1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:04,760 I want to start by saying happy Mothering Sunday to you, to all 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,320 the ladies in the room, particularly historically, 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,960 Mothering Sunday is a day when you return to your mother church 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,360 and celebrate family. And so today we are celebrating 5 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:18,840 mums, but we are also celebrating ladies, particularly 6 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:20,920 as last week was International Women's Day. 7 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,280 Like who knew that they fell so close together? 8 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:25,480 Maybe that's every year and I've just never noticed it. 9 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:27,920 In fairness, this year's the first year I've ever even 10 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:29,720 noticed that there was an International Women's Day. 11 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:32,759 I'm already off my notes. Oh, come on, Libby. 12 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:36,920 So we celebrate mums and ladies today. 13 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:39,920 I want to say personally to all the women in the room, thank 14 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:41,960 you. Thank you for the way that you 15 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:44,840 nurture, the way that you lead, the way that you care, the way 16 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,240 that you mother people within this community, whether you have 17 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,320 children in this community or not, you are here. 18 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:56,640 You carry a unique God-given, God-given calling and we are 19 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,320 incredibly grateful. So thank you. 20 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:03,760 OK, so I'm cracking on with our series Living in the Shadows. 21 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,320 It is quite a heavy topic. If you're visiting today then 22 00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:10,840 welcome. As we walk towards Easter. 23 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,840 We are in the period of Lent and we are doing a series on death 24 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:17,200 and dying. Yes, you heard me correctly. 25 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,080 For those of you that have been here the last few weeks, thank 26 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,240 you for still being here. You're doing really well. 27 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,480 You are honestly, I'm very, very pleased you're still here. 28 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:30,720 If you are visiting today and you haven't heard any of these 29 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,720 talks, they're now all available on our website or any podcast 30 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,080 platform of your choice. That's a new thing. 31 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,240 So do I would encourage you to listen to them, not just because 32 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:43,800 I think that they're worth listening to, but it will help 33 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:48,360 the context for this talk as well as we have talked about 34 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,840 living in the valley of the shadow of death as it talks 35 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:56,920 about in Psalm 23, but not just that shadow, but in Psalm 91, 36 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,480 living in the shadow of the Almighty. 37 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,720 We walk in those two shadows throughout life. 38 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,320 Let me start by praying. Holy Spirit, thank you that 39 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:15,280 you're here. We acknowledge Your presence and 40 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,560 your care and your love and your compassion for each of us. 41 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,440 And Lord and I ask that your words would speak to our hearts 42 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:34,600 directly this morning. And whatever we carry, however 43 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:40,000 we show up in this space this morning, You would have 44 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,400 something to say to us personally. 45 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:56,320 Oh ma'am, so Paul was writing to a young church in the city of 46 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:00,880 Thessalonica, and he said this in Thessalonians 1 Thessalonians 47 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,080 413 now. And now, dear brothers and 48 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,680 sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the 49 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:11,080 believers who have died so that you will not grieve like people 50 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:16,080 with no hope. He's saying that he wants us to 51 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:20,320 grieve. Hopefully to to grieve is 52 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:26,520 expected and his encouragement. Paul, who was an incredible man 53 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,640 of God, wrote a significant amount of the New Testament. 54 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:34,520 He is saying to the church, a new baby church in Thessalonica. 55 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,840 But to us here today, grieve with hope. 56 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:42,640 We will all face the unsettling reality of broken endings. 57 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:47,000 If you haven't already, you will at some point walk through the 58 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,640 valley of the shadow of death. As we lose people that we love, 59 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,120 we are to let our broken hearts grieve. 60 00:03:55,880 --> 00:04:00,080 While on this journey through the valley, we can hold on to 61 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,360 hope. And so today I want to look at a 62 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,840 look at what it looks like for us to grieve and to grieve 63 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:13,840 hopefully, because in Jesus we are free to grieve honestly 64 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,480 whilst holding on to resurrection hope. 65 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,360 So I mentioned turning to John 11. 66 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,240 If you've got a Bible physical or on your phone, the words will 67 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:27,400 appear on the screen behind me, but you might want to turn to 68 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:29,680 it. We're going to be seeing today. 