I AM the Resurrection and the Life

This past week, I found myself staring at my reflection in a hospital window. It was mid-afternoon in the ER waiting area, and all around me, monitors beeped steadily – that rhythmic sound we've all heard. Beep... Beep... Each one marking a heartbeat, each one a reminder that life is precious. While waiting outside one of the rooms, I overheard nurses talking about a gentleman who had passed away in the ambulance on his way in. That conversation hit me hard. The simple fact that we're all here this morning, breathing, living – it's a gift we often take for granted. Have you ever noticed how hospitals make us face things we spend most of our lives trying to avoid thinking about? The older I get, the more I find myself thinking about life and death. That rhythmic beeping of the monitors – it's a lot like our breathing, isn't it? Always there, keeping time, marking life. Speaking of breathing – would you do something with me right now? Just one simple thing. Take one deep breath. Go ahead – just one. Hold it for a moment... and slowly let it out. Twenty thousand times a day. That's how often we do that without thinking. Twenty thousand gifts we rarely stop to thank God for. You know what's funny? Every Thanksgiving, we go around the table listing what we're grateful for. But how many of us ever say, "I'm thankful for air"? Sometimes it takes almost losing something to realize its value. When I was a kid, probably around 7 or 8, I learned this lesson in a terrifying way. We were playing hide and seek with my cousins when I spotted an old 1950s refrigerator with one of those big silver handles. Thinking I was clever and small enough to fit, I squeezed inside and pulled it shut. That's when I learned two terrifying truths. First, these old fridges latched from the outside - I was locked in that dark, scary space. But second, and far more important, I learned just how precious each breath really is. Within seconds, I was gasping, desperately trying to find air where there wasn't any. I didn't know at that young age that these old fridges were airtight when unplugged. If it wasn't for my cousin finding me quickly, I wouldn't be standing here today. You see, both that childhood memory and my recent hospital visit taught me something profound about gratitude. What if real thanksgiving isn't just about counting blessings, but about recognizing life itself as the gift? What if gratitude is less about what we have and more about Who gives us each breath?

I want to invite you to open your Bibles with me to John chapter 11. We're going to meet a family who had to face these questions in the rawest way possible. They're about to learn, as I did in that hospital room, that sometimes our deepest encounters with Jesus happen in the places we least want to be… Let’s read together from John chapter 11, starting with verse 17. Take a moment to find this passage in your Bibles... Let’s read together, John chapter 11, and find with me verse 17. 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[a] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” Now, find with me verse 32… A little context.. Jesus has just met Martha, and now Mary, with the crowd following Mary is going to go where Jesus is. Here is the conversation that Mary has with Jesus. 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

I want to ask a question.. Are you trusting Jesus Christ as your life? The story of Martha, Mary and Lazarus is a fascinating one. I want skip Martha’s interaction with Jesus for just right now… and lets take a moment to look at Mary and Jesus. Mary comes running up to Jesus and she’s weeping. Listen to Mary’s words, in John 11:32: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” do you notice how Jesus dealt with her in her grief? Like we know what happens.. and if you dot know the story, spoiler alert, Jesus in a few verses ahead will eventually go to the tomb of Lazarus and he would call out his name, and Lazarus would com alive again and walk out of the tomb. Jeuss literally brings him back to life. But here in this moment, we find something fascinating in Jesus’s interaction with Mary… although Jesus knows what he’s about to do… it never gets in the way of being present with people. If we look in Verse 33 says, “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” Then, our Bible tells us… Jesus wept. And Im fascinated by it because here’s the question I’m wanting to ask.. Why does Jesus weep when He knows He’s about to remove the whole reason for weeping? He knows. The most real truth about Jesus Reminds Us that Jesus has the Power to Take Our Tears Away, but he also has the love to weep with us in our grief. If you ever wanted to see what perfected love looks like…. This is it. If you ever wanted to know what kind of love is real perfect love, you’ll never find it anywhere else but in and through Jesus. Grief is a really interesting emotion. I’ve learned as a pastor that each persons grief is as unique as their fingerprint. And I’ve witnessed as a pastor, that people grieve differently. Some weep loudly, and some grieve silently. And when you experience grief, there’s two things you’ll learn that are common in anyone that grieves. The first truth lies in our deep human need to have our grief witnessed. God created us for community, and this rings especially true in our seasons of mourning. Just as the body of Christ functions as many parts working together, our grief needs to be witnessed by our brothers and sisters in faith. Scripture reminds us to "mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15), showing us that even in our deepest sorrow, we were never meant to walk alone. When fellow believers witness our grief, they become the hands and feet of Christ, offering the same compassion Jesus showed to Mary and Martha in their time of loss. And second, we all grieve because love was evident and love was real in their life. Our capacity to grieve flows directly from our capacity to love – a gift given to us by our Creator who is love itself (1 John 4:8). When we grieve deeply, we reflect the very heart of God, who loves His children with an everlasting love. Our tears mirror the sorrow God feels when His children suffer, and our aching hearts echo Jesus's compassion for a broken world. You can not have grief without love. They are intertwined together. And if your plan is to go through life avoiding grief and pain, you can most certainly do so, but the cost to a Grief-less life is to always run from love. I don’t know about you, but a life without love is like a river without water. There is not one person, that I know of in this world, that doesn’t want to love and also feel loved by others. I hope that is what you and anyone who visits this church finds here in this church. The issue is… for most of us when we have experience rejection in our life, we become afraid to love and to let others love us in return. But look to where Mary and Martha runs… they run to Jesus and Jesus does what… he weeps with them. Think of how amazing it is, that in this verse we find Jesus, who is God in the flesh, Who knows everything is about to change for them, but still he takes the time to weep with them. Did you notice what Mary and Martha did? They shared their need to grieve and for it to be witnessed, and if their grief is but an echo of a love now gone, its so beautiful.., they go to the source of love. Jesus has the Power to Take Our Tears Away. We know this.. we have hope of this from the resurrection to come. John would write that in the book of revelation.. think about what he writes, He (Speaking of the Lamb, Speaking of Jeuss) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” What we see in this moment is that God makes it crystal clear to us, when we weep, he undeniably weeps with us. When we hurt, he hurts with is. He witnesses our pain, and he comes. And so, this morning, I don’t know the depth of your grief, or the hurt you’ve expieirnced. Whether it be the loss of a loved one, or maybe you felt alone and abandoned, betrayed and discouraged. With whatever it is you’re dealing with, Jesus is witnessing your pain, and he loves you perfectly where you are, and he weeps with you.

