Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Joy in Pain

1 Thessalonians 1.6-7

At the September 15, 2001, satellite broadcast of “America Prays,” Christian author Max Lucado read the following prayer that he wrote in response to the September 11, 2001, attack on America.

Dear Lord, we’re still hoping we’ll wake up. We’re still hoping we’ll open a sleepy eye and think, What a horrible dream.

But we won’t, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream and, dear Father, we are sad.  There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost her priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor, and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only three years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)


We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better. But we didn’t.


And so we come to you. We don’t ask you for help; we beg you for it. We don’t request it; we implore it. We know what you can do. We’ve read the accounts. We’ve pondered the stories and now we plead, “Do it again, Lord. Do it again.”


Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord. Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children, too, Lord. Do it again. And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again…

Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here last Tuesday, you saw there that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the smoke eclipsed our morning, so the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced. And by dusk, heaven’s sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.

But you did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, you rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter…

And we thank you for these hours of prayer. The Enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before you. And he has no idea what you can do.

…Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe. And look kindly upon your church. For two thousand years you’ve used her to heal a hurting world. Do it again, Lord. Do it again. Through Christ, Amen.

This Christ centered prayer was how one man responded to a situation that brought physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual pain into his life and the lives of countless others.

So now, I ask you, 

How do you respond to difficult situations?

What’s your go to reaction when something happens that you did not expect?

In moments of suffering, where do you go for comfort?

In moments of pain, who do you look to for answers?


In moments of affliction, what brings you reprieve and hope?


Your response to difficult situations reveals who and what you really trust.


When you are feeling down and out, 


Do you run to a parent to tell you that you are the greatest thing since sliced bread, no matter what anyone else says?

Do you run to a friend or friend group to rally around you with an attention diverting night out on the town?


Do you run to Amazon, Target, or the Mall to buy yourself something nice or something fun?


Do you run to book a vacation to get away from the problems of your daily life?


Do you run to the computer for sexual satisfaction by drooling over images of girls in bikinis or muscle men with ripped 6 packs?


Do you run to a bottle to numb your experiences in a euphoric buzz?


Do you run to a drug dealer (some who are unfortunately legal in today’s world) to help you escape the moments of life that you are tired of dealing with?


Or, do you run to God in prayer like the Christian author who wrote the response to the events of September 11, 2001 that we just heard?  


Or, do you run to God in His Word, in His Church, in His people, in Bible Study, like the Apostle Paul, and his companions Silas and Timothy who authored this morning’s text?


As we return to the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians for the 6th week in a row, we hear about the Godly way to respond to life’s troubles.


1 Thessalonians 1:6–7 says this:


[6] And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, [7] so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. (ESV)


Last week, we focused on verses 5-6 from chapter 1.  In those verses, we heard that the Christian leaders writing this letter—Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy—were thankful that the Greek Thessalonian Christians were faithfully imitating them as they were first imitating Jesus.  


What we didn’t have time to hear about was the specifics of how the Thessalonians were imitating Paul, Silas, Timothy, and ultimately, Jesus. 


So, today, we that the Greek Thessalonian Christians were imitating Jesus and Jesus’ leaders in their local church by copying the way that they responded to affliction.


Affliction encompasses many things.  Affliction can be physical pain.  Affliction can be mental suffering.  Affliction can be distress.  Affliction can be spiritual struggle against lies and evil.


And, affliction can come from many different places.  Affliction can come from disease or illness.  Affliction can come from financial or physical hardship.  Affliction can come from mental and spiritual struggle that causes things like depression, despair, and anxiety.


One of the authors of our Biblical text, the Apostle Paul, was well-acquainted with the hardships of often intense suffering on many different levels.  In his 2nd letter to the Christians in the city of Corinth, he lists off some of the mental, physical, and spiritual struggles that were an intimate part of his daily existence.


In 2 Corinthians 11:24–29, the Apostle Paul gives a rundown of some of the troubles he faced saying this:


[24] Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; [26] on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; [27] in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. [28] And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. [29] Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? (ESV)


Just like the Greek Thessalonians, many of the troubles that the Apostle Paul dealt with stemmed from his faith in Jesus Christ.  Paul’s confidence in Christ alone for salvation led the politicians to hate him.  Paul’s trust in Jesus as God’s Savior led the most popular religious leaders of his day to desire his death.


When Paul felt like he was at a breaking point and couldn’t take any more trouble, he cried out to God to remove all of the suffering from his life.


As Paul prays, God responses to Paul, but doesn’t give Paul the answer he was looking for.


God does not remove the affliction from Paul’s life.


God never promises to remove pain and suffering from your earthly life.  God only promises to remove pain and suffering from your eternal life.  But the promise that God does make to you is that he will be with you in this world through every moment of pain and suffering.  And, you can rest in that promise because in the life and death of Jesus Christ, God became personally acquainted with every single form of human pain and suffering.  Therefore, God knows how to help you because he once thought what you are thinking, he once felt what you are feeling, and he once struggled with what you are struggling with.


Hebrews 4:14–16 makes this good news for you clear.