69 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:33,440 We're going to look at how Jesus in Jesus we are free to grieve 70 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:37,720 honestly because we can live with resurrection hope. 71 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,680 Just to give you a bit of context, I'm going to jump in at 72 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,560 verse 17. Mary and Martha, who you might 73 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,520 have heard of if you've read any of the New Testament, they've 74 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,160 talked about a couple of times, but they are dear friends of 75 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:53,320 Jesus and they send word to him that their brother, brother 76 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:57,200 Lazarus, who is described as someone who Jesus loved, is 77 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,040 sick. But rather than rushing straight 78 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,480 to Bethany where Mary and Martha and Lazarus were, he stayed a 79 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:08,280 few days where he was. But then knowing that Lazarus 80 00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:12,080 has died, he travels with his disciples to go and wake him up. 81 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,600 And we're going to pick this up in verse 17. 82 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,880 So do sit comfortably as I read this. 83 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,920 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had 84 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,120 already been in his grave for four days. 85 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,480 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem and 86 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:33,400 many of the people had, and many people had come to console Mary 87 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,640 and Martha in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus 88 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:40,240 was coming, he went to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. 89 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,560 Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if only you had been here, my 90 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:49,160 brother would not have died. But even now I know that God 91 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:53,360 will give you whatever you ask. Jesus told her your brother will 92 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,240 rise again. Yes, Martha said, he will rise 93 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,000 when everyone rises at the last day. 94 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,480 If you were here 3 weeks ago, I talked about resurrection. 95 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,400 That's what she's referring to. She had some grasp of it and 96 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:09,160 then Jesus told her, verse 25, I am the resurrection and the 97 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:11,480 life. Anyone who believes in me will 98 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,920 live even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and 99 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:17,920 believes in me will never, ever die. 100 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:21,480 Do you believe this Martha? Yes, Lord, she told him. 101 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:24,160 I have always believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, 102 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,040 the one who has come into the world from God. 103 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:31,560 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the 104 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:34,480 mourners and told her, The teacher is here and he wants to 105 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,160 see you. So immediately Mary went to see 106 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,960 him. Jesus had stayed outside of the 107 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,040 village at the place where Martha had met him. 108 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:46,600 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her 109 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,280 leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus's grave 110 00:06:50,280 --> 00:06:52,240 to weep. So they followed her there. 111 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:57,120 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, 112 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,520 Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 113 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,240 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing 114 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:09,720 with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply 115 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,280 troubled. Where have you put him? 116 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:15,320 He asked them. They told him, Lord, come and 117 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,000 see. Then Jesus wept. 118 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,880 The people who were standing nearby said, See how much he 119 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:25,160 loved him. But some said, this man can heal 120 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,000 a blind man, couldn't he? You've kept Lazarus from dying. 121 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:33,080 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with 122 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:34,760 a stone rolled across the entrance. 123 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:37,480 Roll the stone away, Jesus told them. 124 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:40,640 But Martha, the dead man's sister, protested. 125 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:43,360 Lord, he has been dead for four days. 126 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,240 The smell will be terrible, Jesus responded. 127 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:51,600 Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe 128 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:55,800 So they rolled the stone away. Then Jesus looked up to heaven 129 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,120 and said, Father, thank you for hearing my word. 130 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:01,160 You always hear me. But I said it aloud for the sake 131 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,360 of all those people standing here, so that they would believe 132 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,840 you sent me. And then Jesus shouted, Lazarus, 133 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,200 come out. And the dead man came out, his 134 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,760 hands and his feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped 135 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:18,200 in a headcloth. And Jesus told them, unwrap him 136 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:23,560 and let him go. Right at the centre of this 137 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:27,560 account that John gives us is the shortest verse in the Bible. 