(All our songs this morning are from Singing the Faith (StF) numbers will be given where available)
Welcome to our Sunday Service, today shared on paper across our circuit and with the congregation at Bolton Methodist Church and led by Brian Gamble one of our Circuit Local Preachers.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
We begin our worship today with some words from Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
Song – StF 443 – Come let us sing of a wonderful love
Prayers
Wonderful and almighty God
You are our crucified and risen Lord.
We don’t offer our prayers to a long dead hero
We pray to you, our living Lord.
We thank you that you promise us a life that takes us beyond the grave
And a hope that not even death can extinguish.
You alone can give the quality of life which can only be lived in the presence of God.
Come Wonderful Lord and live within us.
Infuse our prayers with your Holy Spirit and make your home in our hearts
Lord, we confess that the poverty of our commitment and failure to trust you can leave our lives empty.
We confess that our days are strewn with selfish words, thoughtless actions and self-centredness.
Come Lord, forgive us, cleanse us and renew us so that we may walk with you the rest of our days.
Song – StF 370 – Breathe on me breath of God
Our bible reading which is set for this morning is much longer that usual (45 Verses) and it inspires a lot of different thoughts, so I have split it into three separate sections. So let’s hear the first one now.
There are lots of things that happened in Jesus’s life which we know nothing about. The gospels are not a biography and we only know what the writers thought was important in spreading the message of salvation.
John is the only one who tells this story about Lazarus.
We have met Lazarus, Martha and Mary before. It seems that they were unmarried siblings living in the family home, presumably their parents had died.
It seems that there must have been some special relationship between Jesus and this family who lived in Bethany. John tells us that Jesus loved them. Now we know that Jesus loved everyone. His life was dictated by love. Jesus became human to show that God’s love is all-encompassing. But his love for this family was different, it was special, it was a truly human love.
Although this story seems to be about the family it is really the background for John to tell us more about Jesus.
To put this into context, Jesus was in the area where John the Baptist had lived and worked, on the east side of the Jordan river. Opposition to his teaching was increasing and he went there to find some peace after some people in Jerusalem had threatened to stone him. Wherever Jesus was people always came to listen to him so he was teaching them when word came to him about Lazarus’s illness. But, Jesus always followed God’s will, and so even though Lazarus was a special friend, he didn’t rush off to see him but carried on with his immediate plans.
I find it interesting that, although it appears that Jesus spent his days travelling around randomly, people in Bethany knew where to send the messenger. So, Jesus completed his teaching session and then he said to his close supporters, lets go back to Judaea. They advised him not to go because it wasn’t safe there, they had recently escaped being stoned to death.
Then Jesus says this strange thing about walking in daylight so we can see by the worlds light. This is another of his riddles which he often used to make us think. He had recently declared, “I am the light of the world”. I believe he was saying that by completely trusting in Jesus, walking in his light, they, and so we, would see the way to eternal life. And then he gave them the news that Lazarus had died. But he tried to soften the blow, as we often do. We talk about a friend ‘passing’ or ‘fallen asleep’ or ‘gone to a better place’ or ‘losing someone’ don’t we.
When the disciples misunderstood he put it more bluntly. Then he went on to say that there was a purpose to Lazarus’s death. It is part of our belief that every thing can be seen as having a purpose.
Finally Thomas gave them a bit of a pep talk, come on, even though it’s dangerous, we must go with Jesus.
So, for the moment we will leave them there setting off on a full day’s journey to Bethany while we sing again. Then we’ll read the next section of the gospel.
Song – StF 248 – I heard the voice of Jesus say
Reading
After a journey, presumably on foot, of something over twenty miles, Jesus and his group arrived at Bethany.
Martha, the busy one, the home maker, perhaps the bossy one, had been looking out for Jesus for three days now. She had expected Jesus the day after the message was sent. It should have taken the messenger a day to find him and then another day for Jesus to reach Bethany but that didn’t happen and Lazarus died. So Jesus arrived to find the family surrounded by mourners.
Martha saw him coming and rushed out to meet him; and she was angry. ‘If you had been here my brother wouldn’t have died’. We can imagine what she was thinking; Why didn’t you come at once when you got our message. It’s too late now. But even in her disappointment she showed her faith and belief in Jesus and in the Jewish belief in the resurrection.
This brings us to the crux, the kernel, the heart of the story. Jesus’s words, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me will live even though they die. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
We will return to this later but for the moment let’s follow the story.
Jesus was resting from his long journey when Mary, the other sister came to him and repeated the words, ‘if you had been here my brother would’t have died’. But she used a different emphasis, she said it with sorrow and regret, so much so that she moved Jesus to tears. Famously the shortest sentence in the bible. Jesus wept. Sadly often used nowadays as an expression of frustration or disappointment by non believers. Then Jesus went, with Mary, to the tomb.
