Talks, Sermons and Reflections

John 11.28-44 ‘Jesus began to weep’ John 11:35 In the KJV it is just two words ‘Jesus wept’, making it the shortest verse in the bible. Why? Why does he weep? Jesus is clearly not weeping for Lazarus, because he knows that in a few minutes he will raise Lazarus from the dead And Jesus is not weeping for Mary and Martha and the mourners in their grief, because he knows that in a few minutes he will turn that grief into joy If a child comes to you all upset because something has been taken away from them, but you can give them something so much better, then you may feel for them, but rather than weep with them you will wipe their eyes and make them happy again. So why does Jesus weep? 1. Jesus weeps in compassion because he sees what death does He sees the devastation that it causes. Death was never part of God’s plan When God created the world there was no death. At the heart of the garden of Eden there was the tree of life. Death is nothing in itself. It is simply a negation of what i...

We turn now to what was the sixth cry of Jesus from the cross. ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30) I guess it could have been a cry of anguish – the whole thing was a waste of time, but the farce is ended. It might have been a cry of relief – the suffering is over. But we are to hear this as a cry of victory. ‘It is finished. The task that I have been given has been accomplished.' John writes, ‘When Jesus had received the drink ..’. He has already mentioned this drink in John 18:11. There Jesus commands Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” What is this cup? In the Old Testament we are told that the cup is the cup of the wrath of God, of God’s hatred against sin. So Psalm 75:8, ‘For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs’. Jeremiah 25:17, ‘So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, and made all...

Jesus raises Lazarus. Ravenna John 11:17-37 listen to ‘Jesus wept: town memorial service’ on Audioboo It is good, although it is also painful, to come to remember, to give thanks, but also to be here with many other people who are grieving Grief can be a lonely experience. Our society does not do death well. People are good for a few weeks, but then they forget and for them life goes on as usual. But we cannot forget, we will not forget and life, if you can call it that, will never be the same again. So it is good to know that we are not on our own. The verses above tell of the death of a dear friend of Jesus. His name was Lazarus. And the passage tells us that when he turns up and sees the grief of Martha and Mary (the dead man's sisters), 'Jesus wept' . Those two words combine to make the shortest verse in the bible; they have also become swear words - but they also tell us something about the heart of God for people who grieve. Jesus does not weep for Lazarus When ...

Hebrews 2:14-18 listen to ‘Overcoming the fear of death’ on Audioboo Last week I celebrated a significant birthday.  It has made me think. I probably have fewer years ahead than I have already lived. And it is true that life seems to go faster the older that you get. It is not quite yet ‘the end is nigh’ but ... I was talking with someone who thinks that I am still a mere child. He is a Christian, but hewas saying what I think many people think, but few say: ‘the aging process gets to me. I don’t want to grow old, and I don’t want to die’. Another person was telling me, again last week, about how she had been gripped with the fearof death. And I remember the emotion when, as a 15 year old, I suddenly realised for the first time that I would have to die. I really did have that sensation which comes when you hear very bad news, that sinking feeling in your stomach. The Christian message however, is a message of astonishing hope to all who are held...