138 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:35,760 Then Jesus wept. Or Jesus wept 2 words, but they 139 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,320 reveal something extraordinary about the heart of God. 140 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:43,240 And this morning I want to unpack those two words to show 141 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:47,920 us how we can live in the shadow of grief and loss. 142 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:53,200 We can grieve honestly, but yet we can live with resurrection 143 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,360 hope. You know, to live as mature, 144 00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:02,240 wise followers of Jesus, we need to hold this tension that the 145 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:09,040 tension between honesty and hope, because the more real we 146 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:13,200 are, the closer to God we are. Even in the valley of the shadow 147 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:16,200 of death, we can take shelter under the shadow of the 148 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,040 Almighty, resting, nestling under his wings. 149 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,760 There is hope to be found under the wings of God. 150 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:29,680 And yet throughout life, we mustn't ever deny death and the 151 00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:32,560 grief that we feel. We mustn't sweep it under the 152 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:36,320 carpet and just pretend that everything is OK. 153 00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:41,640 At some point or other, if you haven't already, you will face 154 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:46,080 the death of somebody you love very much, and grief is 155 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:50,200 inevitable. And of course, if you have been 156 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:54,560 fortunate enough to have been truly loved in this world, you 157 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:59,640 will cause extraordinary death, sorry extraordinary pain to 158 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:04,520 others when you leave. That is the covenant of life and 159 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:09,040 death, the reality of grief in this world. 160 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,600 We will have trouble. Jesus promised us that. 161 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,960 And there is nothing more troubling than losing somebody 162 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:21,400 that you love in every moment of our lives, in the highs and in 163 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:26,720 the hurts and in whatever you are living in and experiencing 164 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:36,520 right now, Jesus is with you. Jesus is near, so Jesus wept #1 165 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:45,040 God meets us in honest grief. The first thing that Jesus 166 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:49,000 weeping at his friends tomb shows us is that God doesn't 167 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,360 stand at a distance from our grief. 168 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,480 Jesus refuses to protect himself from grief. 169 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:01,840 And as we grieve and as we grieve, our example is Jesus. 170 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:06,000 He is our model and we see from this account from John that 171 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:11,160 grief must be honest and it involves not just weeping, but 172 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:15,480 it involves anger. Lazarus has been in the tomb for 173 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,080 four days. Mary falls at Jesus feet. 174 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,400 Martha falls at Jesus feet and says, Lord, if you had been here 175 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:28,200 he wouldn't have died. And then we see then when Jesus 176 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:33,080 sees her weeping and the crowd weeping, something powerful 177 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:36,080 happens. John tells us that Jesus was 178 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:38,640 deeply moved and troubled. You know, the Greek is much 179 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:40,480 stronger. I read from the New Living 180 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:43,080 Translation because I think the translation is better. 181 00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:46,680 The Greek is stronger. It says he was outraged, He was 182 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:51,680 raged, He felt anger. Deep anger welled up within him. 183 00:11:51,680 --> 00:11:58,160 It says Jesus was angry. If you have lost somebody that 184 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:04,360 you loved, I imagine most of you have felt anger at some point, 185 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:09,960 and that's OK. Jesus is angry about death. 186 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,600 Why? Because he hates it. 187 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,560 He hates death. Death is an intruder in God's 188 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,120 good creation. It was never part of the 189 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:23,400 original design. We were made for life. 190 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,760 And so when Jesus stands by the tomb of his friend before any 191 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:29,920 miracle, before any resurrection, you know, we've 192 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:31,680 read the story. We know what happens. 193 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:34,640 Nobody else standing there did. Jesus knew. 194 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:39,040 But before any miracle, before any resurrection, he weeps. 195 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:43,720 No explanation, no quick fixes, just tears. 196 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:49,200 And this tells us something so important about the character of 197 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:54,200 God, and that is that when our hearts break, God isn't distant 198 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:59,480 from pain, from our pain. We see in Jesus that he moves 199 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:04,160 towards us in our grief. He doesn't walk away. 200 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:09,640 Jesus is so outraged at death that he is willing to die to 201 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:15,320 break its power. He died to undo the pain of 202 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:17,200 death. That's what we celebrate in the 203 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,080 Lord's Supper. We say we celebrate and then 204 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:20,600 it's quite somber and reflective. 