The Perfect Sacrifice

Blue skies, bright sunshine, all things green waving in harmony with the breeze. Pastor Brad welcomes us. "Good morning!" Brad stated that there is a lot happening here today, and our focus would be on the Lord's Supper. He mysteriously suggested that we may break out into dancing today.

Announcement

Brooke shared that VBS will be here in a week. We could use volunteers who can drive kids to and from VBS. There is also another need for a volunteer or two who can help lead kids from various stations to other stations. 

Darlene played another beautiful introit to lead us into worship, which was followed by the singing of a number of hymns along with the taking of our offering. During the offering two younger girls in the congregation performed a synchronized dane.

A variety of needs from our church family were shared as we entered a time of prayer.

The Perfect Sacrifice

Brad wanted to reflect today on the meaning of communion because many people do not grow up in the church and don't understand why Christian do this. Or why some churches do this one way, and others another way.

The Bible shows us that history is like a big U. It starts with perfection in the Garden and ends with the perfection of Heaven. But the story is dark, where we live.

It took three events to turn human history around: The Crucifiction, The Resurrection and this meal, the Lord's Supper.

In history ancient peoples from many cultures sacrificed animals. Many were sacrificing to appease or please the gods. Many strange rituals took place. 

Israel did something different with its sacrifices. There was an understanding that sacrifice was different, a visible way to address the problem of sin with a holy God. These sacrifices reminded Israel of the gravity of sin. And Brad explained there were several features of the sacrifice.

1. The animal taken was without flaw, without defect. 

2. The animal was to be blessed.

   See Psalm 51

3. The animal was then killed.
   Sin brings death.
   Exodus 24

Sacrifice was recognized as something costly. Sin was serious and forgiveness wasn't superficial or cheap.

The Last Supper is where Jesus explained what these sacrifices were all about. "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, He gave thanks, He broke it and said...'This is My body. Take, eat. Do this in remembrance of Me.'"

When we come to the table, it's not just us remembering. Something of Jesus comes shining through.

We all have a deep sense in our hearts that the world is broken, and somehow there has to be something done to set it right.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God."

Jesus was selected, without flaw or defect. He was blessed, and then He was taken to the cross.

Crucifixion, Resurrection. It was at this meal, the Lord's Supper, that Jesus explained the meaning of all these things.

After He broke the bread, He then passed the cup, saying, "This is My blood..."

He Lives!

Many guests and a lively spirit of celebration filled the sanctuary this morning as our church family assembled for worship. Brad welcomed us with a "Good morning! I'm grateful you're here to worship with us today." He went on to share that we would be looking at the passage in Luke 24 about the encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus.

Darlene ushered us into worship with an especially rousing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today!" This was followed by a having the congregation join in singing a variety of Easter hymns that have been inspired by this great day. The offering was taken with an accompaniment of Jesus Paid It All.

Kelly Smith read from Luke's account of the resurrection. Brad and Darlene's duet about the Lord's love poured out from the cross.

After a time of prayer, the women's choir came forward to sing the classic hymn "He Lives!" He is risen indeed.

He Lives!

Today is a day about life and death. Many of us grew up saying the prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, and if I die before I wake..." Pretty serious little prayer that we learned, and taught our kids.

At the end of Looney Toons cartoons, there was a character who said, "That's all, folks." But is it? Is death really the end?

Brad shared the story of Lazarus from the book of John. When Jesus learns that His friend is dying, He doesn't drop everything and go. He waits two days before hitting the road. Jesus does finally return, however, even though religious leaders tried to stone Him previously.

When Jesus finally arrived, Lazarus was already dead four days. Martha responds, "If only You had been here...."

Jesus says Lazarus will rise again. Martha says she believes it that he will rise someday. But Jesus goes further and says, "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?”

Do you believe this? That is a serious question. Martha says she does, but is she saying it because she believes or because this is supposedly the right answer.

There is a great tension in this scene, and ultimately Jesus wept.

He so wants to comfort them, and He weeps for this troubled world as well.

Jesus goes to where Lazarus lies in the tomb and instructs, "Roll away the stone."

“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?”

Lazarus indeed came forth. This incident made such an impact that the religious leaders planned to kill Lazarus again because many people were coming to believe in Jesus because of this.

"Friends, death is not the end. It's just a change of address."

Jesus is still asking people, "Do you trust Me?"

Brad shared a story about two men in an art museum. One of these was very good at chess. They came upon a painting of a chess match, with two players, one of whom looks like Satan. The chess player studies it and realizes that the artist made a mistake, because the king still had one more move.

