WELCOME
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
Call to Worship
A Call to Worship for Mother’s Day
Leader: On this day of celebrating mothers, we remember and lift up our mothers to the Lord. Mothers of young children, first-time mothers, Working mothers, and single mothers
People: We see you and honour you today.
Leader: Grieving mothers who have lost a child too soon, And those who desire to be mothers
People: We see you and honour you today.
Leader: All those who are missing their mothers, and mothers who are missing their children.
People: We see you and honour you today.
Leader: Mothers who did not give birth to us biologically, but have raised us and brought life to us in countless other ways
People: We see you and honour you today.
Leader: In times of full joy and abundance, in times of empty nests and empty cradles, in all these God tends his flock like a shepherd and carries the lambs close to his heart.
People: As a mother comforts her child, so will God comfort us.
Songs
Prayer
CONFESSION:
Lord, many of us read these words from Your Holy Word and are inspired, encouraged, and grateful. But some of us are tempted to doubt that Your grace could ever produce these kinds of virtues in our lives.
Some of us are tempted by resentment and unforgiveness because of those who have let us down. Some of us are tempted to condemn ourselves for past failings, and all of us remember times when we have fallen short.
Forgive us for doubt, resentment, unforgiving hearts, self-condemning attitudes. Remind us of your forgiveness, always available in Jesus Christ. In Spite of our failures and sin, we trust in Your power to transform our lives.
Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, so that our lives may bring Joy to Your world and Praise to Your Name. Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Even though we have often failed to do as our Lord Jesus has asked, yet there is eternal forgiveness and a chance to again follow his ways. Be assured, dear friends, that the love of Jesus Christ will never leave you.
Resurrecting Hope
If You Would Have Been Here …
Today's Message: Pastors Marlee Page & Laura Gaffan
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Scripture Reading: John 11:1-44
Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
Jesus and Death, the Last Enemy
28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?”
They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”
Lazarus Raised from the Dead
38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
Lazarus was one of Jesus’ friends. He fell sick and died before Jesus could arrive to restore him. The loss was devastating to Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha. It all looked like one big mistake. If Jesus would have been there, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus entered into the pain with Mary and Martha and He wept. If we want to know how God responds to loss, look no further than Jesus’ tears in John 11. Though Lazarus had been lying in the tomb for days, Jesus performs a miracle and raises him from the dead. It is a foreshadowing of what would happen to Jesus, as well as what will happen for all who put their hope in Him.
Think: Even when I think it is the end, it may just be the beginning.
Feel: When my heart is broken, so is Jesus’. When I am grieving, so is Jesus.
Do: Allow yourself to hope that God is still working, even in the midst of your loss.
Good morning, Church! We are so honoured to have you in worship with us today. Whether you are a regular attender here or a guest with us this morning, I pray that God moves in your hearts in a powerful way.
We are continuing in our current sermon series called Resurrecting Hope. Life’s greatest challenges can only be faced when we have the hope of Jesus’ power and presence living within us through our faith in Him.
In the first week, we encountered Mary Magdalene as she journeyed to the tomb on that Easter morning and was met with the surprise of seeing Jesus, face to face, alive and well. His resurrection filled her with hope once again for the future.
Last week we discovered that there were others who saw Him as well, and His love restored their hope even after they had failed Jesus in His greatest time of need.
Today we find that resurrected hope meets us in the midst of sorrow and grief.
Today we honour our mothers. We mourn loss and we celebrate a life well lived. We sit in the tension of the parts of our lives that bring us to this moment, and we remember Anne Laskey. Anne passed away at Christmas time and her family is here joining us today. Anne had just turned 90 and was the longest living member of FBK*. Her life is an example for us, and we mourn her loss with her family.
We take it all to Jesus, to the hope He holds and turn to the story that guides us through it all. As time has goes on and we grieve sometimes the most shocking thing has been that each of us, in our own way, can feel and find a deep sense of comfort.
The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus’ interactions with people that are grieving that shine a light on His love and compassion. One of the most powerful resurrection moments actually takes place before His own. It is in this encounter with Jesus that we see the way He meets people in the midst of their grief and sorrow.
READ John 11:1-7
We are introduced to a family in chapter 11 that consists of Mary, Martha, and a man named Lazarus. This family is heartbroken to find that their brother, Lazarus, is gravely ill.
Jesus has a history and past with this family. He spent time with Mary and Martha in their home, and Lazarus is described as a person Jesus loves. They were his friends.
The sisters sent word to Jesus to come quickly because they had hopes that He would heal their brother. Surprisingly, when Jesus gets word of Lazarus’ state, He decides to remain where He is for two more days rather than come to his aid.
Why? Why not come as soon as He received the call for help?