205 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:25,640 We celebrate because we remember what Jesus did gives us life and 206 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,280 hope. He took the power of out of 207 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:33,040 death by dying and rising again. And while Paul is right when he 208 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,920 says we are to grieve hopefully, the thing I love about Jesus in 209 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:40,200 this passage, he gives us permission to grieve. 210 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:45,520 He gives us space to weep. Do not get ahead of ourselves, 211 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:52,440 but to give ourselves time that we need to weep like he did. 212 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,400 You know, our instinct with grief is so often to rush 213 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:59,800 through it, you know, to contact, particularly in the 214 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,680 West, to contain it, to suppress it, to move on quickly. 215 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:09,760 But grief doesn't work like that, Irish writer Kerry Doherty 216 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,400 said. Grief does not speak the same 217 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:14,600 language as our everyday existence. 218 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:17,800 It's shape shifts. It hides. 219 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:22,280 Grief changes us forever. I've said that before. 220 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:26,000 It doesn't disappear. And when we rush through it, 221 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,120 sorrow gets stuck somewhere within us. 222 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:36,120 And so often people expect us to get over it, to move through 223 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:40,240 grief quick, grief quickly, or released to hide our pain 224 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:42,600 because it makes them feel uncomfortable. 225 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:48,000 We've lost the art of Co suffering with our companions. 226 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:53,120 We've lost the art of sitting shiver, this ancient Jewish 227 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:55,880 practice, which is what would have been happening with Mary 228 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:57,920 and Martha, which is why there's mourners around. 229 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,400 There's people in their home, they are sitting shiver. 230 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:05,280 It's such a wise practice that we don't know how to do. 231 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:09,520 For seven days, everyone would come. 232 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:14,120 Everybody that knew the person that had died would come and 233 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:18,440 sit, would grieve together corporately. 234 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:25,240 No fixing, no rushing, just present, weeping and asking why 235 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,520 I talked at the beginning of these theories about wounds that 236 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:34,240 are being exposed. This practice of sitting shiver, 237 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:39,240 of sitting together is allowing the wound to breathe, allowing 238 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:43,600 the air to get to it. Jesus shows us that grief, 239 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:48,320 anger, and tears are not faithlessness. 240 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:54,640 They are honest. In Jesus. 241 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:59,760 He shows us that we are free to grieve honestly because of the 242 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:11,760 resurrection hope that we have. Jesus wept and it shows us that 243 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:14,600 we can be honest in our grief, which includes anger and 244 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,280 weeping. Also #2 Jesus wept. 245 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:20,480 We are given the freedom to ask the question why? 246 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:26,120 You know, if Jesus enters into our grief so fully, then we're 247 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:28,320 free to bring our questions to God. 248 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:32,080 Although it doesn't say it specifically in this passage in 249 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,600 John 11, we have evidence throughout the life of Jesus 250 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:40,080 that in the face of great pain we are not to shy away from 251 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:45,440 asking God why? Throughout Jesus life we know 252 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:49,520 that the Psalms were his personal prayer book, his book 253 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:53,920 of worship songs, and over half of the Psalms roughly are known 254 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:58,920 of Psalms of lament. Lament is a way of praying 255 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:06,240 honestly to God, not hiding raw real emotions, but bringing them 256 00:17:06,319 --> 00:17:09,640 to him. You know many of the Psalms are 257 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,119 prayers of protest. People crying out, oh how long 258 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:19,160 oh Lord, how long? You know, I know this personally 259 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:23,800 from the ages of about 14 to 16. I was processing more of my 260 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:27,359 sister's death, and lament was the only way I could pray. 261 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:31,320 I couldn't sing in worship because I was really angry with 262 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:34,280 God. I had those words of Mary and 263 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:36,960 Martha. God, you could have saved her. 264 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:40,080 I believe that you heal. I believe that you're a God of 265 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:47,000 miracles and you let her die. I was angry, but yet I wanted to 266 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,920 be in worship because I wanted to be in the presence of God, 267 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:55,440 even though I couldn't sing. After my dad died, the same 268 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,680 thing happened. I couldn't sing the song You're 269 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:02,000 never going to let me down because I felt utterly let down. 270 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,960 That's lament. I wasn't walking away from God. 271 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:11,640 I didn't didn't doubt his existence and his love for me. 272 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:17,760 What I did was I bought my pain directly to him and said, now 273 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:22,560 you deal with this maybe like a slightly stroppy teenager, but 274 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:26,760 that's lament. You know, in healthy 275 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:28,760 relationships, people are honest, aren't they? 276 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,120 You know, they're willing to hear hard things. 