I am the Resurrection and the Life

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this Jesus said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” John 11:1-27 

Suffering and loss are a part of life. During this time of year, the end of March and the first days of April, I feel loss in my body, even when my mind and spirit are not paying attention. My mother died at the end of March, and my being is troubled. In our story of the raising of Lazarus, we find Jesus in sorrow and suffering as all humans do. And he is able to raise his friend up from death, and promises to raise us all. In the midst of our lives, when we are overwhelmed with suffering, Jesus promises that we are on the verge of new life. It is hard to believe when we have such heartache, yet we can know that the Savior of the world understands our sufferings and our sorrows.

Precious Savior. one with our Creator

you wept by the tomb of your friend

you weep with us now as we suffer

and hold us close in your loving arms.

When we are broken and sorrowful

we cannot see the dawn arriving

we do not feel the new wind of hope

we cannot feel that love is being restored.

Help us in our fear and unbelief

to know your presence in our suffering

you are here with us at the tombs

and you will raise us all to new life. Amen.