Jesus Knew How Scary It Is. He Knew How Sad It Is. And He Did Something About It.
Every child will face the reality of death — a grandparent who grows very ill, a family member who passes away, or the quiet, growing fear of what happens when someone they love is no longer here. These are among the hardest moments of childhood. And they are moments that need more than comfort. They need truth.
In Goodbye to Goodbyes, Lauren Chandler — whose own family walked through the shadow of her husband Matt Chandler's brain tumour — retells the story of Lazarus with the honesty, warmth, and hope of a mother who has used this very story to help her own children face fear and loss. She does not minimise how scary it is when someone gets really sick. She does not gloss over how sad it is when someone dies. She tells children that Jesus cried at his friend's tomb — that he felt the weight of death too. And then she tells them what he did next.
What Jesus did at the tomb of Lazarus changed everything. He showed that he came to give his friends life after death. He came to say goodbye to goodbyes — forever.
With vivid, moving, and beautiful illustrations by Catalina Echeverri, this book reassures children with the most amazing truth in the world: for those who trust in Jesus, death is not the end. The goodbyes are not forever. Because Jesus came to end them.
What This Book Covers
Lauren Chandler retells the story of Lazarus with faithfulness, warmth, and child-appropriate depth:
- The death of Lazarus — How Jesus' close friend became very sick and died, and how his sisters Mary and Martha grieved
- Jesus wept — The stunning, tender moment when Jesus stood at the tomb and cried — showing children that he truly understands grief and loss
- What Jesus did at the tomb — The miraculous and world-changing moment when Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave
- What this means for death — How Jesus' raising of Lazarus points to his power over death — and his promise of life after death for all who trust in him
- Hope for children facing loss — Warm, honest reassurance for children who are grieving, afraid, or trying to make sense of illness and death
- Jesus came to say goodbye to goodbyes — The central, glorious truth of the book: that Jesus came to end goodbyes forever, for all who are his friends
What Children Will Learn
- That Jesus understands how scary and sad illness and death are — because he experienced it himself with his friend Lazarus
- That Jesus wept at the tomb — and that their tears and fears are not something he is far from or unmoved by
- What Jesus did at the tomb of Lazarus and why it matters for every person who has ever faced death or loss
- That Jesus has power over death — and that he used that power to show he came to give his friends life after death
- That for those who trust in Jesus, death is not the final goodbye — because Jesus came to end goodbyes forever
- That they can bring their fears and sadness about death to Jesus — and find in him not just comfort but genuine, resurrection hope
- That the story of Lazarus is not just a miracle story — it is a preview of what Jesus came to do for all his friends
How to Use This Book
Goodbye to Goodbyes is sensitively written and immediately usable:
- Family reading — A wonderful book to read together at home, opening up honest and hope-filled conversations about death, grief, and the resurrection
- When a loved one is ill or has died — A warm, truthful, and reassuring resource for parents wanting to help their children process illness or bereavement in light of the gospel
- Sunday school and children's ministry — An ideal resource for teaching children the story of Lazarus and what it means for death and resurrection hope
- Pastoral gift — A deeply meaningful gift for a family with children who are walking through illness, bereavement, or fear of loss
- Easter preparation — A natural companion to Easter teaching, connecting the raising of Lazarus to the death and resurrection of Jesus himself
Who Should Read This Book
This book is for:
- Children facing the illness or death of a loved one who need honest, gospel-grounded reassurance that Jesus has power over death and that goodbyes are not forever
- Children who are afraid of death — their own or someone they love — and need the truth about what Jesus came to do
- Parents wanting to help their children face the reality of death with both honesty and resurrection hope
- Sunday school teachers and children's ministry leaders looking for a beautifully illustrated and theologically faithful resource for teaching the story of Lazarus
- Any family that wants their children to grow up knowing: Jesus came to say goodbye to goodbyes — forever
About the Authors
Lauren Chandler is an author, speaker, and worship leader, and the wife of Matt Chandler, Lead Pastor of The Village Church in Texas. When Matt was diagnosed with a brain tumour, Lauren used the story of Lazarus to help her own children navigate fear, grief, and hope — and Goodbye to Goodbyes grew out of that experience. She writes with the hard-won honesty of a mother who has sat with her children in the shadow of death, and the deep, unshakeable hope of someone who knows that Jesus came to end goodbyes forever.
Catalina Echeverri is an author and illustrator whose warm, vibrant, and emotionally resonant artwork has made her one of the most beloved voices in Christian children's publishing. Her illustrations for Goodbye to Goodbyes bring both the grief and the glory of the Lazarus story to life with a tenderness and beauty that makes this book as moving as it is visually stunning.