Jesus weeps, but then he brings truth. You see, it’s not just being there witnessing our pain, but it’s also bringing truth about our pain. It’s Inviting God Into Our Pain and hearing what he says about our pain.. That’s always the first step to healing. And when I say heal, I am not saying we forget our grief, or we forget those we have once loved, what I am saying is this… Healing can never begin unless were real and honest about why we grieve. One of the resources and books I’ve been looking into has been David Kessler’s book called, “Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief.” And in this book, Kessler writes, “Healing doesn’t mean the loss didn’t happen. It means that it no longer controls us.” When we grieve, we need truth. Martha comes up to Jesus and says “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” If Jesus would have been there… this story would have been different, but not, Lazarus has died. But yet, in this moment, hear the truth that Jesus says to her… “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Do you realize what Jesus just said? Jesus just said He has the power to make it all untrue. He has the power to turn all of it around. Now, I thought about this truth this week and the only way I can explain it is like this.. You know that feeling when you’re asleep and you have a nightmare? You have a whole bunch of feelings and emotions. I remember one as a kid where wolves were chasing me. I can to this day recall how scared I was. I remember the sounds, and my fears, and I vividly remember how I felt. But then, I also know how I felt when I woke up. How safe I felt once my mind realized that it was a dream. I remember feeling different once truth was realized. Now, what about those moments where you weren’t asleep. Those moments where something really bad did happen to you. It’s not a dream and you just sit there in your grief, and you pinch yourself to make sure you’re not sleeping. How many times in our grief and we just say things like, I wish this was a dream. This, can’t be true, and you just wish what had happened would be undone. This is the truth of what Jesus is saying to Martha. He goes, I have the power to undo what grieves you. I have the power to undo it all… where it would be just like waking from a dream. And listen Church, if that is true…. If Jesus has the power to undo what has been broken. then that means death is not the end of our story—and that changes everything for us. Jesus was sharing truth into their conversation… and then… listen to that Jesus says next… Do you believe this? Martha responds, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Her word for Christ here is actually her saying, I believe you are the Messiah. You are the promised one. The one we’ve been waiting for… You’re our long awaited Hope! Why? Why do we need hope? Why is Jesus our hope? DO you understand the implications of what it means that the long awaited Messiah has come? Man and woman were made by God, but they sinned against Him. They did what all of us have done—they turned from God and His ways to ourselves and our own ways. As a result of sin, they were separated from God—and all of us are as a result. The penalty for sin is death, both physical death in this world and everlasting judgment in eternity beyond this world. But we call the Bible and the gospel good news because here it with an open heart this morning… The gospel is that God loves us and has not left us alone in a world of sin, separation, suffering and death. God promised to send His Son, Jesus, to do what none of us could ever do. He lived the life we have not and could not live, a life of no sin. Then He died the death we deserved to die. We deserve our death. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for the sins of anyone who puts their trust in Him. Then, three days later Jesus did what no one else has ever done or could ever do. He conquered death itself, the enemy we cannot conquer. Jesus rose from the grave. He is the resurrection and the life. And he looks to Martha and says to her…I am the resurrection and the life… Do you believe it? The greatest invitation we could eve receive is the invitation to enteral life in Jesus and he simply hands it to you in words of love and says, do you believe it? Martha, says yes, but she doesn’t understand. Just like so many people who hear this gospel today and refuse it because they don’t understand. So many times our truth prevents us from hearing His truth. Our minds are limited.. they are.. the smartest person int his world can’t run form death, but they can run into death and find life. They can.. and you can too… but you’ve got to hear the invitation this morning.. do you believe this. Are you trusting Jesus with your life?

