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Introduction to Worship for 4/2/2017

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Hope Against All Hope

There are disappointing moments in life, times when it seems as though there may be no hope. And then there are those times when we are, literally, beyond hope—times when it would appear that, no matter what, there is no going back. Our story this week reminds us that with God the impossible is, at best, a slight inconvenience. As Paul points out in Romans 8:11, “if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, [this same Spirit] will give life to your human bodies also…”

John 11:1–45

The story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead can stretch the limits of our believing. But getting hung up on whether or not the story took place as written can distract us from the great point of the story. We know that John presents us with stories that are not in the synoptic gospels, and which (such as turning massive amounts of water into wine at Cana) seem questionable. But John’s points are not confined by fact; they are about something much more important.

Whatever the facts may have been, about John’s point there can be no mistake: Jesus can restore life when all hope, when all possibility, is gone. The point is not whether Lazarus was literally dead for three days or not; the point is larger than that: Jesus Christ brings life into lifeless times. Jesus is not just fixing individual problems; he is offering something much greater – new life. Surely that is a message that resounded greatly in biblical times, and resounds well for us today.

Jewish understanding was that it took three days for a soul to completely leave the body; thus it is important to note that Lazarus has been dead long enough that there is nothing left other than a body decaying rapidly in the desert heat. No wonder Jesus points out that this is an opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed.

This also brings on the greatest point of all: for those in authority, Jesus must be stopped. Only by killing him can they stop the amazing power of God that appears to exist in him. Except, of course, as all the gospels – and the last 2,000 years – have amply shown, you cannot stop God. The work of God in Christ did indeed, and does indeed, continue. The brief time of Jesus’ death is a mere blip in the ongoing story of God bringing new life and hope into situations that seem well beyond it.

Connecting scripture and life

  • In what situations would you like to hear Jesus’ words to the community to “unbind and set free”?
  • Regarding what issues does your community need to hear this command?
  • What in your life and what in the world need these words of hope and possibility?



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