277 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:34,880 In the best friendships, in the strongest marriages, honesty 278 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,720 doesn't rock the boat, doesn't rock the relationship. 279 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,800 It reinforces it. You know, if we live honestly, 280 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:44,840 we need to bring our true emotions to God. 281 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:50,080 And if you need any more permission to be honest and ask 282 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:53,680 God why and to be angry and weep, we just need to look to 283 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:57,640 Jesus, you know, in his moment of deepest pain on the cross, 284 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:02,160 You know, he presents a raw, visceral question to his Father. 285 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:05,040 He prays aloud the words of Psalm 22. 286 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:08,480 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 287 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:16,680 AJ Swaboda, who is an American pastor, academic and podcaster 288 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:21,880 of the of this verse, he speaks. He says this by provoking such 289 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:25,640 deep dark point, a deep, dark, poignant question at his final 290 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:29,200 moment. Jesus did what no other religion 291 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:35,400 in history is willing to do, and that is to question God. 292 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:44,560 God questioned God, we are free in our dark hard. 293 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:50,040 We are free to ask in our dark hard moments the penetrating 294 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:55,520 question of why the God of the universe knows what it is to 295 00:19:55,520 --> 00:20:03,280 suffer. Will we follow Jesus and will we 296 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:08,520 follow his example? You know, to follow Jesus well. 297 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:13,480 I think demands that not only we can ask the question why, but we 298 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:18,760 must. God is honest with God, and so 299 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:20,680 we need to be honest with him as well. 300 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,600 So often we try to contain our pain, to pretend that 301 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:30,760 everything's OK. We push through the Blues. 302 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:34,520 We lip sync to worship songs with lines that say you're never 303 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:38,000 going to let me down. When throughout it all, the Man 304 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,520 of sorrows, the one who's so familiar with every aspect of 305 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:45,840 human existence, he just wants us to be honest with him. 306 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,960 And as we are honest with him, something happens in this 307 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:55,000 practice of lament that changes us. 308 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:01,440 You know Jesus on the cross he prays, My God, my God, why have 309 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:07,080 you forsaken me from Psalm 22? And towards the end of his death 310 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:12,040 on the cross, he cries out in Psalm 31, Into your hands, Lord, 311 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:16,400 I commit my spirit, deliver me, Lord, my faithful God. 312 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:23,600 Jesus was honest, and if we journey that honesty while he 313 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:28,360 hung on the cross, He went from honesty and forsakenness to 314 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:35,360 proclaiming God's faithfulness. If we are prepared to be honest 315 00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:40,480 with God and trust Him, our pain gets transfigured into trust. 316 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:46,800 If we're honest, hardship, grief, it helps clarify our 317 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:52,080 revelation of who Jesus is in our pain. 318 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:58,200 If we're honest, the fog starts to clear and we're able to see 319 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:02,920 that He was the Word made flesh. He is the Word made flesh, that 320 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:07,760 He is the Man of sorrows. He is the one familiar with pain 321 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:13,240 and Jesus. In our weeping and our wise, He 322 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:17,360 draws close. God is close to the broken 323 00:22:17,360 --> 00:22:19,120 hearted. He doesn't skip over pain. 324 00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:23,400 Instead, He redeems it and He will redeem it all. 325 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,720 You know, we've learnt, haven't we, that if we trust Jesus, if 326 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:35,560 we come to him to seek his face, we understand that everything 327 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:38,360 that we are experiencing, He has been the forerunner. 328 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:43,040 He has gone ahead of us. He knows what it is to suffer 329 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:49,760 and and be in pain. You know, I don't always 330 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,600 understand. I don't have certainty, but I 331 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:57,720 continue to grow in trust. Author Jen Pollock Michael had 332 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:00,600 put it like this. Part of the practice of modern 333 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:05,720 faith in times of suffering is to relinquish our rights to 334 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,800 answers. I mean, that sucks, doesn't it? 335 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:13,880 I want answers. I ask why, and I want to know. 336 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:22,760 She goes on to say God has never promised to explain himself, but 337 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:27,600 he has promised to stay nearby. You know, even when Jesus is 338 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:30,480 dying on the cross and he's saying my God, my God, why have 339 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:32,520 you forsaken me? I imagine there's also an 340 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,520 internal dialogue that's going. You promise that you will never 341 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,760 leave me nor forsake me. You will never leave me nor 342 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:40,720 forsake me. We can hold those tensions. 