Hello,
My friends.
This is Mark Ludman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Or Friendly Neighbourhood Monk-in-Docs,
Welcoming you back to another reflection as we walk closer to Easter.
And as we go,
Reflecting on the I Am sayings of Jesus,
And this week reflecting on Jesus' words,
I am the resurrection and the life.
And so as we start,
I invite you to sit and be still,
To breathe in and out,
And to let yourself settle into this moment.
And while this might be difficult for some of you,
I invite you,
If you choose,
To imagine standing in a place of loss,
A place of grief,
Or great disappointment,
Or despair.
Maybe you lost a loved one,
Or didn't get the job,
Or didn't pass the test,
Or didn't get the acceptance of the offer you made on the house,
Or your application was rejected,
Or the invitation didn't arrive for you,
Or someone told you they didn't want to see you anymore,
Or you had a break-up.
And I invite you,
As safely as you can,
And to the extent that you can,
To feel the weight of that grief,
Of that loss,
Of that disappointment and despair.
And in feeling it,
And this is why I'm asking you to do this to the best that you can,
I invite you to acknowledge that it is there,
And that it has happened.
Friends,
What we forget is that loss is a part of life.
And in fact,
I believe that when Jesus says,
I have come that you may have life and have it to the full,
That when he's talking about that fullness of life,
Is that what he's talking about is,
I want you to experience everything that life has to offer.
Now,
We often think of that and think about the things that make us smile,
And make us happy,
And bring us joy,
And that are good for us.
But the reality is,
Is that loss,
Grief,
Pain,
Disappointment,
All of those things are a part of life.
And so,
As difficult as it is,
It might be to understand this.
It's something you might want to reflect on.
That when Jesus says,
I've come that you might have life and life to the full,
To experience the fullness of life,
Means to fully experience those times of grief,
Loss,
Disappointment,
And despair,
As much as the ones of happiness,
Joy,
Love,
And hope.
Because that's a part of what life has.
And we all know that when those things happen to us,
When we walk through the other side,
It's painful as we go through.
I don't take that away.
It hurts.
It's difficult.
But somehow,
Those things shape us.
I don't mean,
Oh,
That,
You know,
Those things will make us better people.
I mean,
They shape us.
They help us understand life,
And ourselves,
And others.
They may never be good.
We may never look back and go,
That was a great thing that happened for my life.
But what we can say is,
That thing has shaped my thinking,
Has shaped my faith,
Has shaped my prayers,
Has shaped my response to something in the world.
And the reason why I say that those things won't always come out as being times we can look back and say,
Hey,
They were great,
Is because we all carry wounds,
Memories of what was,
Longing for what could have been.
So yeah,
Those things still hurt.
But can we acknowledge those things and let God use them?
One of the reasons why this section of John's Gospel,
Where Jesus says,
I am the resurrection and the life,
Is so beautiful,
Is because of that verse that's known as the shortest verse in the Bible,
Two words,
Jesus wept.
Jesus stood before Lazarus's tomb and cried.
The Son of God,
The one who'd conquered death,
Who allowed himself to feel the weight of sorrow in that moment,
He didn't try and rush past the grief.
He didn't try and dismiss the pain.
He stood in it.
He allowed it to be what it was in that moment and he allowed himself to react.
Jesus wept.
But that grief and that sorrow was not the end of the story.
Because we're told Jesus called out in a loud voice,
Lazarus,
Come out,
And life responded.
Love is stronger than death.
Love does not abandon.
Love enters the darkest places and calls forth light.
Now,
I wonder,
My friend,
Where do you need to trust God?
Trust that love has the final word.
Maybe you're waiting for healing somewhere in your life.
Maybe you're carrying an old wound that feels impossible to release.
Maybe you're standing before a situation that seems unmovable,
Just like a sealed tomb.
Where do you need to trust that love has the final word?
But resurrection isn't just about a single moment.
Resurrection is about the ongoing work of love.
Christ's love is already at work,
Even when you can't see it.
Even when the tomb seems shut.
Consider this.
Even after Lazarus was raised,
He still carried with him the experience of death.
He'd been wrapped in grave clothes,
Which is truly evidence of where he'd been.
And Jesus told those around him,
Unbind him and let him go.
And this is where we need to understand that resurrection isn't just about being called to life.
It's about being set free to live.
And so recall some of the things perhaps you've pondered the last couple of days.
The parts of your life where Jesus is calling you to step forward.
And now I wonder,
Can you see any grave clothes that need to be released?
What would it mean to trust in a love that conquers death?
What would it mean that you're not just called to step out as you are and be brought to life?
But as you come,
Jesus wants to completely set you free so that you can live that life fully.
Jesus,
Help us trust in your love that never fails.
Remind us that resurrection always comes,
Even when we don't see it.
Even when we don't feel it.
Your love is at work,
Making all things new.
Amen.
As we bring our time to an end today,
Friend,
I invite you to breathe in and out.
And remember that love is not fragile.
It doesn't waver in the face of darkness.
Love enters in and love remains.
Love always calls forth new life.
And may grace and peace go with that love every step of the way.
Into this new life,
Into which Jesus wants to free you to truly live.
Amen.
Grace and peace,
Friends.
Until tomorrow.
Bye for now.
