Receiving Resurrection

Meditate on the Words of this Scripture: 

“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.'“

John 11: 17-21

A Reflection

Martha’s brother was very sick. But Jesus has received the news. It shouldn’t be long now.

Day 1: Jesus should have been here. Martha sent the message as soon as he took a turn for the worst. She has seen Jesus do great things for total strangers. They are his friends. Lazarus is on his deathbed. He dies. Jesus was told a while ago; how could he NOT come?

Day 2: Martha and Mary are meeting with the funeral directors. Mary keeps glancing longingly at the front office door. Jesus could still walk through those doors at any moment and reverse this. Why should we picking out a coffin for Lazarus when all this can change in a second?

Day 3: Martha lays out her brother’s grave clothes. She’s trying to stay in disbelief but the grief is turning into anger. Mary reluctantly chooses Lazarus’s favorite tie from the collection in the closet. Is Jesus who he says he is? Is death something beyond even his power?

Day 3: Mary and Martha are at the funeral. They reluctantly step out of the limo and into the small chapel lined with friends and family. The service is about to start. Amongst all the greetings, Martha is closely watching the train of people down the center aisle for any sign of him. Jesus, where are you? We are about to bury him!

Day 4: The sisters are sitting with loved ones in the living room looking through photo albums. One of the neighbors walks in and whispers something in Martha’s ear. Jesus is spotted outside the house. Martha angrily stands up and runs out to him. “You didn’t visit him! And you missed the funeral! But EVEN NOW, I know you still have power.”

We all know how the story ends. Lazarus is dug up and raised from the dead. But, what about his sisters, Mary and Martha? I can imagine that they were recovering from those 4 days of disappointment. I can imagine that they were trying to get out of thier own way to receive this gift of Resurrection.

When God answers your prayers HIS way, you often have to battle the expectations you had about how you thought it would go.

God, help us get out of our own way so we can experience the resurrections in our midst.

(Take time to read the full account in John 11: 1-44)

A Homily

There is a line in the story of Lazarus that God has used to challenge me. After Jesus famously raised his friend from the dead, he says, “take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

When you became aware of the Christ within you, a mystery takes place. The Holy Spirit begins to breath new life into you as you grow in your awareness of Who You Are; this great Kingdom within you. You walk differently because you recognize your worth.
That is the start of a great unraveling! You have the freedom to shed all the layers of who you assumed you were.

We are living between those two great statements in John 11.

“Lazarus, come out!”
“Take of the grave clothes, and let him go!”

With God’s grace, everyday we are taking off another layer of grave clothes. This mystery is being perfected in us. Another layer off let’s a little more light in.

A Benediction

“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.”

John 11: 25-27