Many examples were then shared where it appeared the end was at hand, but the King still had one more move. Those who say "it's over" and "that's all, folks" don't see the way it really is. Well, the King still has one more move.

Whatever you face, there is hope. This is God's promise.

The Great News of the Resurrection

Easter Sunday March 31
The landscape is still a blanket of snow so that the children’s Easter Egg Hunt before the service took place in the sanctuary. Energy was abundant as we gathered on this special morning to celebrate the true birth of the church, the Resurrection of our Savior, the day that everything in history changed.

Darlene and Drake began the service with a song of the Lord’s life, death and promise of His return as a lead-in to the singing of several hymns that have become classic for this season.

A number of new members were received into our church family this morning: the Stockes, Curt and Melissa Fernandez, Dewey Johnson , and Jeff Larsen

The Trio beautifully sang “I’ll Rise Again” as the offering was taken, a wonderful song and especially suited for this morning’s service of celebration.

Duayne read this morning’s Scripture from John 20:1-18 and then Ed Newman sang the familiar classic The Holy City. After a time of prayer, Drake and Megan performed a heartfelt, beautiful song of the power of the cross, and of Christ who became sin for us, paving a way for us to enter God’s family through His shed blood. Death is crushed through death… and life is ours to live. Amazing story, amazing love.

THE GREAT NEWS OF THE RESURRECTION
The event that happened on this day is the pivotal point of all history. But the story as related in the Gospel of Mark has an unusual conclusion Brad read for us Mark 16:1-8 which ends with the women fleeing in silence fearing to say a word to anyone. Some people don’t like this ending and have added what seems a better ending…

Christianity traces its history to a moment in time, to a single day. The four biographies of the life of Jesus and most of the events recorded about His life occurred during the last week of his life. When the resurrection took place the women who discovered that He was was not there knew it was true, but weren’t sure that it was good news.

There was a backstory to the resurrection story that is critical to understanding this event. Many people in those days had different conceptions about death including belief in an underworld. Most peoples believed life was an endless cycle.

Jewish people, on the other hand, believed that there was a great God who created all things and that one day this good God would step in and right all wrongs, heal creation and resurrect His people to enjoy the new creation. Where they got it wrong was that they believed it would all happen at the end of history, ushering us into the age to come. And it would be a group deal…. all would experience it together.

Jesus broke the rules. There was a different outcome than expected.

When Jesus said that He was going to die, the disciples were disheartened, even abandoned Him. But suddenly they changed, evidence that something spectacular must have happened. People in ancient times were not ignorant. They believed dead things stayed dead.

N.T.Wright notes that there were many messianic movements in those days. In every case the Roman authorities crucified these would-be messiahs. In only one instance did a Messiah rise from the dead…

The tomb was empty and afterward Jesus appeared to His followers. Both events were necessary. Jesus not only appeared to his disciples but to hundreds of others. If the tomb had been empty and no one saw Him after, the tomb could have been robbed. If the Romans could have produced a body, they would have.

The empty tomb was first witnessed by women. It's interesting that in those days, during court proceedings the testimony of women had no value. But the age to come had been inaugurated and its first witnesses were women.

The new life and the people of God are a resurrection community… It was not the end of the world, but the beginning of something more significant. Furthermore, Christ’s followers understood that it wasn’t just Jesus’ death. It was their death, too. He took the nails we deserved.

Brad concluded with a story about a man who'd spent much of his life living far from God. Over time he came to realize the limits of his own self-sufficiency and pride. He'd been to Bible camp, had spent years telling himself he needed more information before he could follow God, but eventually he became aware that it was a commitment issue. He'd never really surrendered his life to God.

The resurrection story is not just a moment in history. It involves us, and it's a step we need to take...  Have you taken that step?

Resurrection is not Good News only, it is True News. Guilt cannot separate you from God. You do not have to live in fear… You have a resurrection coming… Whoever you are, wherever you are, if you have taken a new step of faith, you have a resurrection coming…

Resurrection = Living Hope

We had a packed sanctuary this morning as we gathered to celebrate Easter on a sunny Sunday morning. Before the service we shared a delicious breakfast banquet and all the tables were filled. At a certain point in time the children gathered for an Easter egg hunt and then gradually we made our way upstairs for worship.

Pastor Brad greeted us with enthusiasm. "Happy Easter to you. I am glad you’re here to worship with us. This is the high point of the church year as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that we've been born again into a living hope… the hope of life eternal with God."

