Faith Daily | 1 November 2021

PRAYER of the DAY - PENTECOST

Eternal God,

neither death nor life can separate us from your love:

grant that we may serve you faithfully here on earth,

and in heaven rejoice with all your saints

who ceaselessly proclaim your glory;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: John 11: 32-44

32When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

GOSPEL Reflection: Contributed by: Rosemary Bruton

Parting with loved ones in never easy. I am sure everyone has had to deal with the pain of someone special passing. Mary and Martha are friends of Jesus. They have entertained him in their home and it was Mary who poured the perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair.

I love the way Mary comes and kneels at Jesus feet again in this passage, acknowledging who He is and to worship him. This family loved Jesus and Jesus loves them.

I identify with Martha here when she says to Jesus that Lazarus has been dead for four days and it would be smelling bad in the tomb, apart from Lazarus’ body deteriorating as well.

It is interesting how the Jews that are mourning with the sisters, appreciate Jesus weeping, understanding the girls sorrow, then criticise him because he healed Bartimaeus but could not keep Lazarus from dying. People can be so quick to criticise God and doubt him, without giving him the time to do what he is more than able to do.

The scent on these passages reminds me of what is going to happen to Jesus. I believe Jesus raises Lazarus as a means of showing Mary and Martha and their Jewish friends, that God really does have power over life and death. I also think it’s paving the way for what is going to happen to him and to help them see. Although we know from the Bible that they are still shocked and surprised when Jesus does indeed rise from the dead after his crucifixion.

FINAL PRAYER:

Come let us worship and bow the knee and worship the Lord our God,

For there is nothing that God cannot do,

just take it to Him in prayer.

Thank you Jesus,

Amen.