on earth are you afraid of?

Seeds: We don't want to get buried. We don't want to die.

That's it? You're afraid of dying?

Seeds: Yes. We've seen it happen to all our friends. They get buried, and that's the end. We never see them again.

But you did see them again. The plants that sprouted up—those were your friends.

Seeds: It sure didn't look like them!

That's because they had new bodies. The old bodies died, but they came to life in new bodies.

Seeds: Wow! Do we get to do that, too?

Speaking to the audience: No wonder the seeds were afraid: no one ever told them the good news about new life. Often people fear dying because they don't know what it's like. They've seen their friends go and never come back. It seems scary.

All that changes when we come to know Jesus Christ. He died a human death but rose to life again! Even more, Jesus promises that we too will rise to live with him forever.