I’m sure Mary & Martha expected Jesus to come running and when he didn’t come I’m sure they felt a mixture of emotions. Disappointment, sadness, anger and frustration.
Jesus answers their question in verse 4.
Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
Jesus’ delay will somehow give glory to God in the end; you see, Jesus sees the bigger picture!
POINT #1 – JESUS SEES THE BIGGER PICTURE
Every one of us can recall a situation that we found ourselves in where we needed Jesus to show up.
- Maybe it was a diagnosis or sickness that we needed healing from.
- Maybe it was a broken relationship that could only be restored by Jesus.
- Maybe it was a dream that we had for our family, our career, or our marriage that was no longer a reality without the help of Jesus.
Like Mary and Martha, sometimes we find ourselves in need of God to show up RIGHT NOW, but He seems to be nowhere in sight.
We want God to be a Genie in a bottle, a heavenly Santa Claus, or a lucky rabbit’s foot!
The truth is that our timing is often not God’s timing.
In this story it seems that Jesus, in His all-knowing wisdom, is strategic in His response. He sees a way to make a Kingdom difference by staying where he is for two more days. I believe that in every prayer we pray, Jesus does answer. Sometimes that answer is “yes,” sometimes it is “no,” and sometimes the answer is “not yet.”
In some ways, it is like trying to put a puzzle together without the box cover to direct us. I have seen puzzles with so many pieces and such similar colourway and image that it would be impossible to sit down and place each piece in the correct place. In order to finish any kind of large puzzle, you have to have the cover to guide you. RIGHT?!?!
Each one of our lives is like a single piece of a massive puzzle. Our lives fit somewhere in the overall story God is telling in the world, but we are limited by our inability to see the bigger picture. So, when trials come and difficulties arise, it can be so heartbreaking because we simply cannot see how all of this can fit to make a beautiful picture in the end. At the moment, we are only seeing one frame of a beautiful movie. Jesus sees the whole film, and one day, on the other side of eternity, we will see the award-winning masterpiece too.
When Jesus finally arrives at the tomb where Lazarus had been buried, he has already been dead four days. This was significant. The Jewish tradition told them that the person’s soul would hang around for three days. So, by showing up on the fourth day everyone knew that Lazarus was good and dead, but Jesus had a surprise for all of them.
Mary and Martha were obviously distraught over their brother’s passing.
READ John 11:17-32
Many had gathered to come and support the family as they mourned Lazarus’ passing. Martha runs out and meets Jesus as He arrives, but Mary, in her grief, remains in the house. This portion of the passage reveals the emotions and personalities of the two sisters and how each was mourning the loss of their brother in their own way.
There is always many layers to loss and grief but for these two in that cultural context of a Patriarchal society the loss of their brother was even bigger. He would have been seen as the head of the household and neither of these women were married so what would become of them? Who would take care of them? Did they have enough income to survive on their own?
In both verse 21 and verse 32, Mary and Martha, respectively, each say a phrase that I am sure we all can relate to today. Out of sadness and a broken heart, Mary and Martha tell Jesus, “If only You would have been here, our brother would not have died.”
If only you would have been here….
Ours might be different but we can all fill in that space.
The beauty of the Bible is that it is always so honest about the complicated relationship between creation and Creator. The relationship between humans and God is never clean and tidy.
Throughout the book of Psalms, we see some of the most emotional writings and poetry ever written. Sometimes the writings are from hearts full of joy, and sometimes they are from broken hearts. This seems to be where Mary and Martha find themselves. If only You would have been here.
This brings us to our second point:
POINT #2 – JESUS IS NOT AFRAID OF YOUR FEELINGS
Mary and Martha are angry. They are confused. They are in anguish. They once hoped that Jesus would come to turn things around, but now they have lost all hope.
What I love about this story is that Jesus never reprimanded the sisters.
He does not get frustrated.
He is not offended.
He is not afraid of their emotion.
Instead, His response is comfort.
He reminds them that for those who place their faith, hope, and trust in Christ, death is not the end. He reminds them, as a foreshadowing of the Easter miracle, that He is the resurrection and the life. Jesus comforts as the sisters lay their raw pain before Him.
What is our posture in similar spaces? Will we still love him and trust Him even if He doesn’t do what we want?
This story encourages us!
We don’t need to be afraid to speak to God with honesty about our hurt. Allow yourself to be vulnerable before Him. He has thick skin. Jesus, being fully human, knows what it is like to suffer.
In fact, Max Lucado once said, “Permit yourself tears. God understands.”
When we begin to live with this kind of honesty, I believe that is when we begin to experience resurrected hope. We discover that the loss we have experienced is not the end of the story. The Bible tells us that God will use everything in our lives—the good, the bad, and the ugly—for His glory and for our ultimate good.
So, talk to God. Let him have it. He will not turn away.