The quartet opened the service with “I’ll rise again.”
Then Brad declared, "Christ is risen!"
And the congregation replied, "He is risen indeed!"

If you're one who loves the old time hymns, this was a morning to be here as we sang the following classics: Christ the Lord Has Risen Today, I Know That My Redeemer Lives, Low in the Grave He Lay, and Easter Song

Scripture readings from Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 and Acts 10:34-43 preceded special music by the quartet, “He Died on the Cross.”

A time of prayer led us up to today's sermon.

Resurrection = Living Hope

Gospel text: John 20:1-18

I want to talk to you today about the significance of the resurrection. How big is the God that you worship? How big is your God? Because Easter is really the celebration of a huge God.

“I am the resurrection and the life," Jesus declared. The resurrection theologically means that Jesus is who He claimed to be. The resurrection demonstrates that Jesus could do what he said he was going to do. It is the certification and proof of His promises. And it authenticated His claim to be the Messiah.

The resurrection is the centerpiece of the Christian faith, Paul wrote. If the resurrection is not true, all these meetings and church services are foolishness. The resurrection is the hinge point of all history.

Before going deeper into the meaning of the resurrection for us today, Brad explored a different set of questions.

How long can a human body go without food? 30 days on average.
How long can we go without sleep? The record is about 10 days.
How far can a human walk before they keep over? The record for a man is something like 600 miles and for a woman 500 miles.
How long can a person go without water? 3 days. It's a life and death deal. We're highly dependent on water.

Now the Bible was written in a very arid part of the globe. A lot of parched soil with limited water. So when Jesus taught it's no surprise for Him to make references to water. He would talk about people with parched lives and parched souls.

One time He was at a well talking to a woman who was far from God and he said these words to her: "Whoever drinks of the water I give will never be thirsty again." This caught the woman's attention.

In John 7:37 Jesus said, "If anyone is thirsty let him come to Me and drink." If we have this huge God who can quench our thirst, what are you thirsty for?

First, people are thirsting for meaning in life. Where did I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? Is there a purpose to anything? Where am I going when I die? These are the great questions of life. People are thirsty to know the answers to these meaning of life questions.

When I think about music, Bob Dylan in 1963 wrote a song filled with questions. How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man? How many times must the cannon balls fly before they are forever banned? Here he is talking about the insanity of war. How many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free? He's talking about racism. How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see? Denial. And then he goes to the answer... "The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind."

The song hearkens back to Ecclesiastes where the writer, after experiencing all pleasure and unrestrained living and ended up discovering wealth and excess are all but a meaningless vapor, blowing in the wind.

Brad went on to cite T.S. Eliot's “a thousand lost golf balls” as a symbol of luxury's emptiness.

The search for meaning is intense. Some people think there are answers and others no answers.
All my life I had just enough kicks and thrills to know what pleasure can and can’t get, what money can buy and can’t buy, what relationships can give you and what they can’t…. and until I found Christ there was a hole.

These questions have been answered for me. It’s settled… I’m not at the place where I can’t get no satisfaction.

This thirst is a universal condition. Human beings thirst for deep connection. Sometimes my children just want to be held, want connection. Teens go to school and wonder, "Is there a group that I can belong to?" This need goes on and on in life. Every human thirsts for a deep connection.

Brad brought us back to the illustration in Jeremiah 2… God will fill you with His love, He will fill your cistern if you open up the lid. If you close yourself off to that, you will be like a leaky broken cistern that will never be filled.

Relationships will never fill you the way that the love of Jesus will fill you. Meaning from relationships has to be right-sized.

Another need that gnaws at us is that we have a thirst to be clean. Brad shared what it feels like to be bailing hay on a hot day, dust in nose and ears, grimy and sweaty. At the end of the day, you’re not thinking about girls or food or fun… you just want a shower.

The same goes for moral dirt. Human beings not only have an aversion to physical dirt, they also have an aversion to moral dirt. We know our hearts are weighed with guilt; we know we want to be clean. We are moral human beings who want our guilt washed away.

Psalm 51 David, who committed terrible moral sin with Bathsheba, called to God, "Cleanse me... and I will be clean. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow." The only way to become clean is to stand under the shower of the forgiving grace of our gracious God.

Jesus carried away our uncleanness and brought it to the cross.

Who needs a shower? There is not a case that is too bad to be redeemed. I need you, God, to wash away my sin.