343 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:44,360 Jesus wants to be present in our pain. 344 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:49,400 He wants to Co suffer with us as Jesus Co suffers with God. 345 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:54,600 He draws near, never rushing, but carrying us if we will let 346 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:58,560 him. Jesus wants to come close, like 347 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:02,640 he did with Lazarus. He comes close. 348 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:06,880 He weeps. That's the kind of God that I 349 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:09,520 put my trust in. I want to keep putting my trust 350 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:14,800 in the suffering servant who doesn't skip over sorrow but 351 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,920 stands in solidarity with us in the thick of it. 352 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:24,720 The crucified God who was moved to tears because of the pain and 353 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:28,400 suffering we face. You know I'm not going to tell 354 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,080 you how to grieve. I'm just trying to give you some 355 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:38,120 hints to tell you that you can. Jesus wept and we are free to 356 00:24:38,120 --> 00:24:45,080 grieve honestly and yet still hold onto the hope that the 357 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:50,000 resurrection gives us. God draws near. 358 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,320 When we grieve, we're able to ask the question why? 359 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:58,000 And thirdly, Jesus wept and the story doesn't end at the tomb. 360 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,640 The same Jesus who weeps at the tomb is also the same Jesus that 361 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:08,560 calls the Lazarus out. You know, I said it a few weeks 362 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:14,640 ago, hope is our destination and in our present circumstance it 363 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:19,000 is our compass. There is wisdom to be found in 364 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,880 holding this tension. You know, Christian life is all 365 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:25,040 about holding tensions, OK? Like if you haven't worked that 366 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:28,840 out, that's one for free. Holding this tension in this 367 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:32,400 context between honesty and hope, when we face hardship, we 368 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:34,760 can grieve whilst clinging on to profound hope. 369 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:38,920 And the truth is that there is one thing that is as real as the 370 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:42,800 pain we feel, and that is the reality of the resurrection. 371 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:50,640 If you look back over verses 38 to 43, you'll see Jesus calls 372 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:53,280 out Lazarus. He raises him from the dead. 373 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:58,240 It's a remarkable miracle, but it is also the foretaste of 374 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:02,640 everything that is to come. It's like a preview of Jesus own 375 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:06,520 resurrection, which we will look at on Easter Day. 376 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:08,720 Jacob's going to be speaking, we're going to be at Keene Hall, 377 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,680 don't come here, it's closed. And we're going to be looking 378 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,680 more at the hope of resurrection, this resurrection 379 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:20,600 that lies ahead for us. But if you've got your Bibles 380 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:23,560 open, you might want to skip down the next few verses of 381 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:26,600 Chapter 11. Because the people that have 382 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:30,880 witnessed Lazarus coming out of the grave, having been dead for 383 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:36,360 four days, they then go off to a bunch of Pharisees and chief 384 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:39,680 priests and tell them what has happened. 385 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:45,800 And it's them that then conspire to basically put Jesus to death, 386 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,040 which makes me cross with the eyewitnesses. 387 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:54,840 But it had to happen, right? So I can hold that emotion here 388 00:26:55,160 --> 00:27:01,360 in honesty and be like, The thing is that we so often miss 389 00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:06,000 in this story because we focus on Lazarus rising on the 390 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,880 questions that Mary and Martha had, is that Jesus knew 391 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:16,200 everything that was lying ahead. He knew that the only way that 392 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:21,760 he could get Lazarus out of the tomb was by putting himself in 393 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:25,560 there in his place. This was not just a stand alone 394 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:29,280 resuscitation, but it was a foretaste of resurrection. 395 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:32,840 Resurrection guaranteed for you and for me and for all of God's 396 00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:37,120 people for all of time. Jesus had to put himself in the 397 00:27:37,120 --> 00:27:44,200 grave and why? So that he could lead us into 398 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:48,760 resurrection life. And I find myself back in Romans 399 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:51,840 65, which I've talked, I've quoted in every talk I've done 400 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:54,520 on this. For if we have been united with 401 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:59,080 him in a death like his, then we will certainly be united with 402 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:03,760 him in a resurrection like his. The rising of Lazarus. 403 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:07,920 It is the IT is only the beginning because the future 404 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,760 hope for those who are in Christ, it is marked by a 405 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:16,640 certain hope, our future. It is resurrection and so our 406 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:21,960 grief, it can be infused with hope, the hope of everything 407 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:27,520 that lies ahead. Just two things to finish on. 408 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:34,240 We can hold on to hope in this present moment, even when we 409 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:41,600 feel so broken, even when our hearts are in shreds, even when 410 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:45,720 it feels dark and hopeless and full of despair. 