In today’s passage, we once again see Jesus doing the unexpected, and in so doing, he puts those who love him in very uncomfortable positions. Usually, these unexpected actions, like turning the water into wine, or speaking to the woman at the well, were so that he could get past people’s defenses and preconceptions to reveal to them his true identity. All throughout his gospel, John has shown us Jesus doing unexpected things. John has given us rich details here about what happened, and I believe that these details are here for a reason. We’re not dealing with the whole story today, but rather the prelude - the first act. The story this week introduces us to one of the most famous passages in the gospel of John - the raising of Lazarus. In today’s passage, we see a scene where Jesus followers may have felt very similar feelings. I felt scared and confused and I wondered when God was going to show up and help me out of this unexpected mess. I spent hours in prayer, had painful conversations with Tammy, whom I had not yet married. As September came ever nearer, I was in crisis - I began to question what I was looking for - what I wanted my life to stand for. I was doing everything I could to find a job, but nothing came. As the summer wore on and none of my resumes bore fruit, I began to despair. But if I didn’t land a job by September, I would have to leave Winston-Salem and return home until I could get something. I had a few months of reserve savings that could carry me through the summer. Then came the fateful day when we showed up to work and they told us to go back home - the company was bankrupt. Then, we heard about emergency meetings of the shareholders. We had dreams of being the next high tech success story - we thought we would all be millionaires and retiring by 35. We had been promised stock options for when the company went public. We were all working 80 and 90-hour weeks. The company had quickly expanded since I had been there, and we had great hopes of securing contracts with Microsoft, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and RR Donnelly. I had been working with Electronic Publishing International Corporation for almost a year. ![]() WHEN JESUS WAITS: A SERMON ON JOHN 11:1-16 IIIM Magazine Online, Volume 4, Number 5, February 4 to February 10, 2002Ī SERMON ON JOHN 11:1-16 by Rev.
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