One more thirst that we have, and it is again related to resurrection. We thirst for a grander vision. Christian faith is not fire insurance. The life we have this side of eternity is part of the calling. God not only has meaning for us, but wants us to be part of bringing meaning to others. “I’m going to restore this broken world one life by one life by one life.”

Jesus is alive and it changes everything. It quenches our thirst for meaning and for cleansing and for a grander vision beyond themselves. God has a grander vision for our lives. My job is to say God has a purpose for your life, but you have a responsibility to work that out, between you and God.

Maybe today is the first day of the rest of your life.

How Big Is Your God?

Friday evening, we shared a thoughtful, reflective Good Friday service called Tenebrae. Tenebrae is Latin for “shadows” or “darkness.” As music and readings detailing the events at Calvary were shared, the candles were slowly extinguished. We remembered the price Jesus paid to redeem us from our sins. We remembered His last words, and shared in the solemnity of that experience. It was very special service. The sparseness of the sanctuary and somber mood stood in stark contrast to the color and excitement we encountered this morning upon entering.

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Jesus is alive!

We shared an Easter breakfast downstairs at 9:00 a.m., followed by an Easter Egg Hunt for the younger ones. The service itself began with the customary greetings, a brief announcement about the building committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, and a time of worship.

Because Resurrection Sunday is a time of new beginnings, we received a batch of new members into the church family this morning. They were: Tony & Jeannette Ciaccio, Roschelle Landsverk, Brent & Ann Lee, Norm & Mae Livgard, Ed & Susie Newman, and Rob & Jen Strom.

The Scripture readings and a time of prayer followed.
Psalm 118:1-4, 14-24
Acts 10:34-43
Matthew 28:1-10

Shylee Smith Lunde then shared a beautiful solo with us after which our pastor, Brad Shannon, began his message.

How Big Is Your God?

Brad began with how kids when their little love to spread their arms and say how big they are. Or how big their love is, or whatever. But the real question on the table this morning, Brad stated, is this. How big is Christ in your life?

Jesus claimed to be God in human form and He verified His claims by rising from the dead. Jesus is alive!

The apostle Paul, in I Corinthians 15, called the resurrection the hingepoint of history. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead affirms the faith, and certifies that all He said was true.

At this point Brad detoured to ask questions about our human limits. How long can we go without food? 30 days. How long without sleep? 10 days. How many hours can we dance? 100. How far can we walk? 500 to 600 miles. But how long can we go without water? Only three days.

Water is central to our lives. And in the especially arid Middle East, water is an even more pressing concern. This is in part behind the point Jesus was making when He encountered the woman at the well in John 4. The idea of an eternal well that would flow up without end captured her imagination. Jesus was speaking of the well of living water that flows from God, the only well that really satisfies our deepest thirst. The rest of the sermon focused on the thirsts most common to humankind.

First, our thirst for an answer to the meaning of life... Brad cited several songs from the 60’s which wrestled with life’s tough questions, including Bob Dylan’s Blowing in the Wind, Simon & Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence, and the Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.

T.S.Eliot, who became a Christian after rejecting the futility of the modern world’s empty path once wrote about the condition of godless man in this manner.

And the wind shall say:
"Here were decent godless people:
Their only monument the asphalt road
And a thousand lost golf balls . . ."

A second thirst that is common amongst us is the thirst for community. We desire to be connected, to be part of a group, to have peers, friends, relationship. We all seek deeper connections. But what is it that we really seek?

The prophet Jeremiah wrote, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jer. 2:13)

Every heart is like a cistern. When we open the lid and allow God to fill it, indeed He fills it to the brim and overflowing. If we try to fill our hearts with something else, it leaves us empty.

Brad cited an amusing story about a relationship he had with a girl that he thought was special, but she pushed him away. At the time he thought she was his everything. But after the third rejection, God spoke to him and said, “She’s not your everything. I am your everything.”

A relationship with God is the deep connection we all seek.

The thirst to be clean is a third longing we all have. Brad shared how when he was mowing fields on a hot summer day, getting all sweaty and having the swirling dust stick to his skin… he had only one thought pre-eminent in his mind. “I’ve got to have a shower.” It feels good to be clean.

Likewise, our souls have an aversion to moral dirt. Some of us have lived large portions of our lives stained by our acts. Some of us wonder, “Would people still love me if they knew who I really was and what I’ve really done?”

In Psalm 51 David pleads, “Cleanse me… wash me… create in me a pure heart.” This is the deep thirst of every human heart. And when we look at the cross, what Jesus did for us, it satisfies this deep longing, for Jesus took on our sin, our uncleanness, to make us clean. Who needs a shower? Humble yourselves… He wants to wash you.

