Scripture
– John 11:1-44 NIV
Now
a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her
sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one
who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the
sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
When
he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for
God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved
Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he
stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us
go back to Judea.”
“But
Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and
yet you are going back?”
Jesus
answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the
daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a
person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
After
he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen
asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if
he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his
disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
So
then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was
not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Then
Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also
go, that we may die with him.”
On
his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four
days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had
come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When
Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed
at home.
“Lord,”
Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus
said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha
answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus
said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me
will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never
die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes,
Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is
to come into the world.”
After
she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher
is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up
quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was
still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with
Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out,
they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
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.”
When
Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he
was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come
and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus
wept.
Then
the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
But
some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept
this man from dying?”
Jesus,
once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid
across the entrance. “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.”
Then
Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of
God?”
So
they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you
that you have heard me. 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.”
When
he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 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.”
Bob’s
thoughts:
It
always surprises me what I remember when we revisit a church. I remembered the
pastor and worship leader, but little else; nothing outside looked familiar.
When we sat down almost in the same pew where we sat four years ago, I
remembered a couple with a baby who had a host of serious problems; I felt a
strong call to go to the narthex and lay hands and pray for this little girl.
My wife joined me to pray for complete recovery. When I tried to check on her
condition sometime later, we learned the couple were also first-time visitors.
The call to pray was so strong that I don’t doubt God answered prayers and
healed her.
When the
praise worship was to begin, there was the sounding of a ram’s horn and a long
brass horn that caught us both off guard. I had some trouble hearing after
that.
The
message was about Christ’s raising Lazarus. A thought that stuck out for me: “with
the resurrection, we will realize no joy in sin.”
A
highlight for me was the call to pray in gratitude before receiving a blessing.
Jan’s
thoughts:
It
has been nearly 4½ years since our last visit here. It is still a pretty
sanctuary, decorated much the same as I recalled. The windows were clear glass
block with pink glass block in the shape of a cross.
A
gentleman greeted us and kindly held the door for us to enter, and we were
welcomed by several folks prior to and after the service.
The
first 45 minutes or so consisted of worship through music. Though I was unfamiliar
with the songs, I enjoyed the impromptu use of bells and tambourines by members
of the congregation.
I
do not recall hearing a shofar or trumpet used in worship before, so the volume
surprised me, though they were intriguing.
The
message was entitled “Jesus’ Perfect Timing” in which the pastor taught through
the Scripture about the death and raising of Lazarus.
She
stated that Thomas, also known as “the twin,” is believed by some to have been
called that because he looked so much like Jesus. This is the first time I’ve
heard this. I always supposed Thomas must have had a twin. She pointed out this
would have put him at special risk…a remarkable perspective.
The
pastor told a personal story about an issue faced by her late husband. Some
time after they had buried two of their children, her husband was losing his
eyesight. One day he heard God urge him to praise Him. Her husband obeyed and
his sight was restored. The pastor pointed out that when we pray for things, we
should be thanking God in faith even before we see His response.
She
pointed out a striking detail of the story of Lazarus also: when Lazarus walked
out of the tomb, Jesus instructed those nearby to remove his graveclothes, knowing
at some point Lazarus would need them again. But when Jesus left His tomb, He
left His graveclothes behind as He would never need them again. A nice touch, I
think.
Our
prayer for this church:
Heavenly
Father, we pray Your continued blessing on Your small church full of prayer
warriors. Amen.
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