Good morning.
Today is Tuesday,
March 23,
2021.
O Lord,
Let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to God,
The three in one,
Creator,
Redeemer,
And Sustainer.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now,
And will be forever.
Amen.
Come let us bow down and worship.
Let us kneel before the Lord,
Our Maker.
Remind yourself that you are in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself dwell on a word or phrase that catches your attention or moves your heart.
And let your heart simply respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
Jesus,
You are the light of the world.
Open our eyes that we might see.
Our readings today come from John chapter 11.
There was a certain man named Lazarus who was sick.
He and his sisters,
Mary and Martha,
Were from the village of Bethany.
The sisters sent this message to Jesus.
Rabbi,
The one you love is sick.
When Jesus heard this,
He said,
This sickness will not end in death.
It is happening for God's glory,
So that God's only begotten may be glorified because of it.
Jesus loved these three very much.
When Jesus arrived in Bethany,
He found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.
Since Bethany was only about two miles from Jerusalem,
Many people had come out to console Martha and Mary about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
She went to meet him while Mary stayed home with the mourners.
When she got to Jesus,
Martha said,
If you had been here,
My brother would never have died.
Yet even now,
I am sure that God will give you whatever you ask.
Your brother will rise again,
Jesus assured her,
And Martha replied,
I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.
Jesus told her,
I am the resurrection and I am the life.
Those who believe in me will live even if they die.
And those who are alive and believe in me will never die.
Do you believe this?
Yes,
Martha replied,
I have come to believe that you are the Messiah,
God's only begotten,
The one who is coming into the world.
When she had said this,
Martha went back and called her sister,
Mary.
The teacher is here asking for you,
She whispered.
As soon as Mary heard this,
She got up and went to him.
Jesus hadn't gotten to the village yet.
He was at the place where Martha had met him.
Those who were there consoling her saw her get up quickly and followed Mary,
Thinking she was going to the tomb to mourn.
When Mary got to Jesus,
She fell at his feet and said,
If you had been here,
Lazarus would not have died.
When Jesus saw her weeping and the other mourners as well,
He was troubled in spirit,
Moved by the deepest emotions.
Where have you laid him?
Jesus asked.
Come and see,
They said.
And Jesus wept.
The people in the crowd began to remark,
See how much he loved him?
The others said,
He made the blind person see,
Why couldn't he have done something to prevent Lazarus's death?
Jesus was again deeply moved.
They approached the tomb,
Which was a cave with a stone in front of it.
Take away the stone,
Jesus directed.
Martha said,
Rabbi,
It has been four days now.
By this time,
There will be a stench.
Jesus replied,
Didn't I assure you that if you believed,
You would see the glory of God?
So they took the stone away.
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
Abba,
Father,
Thank you for having heard me.
I know that you always hear me,
But I have said this for the sake of the crowd that they might believe that you sent me.
And Jesus called in a loud voice,
Lazarus,
Come out.
And Lazarus came out of the tomb,
Still bound hand and foot with linen strips,
His face wrapped in a cloth.
Jesus told the crowd,
Untie him and let him go free.
And many of those who had come to console Martha and Mary saw what Jesus did and put their faith in him.
Please repeat these words.
Jesus,
You are the light of the world.
Open our eyes that we might see.
I invite you now to hold someone's name before God.
Whoever your imagination guided by the Spirit of God leads you to think about,
Hold that person before God in just a moment of silent prayer.
We pray in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray.
Our Father in heaven,
Earth maker,
Pain bearer,
Life giver,
Source of all that is and all that shall be,
Not only Father,
But Mother of us all,
May the hallowing of your name echo through the universe.
May the way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world.
May your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
May your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on Earth.
With the bread we need for today,
Feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another,
Forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
Strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure,
Spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil,
Free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
Now and forever.
Amen.
Jesus,
You are the light of the world.
Open our eyes that we might see.
Lead us to live according to your teaching and become your disciples that we may know the truth and be made free.
Amen.
And now my friends,
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you wherever he may send you today.
May he guide you through the wilderness,
Protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
Go in peace.