The final thirst we share is for a grander vision. Several of the disciples had been fisherman. It was a commercial activity that provided for their families. But Jesus offered them something more, to become fishers of men. To work with Him to restore a broken world. To the disciples, and to us, He puts forth this question: Are you about dollars or destinies?

Jesus is alive. When you find God’s grander vision, you’ll see… this is it.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday Services

Our usual blog writer is on a trip, leaving me, his wife, to attempt the blog. I found the Good Friday service so powerful that I was completely immersed in the solemnness of the commemoration of Jesus death, and only remembered two-thirds of the way through it that I should be trying to take notes for a blog. There were a series of Scripture readings by various people in the congregation about the death of Christ, followed by reflections by Pastor Brad. Each time a reading was finished another candle was blown out and the lights dimmed until we were in darkness. We departed in silence, with none of the usual cheerful greetings and chatter. Darkness had fallen outside as well. Walking to our cars I truly felt that I had just been present at someones death.

Easter morning began with a generously supplied breakfast of various egg bake dishes, muffins, and fruit. The basement was so crowded a table was set up upstairs to accommodate everyone. Brooke had organized an Easter egg hunt for the children.

The service began with a question from Pastor Brad, "Do you feel it?... Do you feel the power of the resurrection in your life?" We often minimize the Gospel to be the "minimal entrance requirements" to get into heaven. Jesus had one message, one Gospel, The Kingdom of Heaven, which was to make "up there" come "down here."

We sang a series of joyful Easter hymns, then welcomed into membership thirteen new members. Paula Saxin gave a children's message, for which it seemed like dozens of children streamed forward. She told a well known story about Jesus' life, throwing in some not so true aspects, to see if the children were listening and would notice and correct the fallacies. They did a good job. Then just before the message Dana sang a stirring and lively Amy Grant song, Sing Your Praise to the Lord.

We Are Risen
Brad began the message by stating that there are plenty of explanations that make the empty tomb believable, but that would not be the focus of the message today. Rather, what difference does the resurrection make for you or for me?

In 1943 there was a man named Gerkner Joerg, a German soldier who served under Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, The Desert Fox. A British man captured Rommel's crew and Joerg was put in a prison camp in the U.S. In 1945 he slipped past a guard and ran. For years afterward he continuously was on the run to avoid being found out. He became a tennis instructor, then a ski instructor who helped to save many when there was a train wreck in the Donner Pass. After 20 years of running and moving from place to place one day his wife said, "Why?" and he finally told her the true story about his escape from the prison camp. She said, "You need to go to the department of immigration and naturalization now. THE WAR IS OVER!" He did go, and they made him a U.S. citizen. How many of us live under pressure and condemnation and don't even realize that through Jesus' death and resurrection we have been given life and redemption.

For the disciples, the dream of the kingdom being near that Jesus had incited in them was crushed when He died. At that point they had no hope. They needed something to hang onto.

What difference does the resurrection make? Where do you find hope in the failed situations of life? We have the hope of resurrection. That hope is not only life beyond the grave. Hope overturns a variety of disasters in our lives...
disasters of faith,
abandonment,
doubt,
confusion.

Peter failed by denying Jesus. His disaster was one of faith, but later (as told in John 21) Jesus reinstates Peter to his new vocation. Maybe you have fallen short. Because of the resurrection there is hope and forgiveness.

Mary Magdalene saw Jesus, who had accepted and loved her, die and be placed in the tomb. She had nowhere to go, she faced the disaster of abandonment, but finds that in the resurrection is the promise of God's presence.

Thomas' "disaster" was that of doubt. He stated that unless he sees the marks in Jesus' hands he will not believe. But Thomas was not only a doubter but a confessor. When Jesus shows him his hands he says, "My Lord and my God!" If you have doubts keep asking questions because beyond the doubts is a serious faith.

The disciples were all experiencing the disaster of confusion. In Matt. 28 Jesus appeared to them and they worshipped Him but some doubted. Directly thereafter Jesus commissioned them to go make disciple of all nations. Beyond the disaster of confusion is a mission.

Why did Jesus do it? Why did He die for us?

In 1878, Victoria was Queen of England. Her third child, Princess Alice had a 4 year old son who contracted black diphtheria and was quarantined by the doctors. His mother was strictly warned not to go near her son. One day she overheard her son ask the nurse "why doesn't my mommy kiss me anymore?" It broke her heart, and she ran in and smothered him in kisses. Within a week they were both buried. Romans 8 reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Jesus smothers us with his love, like Princess Alice did her son, even though it cost Him His life .