411 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:50,480 We can hold on to hope, Firstly, because prayer is a really 412 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:55,520 powerful thing and not just ours, but those of our Saviour. 413 00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:00,160 You know I if you've experienced the death of a loved one or 414 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:04,160 intense pain and suffering, many of you in this room have spoken 415 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:07,000 to me about it. There is a sense that you feel 416 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:11,360 held by the prayers of your friends and I have definitely 417 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:13,560 experienced that. Pip mentioned it last week in a 418 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:15,320 talk. It's hard to explain, but you 419 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,520 feel held. You feel lifted up by those 420 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:22,600 people that are praying for you. And I want to remind you, 421 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:30,520 particularly if you're hurting to ask people to pray, don't shy 422 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:33,640 away from it. Don't feel like you've got to be 423 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:38,120 all British and like together. Feel free to allow the snot and 424 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:41,640 the tears to flow. People will pray for you and it 425 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:45,080 makes a difference. But not only that, we're 426 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:48,720 reminded in Hebrew 7. This is Hebrew 7 Speaking of 427 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:51,040 Jesus. He lives forever to intercede 428 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:56,480 with God on our behalf. Jesus, the risen ruling Lord, as 429 00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:01,600 he reigns right now in paradise in glory, He is praying for each 430 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:06,160 of us. Jesus lives to intercede for 431 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:11,560 every single one of us. So if you're here today, if 432 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:16,760 you're in the midst of grief, if you're feeling angry, if you 433 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:22,920 want to just weep, if you're asking questions of why there 434 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:27,040 can be glimmers of hope as people gather around you and 435 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:31,240 pray, but also as you know that you're being held up by the 436 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:38,520 prayers of Jesus. Jesus can't help even in all of 437 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:42,120 his glory. He can't help but pray for us 438 00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:45,040 because he can't bear the distance between us. 439 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:49,640 He never disengages, and he is still not disengaging even when 440 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:55,880 it feels dark. Jesus bears the wounds of his 441 00:30:55,920 --> 00:31:00,800 own crucifixion, and he intently and intensely is praying for 442 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:03,920 you. This is what intercession looks 443 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:06,080 like. The heavenlies are ringing out 444 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:09,240 with the cries of Jesus interceding for us. 445 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:13,760 So through the resurrection of Jesus, he is praying 446 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,560 passionately for us right now. That is the God that we worship. 447 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:24,360 Prayer is powerful. And secondly, God cares about 448 00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:27,680 the details. He knows us inside out and back 449 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,320 to front. You know, if you flick back in 450 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:33,280 your Bibles to the Old Testament, to Joel, the people 451 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:35,000 of God have rebelled against him. 452 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:39,840 And Joel is speaking to a people whose land has been devastated 453 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:43,560 by locusts. Everything is gone. 454 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,080 And God says through Joel something remarkable. 455 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:50,120 He says, I will repay for you the years the locusts have 456 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:53,640 eaten. You know, God could have said 457 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:57,400 something really general. He could have painted broad 458 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:00,720 brush strokes, but he doesn't. He focuses on the detail. 459 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:07,080 He mentions 1/2 centimeter crickety, insectic thing, a 460 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:09,000 locust. Why? 461 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,360 Because I think God cares about the details of our pain. 462 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:17,120 He doesn't overlook the specifics of our loss. 463 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:23,320 He sees it, He names it, and one day He will redeem it. 464 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:28,520 The whole God story, the whole of the story that is in our 465 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:35,840 Bibles, is one of love and it promises restoration, redemption 466 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:41,440 and resurrection. We worship a God who sees and 467 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:44,360 names our every her, our every grief. 468 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:48,800 He doesn't sweep them away, but he gathers them up. 469 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:54,320 And as he gathers them up the detail of every devastation we 470 00:32:54,320 --> 00:33:00,200 have known, they are not undone, they are not thrown away. 471 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:03,640 But somehow they're reconfigured. 472 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:08,600 They're reworked into something beautiful. 