I thought long and hard on how I would end our service today, because I know it hits home for all of us. But, for those of you who are in Christ… Can I give you some encouragement for our ending? I feel like I should encourage you before we end. Can I do that? First, Grief Isn't a Detour from Faith – It's Part of the Journey The first thing we need to understand is this: grief isn't foreign to God's children. In fact, our capacity to grieve deeply proves something beautiful – it proves we're alive, we're human, and we're loved by God. Think about it – Jesus himself, standing at Lazarus's tomb, didn't rush to resurrection. He wept. The Bible doesn't teach us we'll never taste grief. Instead, Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians that we "do not grieve as others do who have no hope." We still grieve – we just grieve differently. Our tears fall on the soil of hope.

Secondly, Suffering Can Be Sacred Ground This second truth might sound strange at first. It's like watching a child take medicine – they hate the taste, but we know it's working healing in them. David understood this when he wrote, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.” When I look back at the hardest seasons of my life – nights spent crying out to God, moments when loss felt overwhelming – I realize something: those weren't just seasons of pain. They were seasons of growth. The moments that threatened to break me became the moments that built my faith. Here's what I've learned: Don't just endure your suffering – let it teach you. Let it shape you. Let it drive you deeper into God's heart. Sometimes the bitter cup holds the sweetest grace.

Thirdly, Our Pain Draws His Presence There's a promise in Scripture that has become increasingly precious to me. David writes, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Notice he doesn't say the Lord fixes everything immediately. He says the Lord comes near. What if your darkest valleys aren't pushing you away from God, but actually drawing you closer to His heart? What if there's a special kind of nearness we experience only in our pain? I've found that often, most of my deeper encounters with God's presence haven't been on the mountaintops, but in the valleys.

fourthly, Healing Has God's Timing Yes, by His stripes we are healed. But notice something: when Jesus healed people in the Gospels, He rarely did it the same way twice. The blind man had to wash in the pool. The leper had to show himself to the priest. Some were healed instantly; others gradually. Here's the truth: God always heals, but He doesn't always heal according to our timeline. Some wounds He heals instantly, some gradually, and some He won't fully heal until we see Him face to face. But not a single tear falls outside His notice or His care.

And speaking of God’s timing… this is the fifth and final truth. Wait………. Wait in Hope. David writes, "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." But let's be honest – how many of us have gone to bed in grief, woken up, and the pain was still there? Where's the joy that was promised with the morning. Here’s what I've come to understand: God's "morning" isn't measured by our 24-hour clock. Remember Psalm 40? David writes, "I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock.” How long was David in that pit? The Bible doesn't tell us. But here's what we do know – he waited. And while he waited, God was working. The same God who raised Lazarus, the same God who left an empty tomb on Easter morning, is working in your waiting. Your grief has a purpose. Your tears have meaning. And your waiting isn't wasted – because the God who is the resurrection and the life is still in the business of bringing beauty from ashes and joy from mourning. Not just someday in heaven, but here, now, in the midst of our waiting.

This morning, we began by taking a breath together. By noticing what's always there but often forgotten. And as we close, I want us to notice something else that's always there – the presence of the One who calls Himself the resurrection and the life. Around our Thanksgiving tables in the coming weeks, some of us will feel the weight of empty chairs. Some of us will carry grief alongside our gratitude. And that's okay. Because we serve a Savior who sits with us in both. The same Jesus who asked Martha, "Do you believe this?" asks us the same question today. But notice – He doesn't just ask for intellectual agreement. He invites us into a relationship with the One who weeps with us before He works miracles, who enters our grief before He transforms it. So let me ask you one final question: How are you waiting? Are you waiting alone, or are you waiting with the One who is the resurrection and the life? Maybe you're here this morning and you've never truly answered Jesus's question, "Do you believe this?" Maybe it's time to stop running from death and run into life – the life that only Jesus can give. Or maybe you're a believer, but you're in that pit right now. You're in the waiting. Remember – David waited too. But he didn't just wait; he waited with the Lord. And that made all the difference. Let's pray. *Father, thank You that You are the God who doesn't just promise resurrection someday – You are the resurrection and the life today. For those wrestling with grief this holiday season, be especially near. Help us not just endure our waiting, but to find You in it. To trust that even now, You are working. Even now, You are faithful. Even now, You are good. Thank You that no tear falls without Your notice, no pain exists outside Your care, and no waiting extends beyond Your purpose. We trust You, not because we understand everything, but because we know You. In the name of Jesus, who is our resurrection and our life, amen.*

Here is your benediction. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Go in His peace.*