The last verse in this section shows that people by this time were fully aware of the power of Jesus and yet there were still many amongst the mourners who were critical because he hadn’t made that special effort to come and save his friend.
Let’s read the final part
Reading
So we come to the climax of this event. Jesus came to the tomb, the stone was rolled away and a resurrection was witnessed. This must be why we are given this reading today because it is an obvious pointer to the events which we will celebrate in just two weeks time. Resurrection is available for us all.
John constructed his gospel around seven signs and seven sayings. We saw one earlier, I am the light of the world.
Now he says “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me will live even though they die. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Perhaps the most important of his sayings.
I think it was Franklin Roosevelt who said,”There are two certainties in life, death and taxes.” We know it’s a physical fact that we will all die. So what did Jesus mean when he said we will never die. He must have had more in mind than a physical meaning.
Reading
Whilst people are physically alive they can be dead to God. So overwhelmed by sin that they have become unreceptive, unaffected by God’s word. Sin can take away everything that makes life worthwhile. I’m sure you will know of someone like this even if you don’t know anyone personally. Who is so selfish that they are dead to the needs of others.
So insensitive that they are dead to the feelings of others.
So immersed in the petty dishonesties and disloyalties of business that they are dead to honour and decency.
People in this state are continually seeking relief by chasing more and more of the same. If only they can turn to Jesus he will bring new life, a resurrection from this living death.
This is where our Methodist teaching leads. We have a collection of 141 sermons and reams of letters which were collected by John Wesley and the doctrine that they encompass was distilled into four sentences. The Four Alls
All Need to Be Saved – This is where we recognise our spiritual poverty. We may have been “almost” Christians, going through religious motions, but we finally understand that we truly need rescue.
All May Be Saved – This is where hope breaks through. The “almost” Christian often struggles with whether God’s grace is really available to them. This ‘All’ assures us that salvation isn’t limited to the spiritually elite—it’s offered to everyone.
All May Know Themselves to Be Saved – This moves us beyond religious uncertainty to confident assurance. “Almost” Christians often live in perpetual doubt about their salvation. This ‘All’ provides the security that enables bold faith.
All May Be Saved to the Uttermost – This is where transformation begins. “Almost” Christians often settle for forgiveness without pursuing holiness. This ‘All’ calls us to experience the full scope of God’s transforming power.
This is our Methodist heritage which enables us to live in confidence and to share our faith with assurance.
We are assured that when we truly believe in our salvation through Jesus that‘s enough. Because when we truly believe God takes hold of our lives. He sees the sacrifice of Jesus making us acceptable. He sees the blood of Jesus washing us clean. He enables us to change our lives around to live as faithful, loving followers of our one and only example, Jesus Christ. That is our resurrection.
Song – StF 351 – In Christ alone my hope is found
This leads us to our time of prayer for the world.
Loving God As we remember that Jesus wept for his friend we remember people who weep today over lost dreams, over plans that have come to nothing
and we pray for people who never had a dream or sense of purpose
And people who are filled with regret for what might have been.
Lord of the broken hearted
Come wipe their tears away
We pray for people who weep in fear, who are overwhelmed by what their future might hold.
For people facing the uncertainty of serious health problems or who have lost the will to live.
Lord of the broken hearted
Come wipe their tears away
We pray for people who weep over broken relationships, for words wished unsaid, for actions regretted.
For people whose trust has been destroyed and whose self-centredness causes heart ache.
Lord of the broken hearted
Come wipe their tears away
We pray for people who weep for your creation and warn of the damage we are doing to your world.
For people who close their ears and shut their eyes to their responsibility and want to keep to their selfish lifestyle.
Lord of the broken hearted
Come wipe their tears away
We pray for people who weep for loved ones they have lost
For people who cry alone and want someone to come and share their tears in understanding.
Lord of the broken hearted
Come wipe their tears away
We pray for people who weep because their lives have been destroyed through no fault of their own, whose homes work and loved ones have been carried away by earthquake, fire, flood or war.
Lord of the broken hearted
Come wipe their tears away
We pray for people who weep for themselves, or who have suffered so long that they can weep no more.
We pray for ourselves and the times of emptiness, brokenness and anxiety that no one else sees.
We bring our prayers in the name of Jesus who wept for Lazarus and still weeps for us all.
Lord Jesus, our friend, wipe away our tears.
Let us conclude our prayers as Jesus taught us Our father who art in heaven……………………………….
Our final hymn is a reminder of the Fifth All. All must witness to their salvation.
Song – StF 323 – I will sing the wondrous story
May God’s word feed us and his spirit lead us into the adventure of the week to come.