READ John 11:33-35
Jesus is touched to His core as He witnesses the profound grief around Him. He asks where Lazarus had been buried. Then in verse 35 we read the shortest verse in all the scriptures. The Bible simply says that Jesus wept.
He cried.
Though Jesus, in His divinity, knew that He was going to resurrect Lazarus, in His humanity, He is moved to tears.
When you weep, Jesus weeps as well. When you hurt, Jesus hurts. When your heart breaks, Jesus’ heart breaks.
The scriptures tell us in the beautiful poetry of Psalms that God is close to the broken hearted and He binds up all of their wounds (Psalm 34:18, Psalm 147:3).
Though we live in a world where sickness is a reality, disappointment is all too common, and relationships can be painful, we have a God who is not somewhere far off and aloof. We have a God who enters into our pain in order to bring us healing.
READ John 11:38-44
Jesus comes to the tomb and tells the people there to remove the stone that was blocking the entrance of the tomb.
Oddly enough, in only a few chapters, another stone would be rolled away to reveal a tomb that was now empty. Jesus was resurrected. His victory over sin and death is what allows us to hope that He can overcome anything in our lives as well.
Martha is instantly concerned because Lazarus has been dead for four days and there is no telling what kind of stench would waft out once they opened the tomb. “Thou Stinketh!” But Jesus reminds Martha and the others that faith is the key to resurrecting hope. With faith we will see the glory of God through miracles that can only come by the power and presence of Jesus.
POINT #3 – JESUS BRINGS DEAD THINGS TO LIFE
Jesus prays to God, and He tells Lazarus to come out of the tomb. Miraculously, Lazarus is resurrected from the dead. He comes out still wrapped in cloths.
Everyone is amazed, and Jesus seems to believe that those who witnessed this miracle would be transformed by their experience and God would receive all the glory.
This kind of story seems to be the theme of Jesus’ life and ministry. He has come to bring new life to everything and everyone. In this story, Jesus brings a dead man back to life. In our lives, Jesus can bring resurrection to the places that feel dead to us.
- If the joy you used to have is now dead; Jesus can bring it back to life.
- If the dreams we once had for our future are now dead; Jesus can bring them back to life.
Resurrected relationships. Resurrected purpose. Resurrected hope.
You can believe that God is working out all things for the good of those who believe in Him, even in the messiness of life. Even when we can’t see the whole picture, the complete story or the finished puzzle.
Our lives are a piece in a much larger story. The story of God’s family. Ann Laskey was a piece of this larger picture.
I hold a very special memory of Ann. One that speaks to the special woman she was. Some of you will remember the friendship she had with another beloved member of our church family, Joan Bergwerf. Joan and Ann were a larger than life team. These two sweet women loved to shop together and VBS presented them with an opportunity to do just that. One day, my phone rang and it was Joan, I could hear Ann in the background rummaging through shelves and yelling, “Ask her what brand, how many does she need?” “Did you hear that?” Joan asked, this was the third such phone call that day. They were having so much fun shopping for supplies. I tried not to giggle, but their enthusiasm just made me smile. Ann was quick witted and carried a smile that was as big as her heart. She loved and served her church in so many capacities. Whether she was participating in shuffleboard or the Ladies Mission Circle, her love was on full display. She was even our custodian for a while.
Her piece of the puzzle radiated God’s love to those around her and we are the richer for having known, served alongside, loved and been loved by her.
We sit here today in the tension of the loss of people, or places or things but with the Resurrected Hope of Jesus.
We may not always understand the WHY but we do know the WHO!
We can trust God that He sees the whole story, the bigger picture, the complete picture of which we are just a piece of the puzzle and the story is not over yet.
Prayer
Loving God, it is you who gave life and breath to everyone in our world, and in you alone can we find life, breath and meaning for ourselves and our world.
For those who have been blessed with an awareness of your mothering care, who have looked to you for guidance and nurture, we give you thanks, and we pray that you would unite us within your family to be a nurturing influence on others, that they too may enjoy life within your family.
For those who hunger and thirst, who are lost and alone, who yearn to be given new direction, new hope and new life, we pray that you would care for them through us. Let us be seen and known as your faithful children in this community of faith to which you have given birth. Help us to uphold your name by acting, as Jesus our brother, in faithfulness and trust in you.
Gather us, Lord, as we lift to you the special needs we bring to this day, in silence.
Under the shadow of your wings we find our refuge. In your gentle care we find our home. And in your living Spirit we are united this day, Lord, as we offer to you our prayers in the name of your holy Child, Jesus, the Christ.
Song
Benediction
May God, who gave birth to all creation, bless us.
May God, who became incarnate by an earthly mother, bless us.
May God, who broods as a mother over her children, bless us.
May almighty God bless us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Now and for ever.