West End United Methodist Church

Scripture: John 11:1-3, 17, 38-44 

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus,“Lord, he whom you love is ill.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.  Jesus 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.”  Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”  So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me.  I 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.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The 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.”

Prayer:

Lord, unbind us from our fears and doubts. Be with us in our witness to the power and love of Jesus Christ. Amen.


Ways to Reflect:

Hear:

Listen to or sing “Be Still My Soul” from UMH #534 
We live in a culture that loves fast. Slow and intentional takes too long. Mary and Martha both believe in Jesus but they also believe that he took too long which caused their brother to die.  But Jesus reminds both of them that they will see the glory of God. Listen or sing “Be Still My Soul” a couple times and ask for help to experience the glory of God as you slow down this week. 

Play (touch): Bubbles and gratitude

Who else loves to play with bubbles? Grab a jar of bubbles and head outside or hop on zoom with others to share this experience. Share something you are grateful for, a prayer, a concern, or a joy out loud.  Then breathe as deeply as you can to blow a stream of bubbles up and away!  If you are doing this activity with others - take turns speaking out loud and then have others blow bubbles to show that they are celebrating and praying with you.

Taste: Resurrection Rolls

Resurrection rolls are normally made around Easter, but we are going to make them this week to experience Lazarus’ resurrection. Here is a simple recipe to experience the miracle of resurrection.

Watch: Trees

Go outside in your yard or a nearby park to find a tree that is transitioning from winter to spring. Trees need to protect their future branches from the cold so they stop growing.  They lose their leaves and nutrients in the fall and wait for the weather to change to burst forth with new life.  What do you notice about the tree you chose?  What colors do you see? How long has that tree been there? Have you ever wondered how trees know when to become dormant versus when to start growing again?  How does this tree help you experience the glory of God today?

Smell: Cinnamon 

Certain spices are used to preserve but also to cover bad aromas. It is possible that the spice, Cassia which is similar to Cinnamon, was used to help with embalming and preserving in biblical times.  Are you someone who enjoys the aroma of Cinnamon or not? Would you use it to cover bad aromas in your home?