The Day Jesus Cried

In his opening welcome, Pastor Brad Shannon said, “I’m delighted you are here today to worship with us. We have a God who meets needs and who meets people where they are at.” This introduction set the tone for today’s message.

Announcements of importance this morning included notification that we will be celebrating a Good Friday Service at 7:00 p.m. on March 21, and that Easter morning we will be having a breakfast here are the church 9:00 a.m. instead of Sunday School.

Today’s Scripture readings were from Psalm 130 and Romans 8:6-11.

Today’s sermon was titled The Day Jesus Cried from the well known account of Lazarus in chapter eleven from the Gospel of John.

My favorite verse as a child, Pastor Brad said, was John 11:35. “Jesus wept.” The reason was not noble, he noted. It was the shortest verse in the Bible. “It only took me two days to memorize,” he said, tongue planted in cheek.

He recalled for us instances in Jesus’ life demonstrating our Lord’s strength and authority. It was a powerful man who challenged the moneychangers in the temple, turning over their tables, driving them out with a whip. He was a man not afraid to confront demons, casting them away wherever He encountered them. He essentially told the disciples to follow him, men who were rugged themselves and accustomed to hardship. He said, “Follow me,” and they followed.

So, why would the God of the universe cry? It is a question Brad asked at Bible Camp as a youth and the reply was not unlike what many people might have said. “Jesus is human, just like you, so when His friend died He was saddened by this.” Which sounds like a good enough answer, until you actually read what the Bible really says.

There are a number of clues that point to the real reason Jesus wept. But before we go there, Pastor Brad said, he asked us to close our eyes and think about the things that trouble us today, the burdens we are carrying. After this brief moment of reflection, we returned to the sermon.

Clue #1
The first clue can be found in verses 3 and 4. Jesus’ friend Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, was sick. The sister sent word to the Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death.”

Jesus planned from moment one to raise Lazarus from death. Death is a period, not a comma. Dead is dead. But Jesus knew He had come to change this all around.

One day there will be a funeral here (at New Life Covenant) and it will not be the end. Instead, we shall proclaim, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Clue #2
In verses five and six we read that even though He loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus, “when he heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.” A better translated shed light on verse five that it was because He loved them that He waited two more days. Jesus is excited about what He is going to do. There is no sadness in the text at this point.

And so, at verse seven He says they should go back to Judea. One of the disciples, speaking up on behalf of all, said, “But Rabbi,a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?”

The Lord’s response is a curious one here. "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." Essentially He is saying, “If you are with Me, it doesn’t matter.”

Clue #3
As if to sum up what is really going on, Jesus spells it out: “Lazarus has fallen asleep.” It’s a temporary state of affairs.

Clue #4
When the disciples fail to “get it” Jesus spells it out. “Lazarus is dead.”

How did the disciples respond to this news? Thomas showed his confidence (or lack thereof) by saying, “Let us also go that we may die with him.”

Was Jesus, who knew everything that was going on here, sad going into this? No. He had the gift of life and was about to deliver it.

Clue #5
Verse 23 is clue five. “Your brother will rise again,” He said. But Martha responds in a dismissive way. She still doesn’t get it.

This is the context for that wonderful affirmation of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Pastor Brad made several powerful statements here that our blog writer is inadequate to convey. First, that it is no good to sing songs and feel good unless we really believe what we’re doing. “And the only proof that we really believe what we’re singing is when we act on what we believe.”

Then the other sister came out and said, “If only you’d been here my brother would not have died.” Jesus saw her weeping and the other Jews who had come along weeping and He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. It does not say that when He saw the grave where Lazarus had been placed he wept, but rather when He saw His people suffering needlessly, carrying on their own shoulders a burden He didn’t want them to carry, oblivious to the promise and hope He had just offered, burdened and buried in the sin of disbelief...

It was here that Jesus wept.

When I got up the day before yesterday, God almighty Himself was standing beside my bed, like He stood by yours this morning and mine this morning. And He says to each of us, “You’re going to face some things today that you have no idea what’s coming.” Perhaps it will be a relational conflict that will break your heart. Or some other kind of pain or crisis. Jesus says, “I have what you need. Trust Me. I can feel the pain in your heart. Give it to me.” Jesus has promised to make your yoke lighter.

When we wallow in our sorrow, the Lord weeps. What gives the Lord great joy is when we put our trust in Him.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.