You have helped me notice something new in this! Jesus wept - not because his friend was dead (which always puzzled me since he knew the outcome) but because Mary's and Martha's tears were contagious....he felt their hearts break and it broke his too. Having lost someone so so dear to me, this is a comfort. That Jesus Christ must have been weeping with me on that day too. Am I interpreting this correctly? I also love what you said about the community effort. I have felt that too - finding comfort in the love of others during such a hard time.
Hi Victoria, I completely understand the difficulty of bereavement and loss as this has been a constant theme for the last years of my life. Yes, Jesus weeps with us in our heartfelt pain and difficulty - and hence Jesús’s words in the Beatitudes. Blessed are they that mourn, for they will be comforted. Jesus is with you in your grief, and a source of love, and through your openness to this loss you are grounded in a way of life that is deeply in God…. See my reflection for week 2 of the beatitudes reflection. I hope today you feel Gods love right next to you in love and care.
It was very helpful, it is a passage that means a lot to me, and has raised more questions than ever recently, you got me thinking and writing, I have just published my post. thanks again.
The gospels are largely new to me (I don’t think I can count the years of sitting through them at church as a child and I left church as a young adult - though as a Catholic, I’m still amazed by what does remain of the sacred mystery).
I’m currently attending (via Facebook Live) a led Lectio Divina on John’s gospel led by the Magdalen Community Church at 5.30am every Sunday which I love.
This is opening me up to a new understanding.
Reading your contemplation/ meditation on the story of Lazarus this morning has felt like a personal Lectio Divina and I am so grateful for it.
Julia, in the comment above, found comfort in understanding that ‘Jesus wept’ and that he would have been weeping with her too.
For me the comfort has been in Jesus waiting - ‘the love of God does not rush past grief but weeps within it.’ Also, that the community (family) were needed to play their part in resurrection too.
Hi Anna, really glad my writing has helped you and so true about finding solace in the God who waits with us in grief. Glad the lectio and this reflection are helping you to dig deep!
Thank you for this Ian. Reading your words as I prepare to preach on Sunday. Without wishing to deny or belittle how this speaks into the lives of those who grieve, I’m sort of wondering if this can speak into our spiritual lives: what in our spiritual life has has died? What’s been sealed up in a tomb, perhaps because of grief, but it could be for many other reasons, or a combination of things? We may have sealed it up ourselves, if we’ve got really low self-esteem and don’t want our ‘stench’ to be inflicted on our loved ones? Who is on the outside of the bits of our lives we’ve entombed from ourselves and others, weeping for what might have been, or what indeed could be, weeping with Jesus, who is about to ask that bit of us that we’ve shut away to step out into the light?… Or is that too trite a reflection for such an important passage?
Apologies, you’ve of course answered that question: “Jesus is standing outside the tombs we inhabit…” [Note to self: don’t do sermon prep too late in the evening.]
You have helped me notice something new in this! Jesus wept - not because his friend was dead (which always puzzled me since he knew the outcome) but because Mary's and Martha's tears were contagious....he felt their hearts break and it broke his too. Having lost someone so so dear to me, this is a comfort. That Jesus Christ must have been weeping with me on that day too. Am I interpreting this correctly? I also love what you said about the community effort. I have felt that too - finding comfort in the love of others during such a hard time.
Hi Victoria, I completely understand the difficulty of bereavement and loss as this has been a constant theme for the last years of my life. Yes, Jesus weeps with us in our heartfelt pain and difficulty - and hence Jesús’s words in the Beatitudes. Blessed are they that mourn, for they will be comforted. Jesus is with you in your grief, and a source of love, and through your openness to this loss you are grounded in a way of life that is deeply in God…. See my reflection for week 2 of the beatitudes reflection. I hope today you feel Gods love right next to you in love and care.
I had never noticed Jesus' call to the people present to participate!
We can never be bystanders, we are actively called into kingdom work - a very timely reminder. Thank you
Yep it’s a beautiful moment of participation.
Thanks for this Ian,
Thanks Sally, Hope it was helpful
It was very helpful, it is a passage that means a lot to me, and has raised more questions than ever recently, you got me thinking and writing, I have just published my post. thanks again.
The gospels are largely new to me (I don’t think I can count the years of sitting through them at church as a child and I left church as a young adult - though as a Catholic, I’m still amazed by what does remain of the sacred mystery).
I’m currently attending (via Facebook Live) a led Lectio Divina on John’s gospel led by the Magdalen Community Church at 5.30am every Sunday which I love.
This is opening me up to a new understanding.
Reading your contemplation/ meditation on the story of Lazarus this morning has felt like a personal Lectio Divina and I am so grateful for it.
Julia, in the comment above, found comfort in understanding that ‘Jesus wept’ and that he would have been weeping with her too.
For me the comfort has been in Jesus waiting - ‘the love of God does not rush past grief but weeps within it.’ Also, that the community (family) were needed to play their part in resurrection too.
This is what I am being called to do right now.
Thank you Ian. 💙🙏💙
Hi Anna, really glad my writing has helped you and so true about finding solace in the God who waits with us in grief. Glad the lectio and this reflection are helping you to dig deep!
Apologies, I wrote Julia instead of Victoria and can’t edit out my mistake.
Thank you for this Ian. Reading your words as I prepare to preach on Sunday. Without wishing to deny or belittle how this speaks into the lives of those who grieve, I’m sort of wondering if this can speak into our spiritual lives: what in our spiritual life has has died? What’s been sealed up in a tomb, perhaps because of grief, but it could be for many other reasons, or a combination of things? We may have sealed it up ourselves, if we’ve got really low self-esteem and don’t want our ‘stench’ to be inflicted on our loved ones? Who is on the outside of the bits of our lives we’ve entombed from ourselves and others, weeping for what might have been, or what indeed could be, weeping with Jesus, who is about to ask that bit of us that we’ve shut away to step out into the light?… Or is that too trite a reflection for such an important passage?
Apologies, you’ve of course answered that question: “Jesus is standing outside the tombs we inhabit…” [Note to self: don’t do sermon prep too late in the evening.]
No problem glad it was helpful
More deep encouragement - thank you. 🕯️