473 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:14,360 He takes the broken fragments of our lives and he does something 474 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:19,160 new with them. One day our agonies will be 475 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:23,120 redeemed. One day every pain that we have 476 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:27,120 faced in life will be transfigured into something 477 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:31,200 beautiful. I had a picture of a Potter on a 478 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:33,480 wheel. I've never done it, but I know 479 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:37,840 that they they create something beautiful and, and they mould it 480 00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:41,400 and they shape it and if it's something falls off, they take 481 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:44,560 it back up and they put it back on and they they do something 482 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:46,680 amazing. I wish I knew how to make 483 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:52,920 pottery, but that was the picture I had in Revelation 21. 484 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:55,520 Jesus says I will wipe every tear from our eyes. 485 00:33:56,360 --> 00:34:00,040 You know, sometimes I wonder how that's going to happen because 486 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:03,640 in my imagination, you know, when I'm seeing Jesus face to 487 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:08,120 face in glory or when he comes again in the new creation, I 488 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:10,960 think I'm going to be overwhelmed with joy and rather 489 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:14,280 excited, which I'm easily excitable. 490 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:18,000 You know, I'm going to be lost in worship, you know, but yet 491 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:19,960 Jesus says I'm going to wipe every tear from your eye. 492 00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:22,040 Well, if I'm crying at that point, I think it's going to be 493 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:24,760 tears of joy. And I don't want him to wipe him 494 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:26,120 away. I want to relish it. 495 00:34:27,639 --> 00:34:30,960 But perhaps in that moment when John sees that vision in 496 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:36,120 Revelation to anyone, and Jesus is wiping away every tear, it's 497 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:40,960 because he's wiping away every tear we have ever cried, every 498 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:45,679 loss we have felt, every sorrow we have borne, every grief we 499 00:34:45,679 --> 00:34:53,600 have held on to, seen by Him, remembered by him, and he will 500 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:59,800 redeem it so. And he will say there will be no 501 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:04,600 more death, no more mourning, no more crying, and no more pain. 502 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:11,440 But between the now and the then, the now and the not yet, 503 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:15,000 we want to be a people who grieve honestly. 504 00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:18,720 Grieve not like the people that have no hope, but grieve 505 00:35:18,720 --> 00:35:25,040 hopefully. But let's allow every tear that 506 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:31,240 needs to be shed to be shed. Let's be honest, let's ask the 507 00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:34,640 questions why. Let's Co suffer with one 508 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:36,480 another. Let's sit, shiver with each 509 00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:45,200 other, but hold on to hope that in light of of the resurrection, 510 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:48,400 we can be hopeful. In Jesus. 511 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:52,560 We are free to grieve hopefully because we live with 512 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:58,120 resurrection hope. I know that in this room we all 513 00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:02,960 have different stories. Some of us are carrying very 514 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:07,160 fresh grief. Some are carrying older grief, 515 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:10,720 but it's still aches and our hearts still feel broken. 516 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:20,720 Some of us are angry, and that's OK God can cope with our honest, 517 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:27,480 angry responses. Some of us might feel like we're 518 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:30,400 in a season where we feel fragile and uncertain. 519 00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:37,240 And the beautiful thing about this, the occasion we've just 520 00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:42,040 read about in John 11, is that we know that Jesus doesn't stand 521 00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:47,640 at a distance, but he comes, He walks right up to the tomb, He 522 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:54,360 sees the pain and he weeps. So whatever you're carrying this 523 00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:58,680 morning, I want you to know that God is not distant. 524 00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:04,560 He is coming to stand with you, to weep with you. 525 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:12,760 We can grieve hopefully because of the promise of resurrection 526 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:16,080 hope. If you're able to, why don't you 527 00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:27,520 stand and we'll pray? I just want to make some space 528 00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:30,000 for Jesus to meet each of us as individuals. 529 00:37:30,240 --> 00:37:35,960 He knows what we carry. He knows the pain, and it might 530 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:38,320 be this morning that you're not in a place of pain and you're 531 00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:40,080 not carrying anything that's hard. 532 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:44,600 This is all good stuff because one day you will. 533 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:49,960 That's a guarantee. But if you're in that place, you 534 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:57,640 can stand alongside friends, family members, companions who 535 00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:02,680 are grieving. Holy Spirit, we welcome your 536 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:05,800 presence. We thank you that you're here 537 00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:08,600 already. It might be if you're carrying 538 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:11,240 something you just want to open your hands to say God, this is 539 00:38:11,240 --> 00:38:13,560 it. A bit like when I was in pain, I 540 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:20,280 just held it to God and was like you deal with this Holy Spirit. 541 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:30,340 We stand here and we say, would you come here is what I am 542 00:38:30,340 --> 00:38:34,260 carrying. Jesus, thank you that you're not 543 00:38:34,260 --> 00:38:40,800 distant. Holy Spirit, I ask that you 544 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:46,200 would bring your comfort and your peace, that you would 545 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:49,320 remind us that death is not the end of the story.