[14] Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (ESV)


As Jesus, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and then the Greek Thessalonians knew, it’s only by running to the God the Father in Heaven, in one of the many ways He has reveled Himself, that you hear the good news that gives you the comfort and peace you are genuinely seeking.  God’s promise is that He will eventually, at his return, right all wrongs and eradicate all pain and suffering for you in the life that comes through faith in Jesus Christ, His Son, who saved you.


The Greek Thessalonians did not believe the message of Jesus’ cross because it made their life easier and more comfortable.  The Greek Thessalonians believed the message of Jesus’ cross even though it, at times, made their life harder and more uncomfortable, because the message of the cross of Christ instilled in them a hope in God’s grace and love for them that was alive and active working all things out for their good—their salvation—regardless of what they experienced on any given day.  


A few years ago, I was at a Christian leadership conference in Brooklyn and one of the speakers said, “If you want a day without problems and frustration, walk away from pastoring, leadership, and Christianity.”  


Being a pastor, leader, and Christian, I understand what the speaker was saying.  However, the truth is that even for those who are not pastors, leaders, or Christians, problems and frustrations still fill the days on this earth.


Everyone of us is well acquainted with affliction and suffering from time to time.


But, as our text for this morning is telling us, as Christians we have a blueprint for understanding the problems and frustrations of our daily lives and a blueprint for responding to the problems and frustrations of our daily life.


When he was imprisoned for preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, Paul sang hymns in his jail cell.


Acts 16:16–34 tells us about one of these incidents where two of our text writers, Paul and Silas were wrongfully imprisoned but responded with joy!


Acts 16.(16-18)19-34 records this piece of history.


After telling us that a slave girl turned away from her sin, which included the unGodly dark art of fortune telling, and turned to a life of preaching Jesus as the Savior, like she heard Paul and Silas do, the slave owners who made money off of her evil dealings were upset.  The story continues like this:


[19] But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. [20] And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. [21] They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” [22] The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. [23] And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. [24] Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.


[25] About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, [26] and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. [27] When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. [28] But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” [29] And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. [30] Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” [31] And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” [32] And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. [33] And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. [34] Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. (ESV)


Why should we respond with joy in times of pain and suffering?



Because our suffering in this world unites us with our Savior Jesus who suffered so that we could be saved.


What did Jesus do in the difficult situations that the affliction of rejection, persecution, imprisonment and the wrongful sentence of the death penalty on the cross brought his way?


Hebrews 12:1–4 answers this question in the midst of the encouragement it provides.  These verses say:


[1] Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.


[3] Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. [4] In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (ESV)


Nothing in your life compares to the level and amount of suffering that God in Jesus faced in this world. 


However, we often ridiculously act like our momentary troubles are comparable to Jesus’ life and death.


“Starbucks is out of my favorite pink drink! FML!”


“Gas is $4.00 a gallon. Kill me!”


“I only got a 99 out of 100 on my test.  I wish I was dead!”


Even in what can be considered real suffering in this life, things like dealing with cancer and depression, losing a job and struggling financially,  being bullied, enslavement to addiction, etc., you have not been asked to offer your life and have your blood shed because of your Sin and the Sin of others.


When Jesus was asked and tasked with being the Lamb without blemish that would be led to the slaughter to pay for your Sin, Jesus endured the suffering of death on the cross for the joy that he knew was coming on the other side.


Death on the cross was not easy.


Death on the cross was not comfortable.


Death on the cross was not enjoyable.


In fact, death on the cross was the worst form of capital punishment available at the time.


However, Jesus knew that by walking the road up to the cross, after being physically beaten and tortured, and then being crucified with real criminals in a such a brutal way that a new word had to be invented to describe the pain suffered, he would have the joy of knowing and seeing you saved from Sin and reconciled to God.


It’s so hard to understand and believe, but throughout of the most disgusting and despicable event in human history, Jesus had a mind and heart set on the joy that his death would bring to you and to God the Father in Heaven as repentant sinners could now find forgiveness once and for all.  


In her book Ten Fingers for God, Dorothy Clarke Wilson writes about Dr. Paul Brand who worked with leprosy patients in India.


Sometimes they would all gather together in fellowship. One evening, Paul joined them, and they asked him to speak.


Dr. Brand had nothing prepared, yet he willingly stood up, paused for a moment and looked at their hands, some with no fingers, and some with only a few stumps. Then he spoke: “I am a hand surgeon, so when I meet people, I can’t help looking at their hands. I would like to have examined Christ’s hands. With the nails driven through, they must have appeared twisted and crippled. Remember, Jesus, at the end, was crippled too.”


The patients, on hearing this, suddenly lifted their poor hands towards heaven. Hearing of God’s response to suffering had made their suffering easier.


In Jesus’ life of obedience to God and service to you and in Jesus death on cross where he shed his blood for you, he did not grow weary or fainthearted.  Jesus faced all of the suffering, walked through all of the suffering, and Jesus overcame all of the suffering with an attitude of joy.  Jesus willingly ran this race set before him by God the Father in Heaven knowing that he would be the victor winning the prize of your salvation.


When Paul and Silas responded to suffering with joy by singing hymns and praying for God’s help, one of the prison guards watching over them witnessed their joy-laced demeanor and came to believe in Jesus so that he too could experience joy despite worldly suffering.


When the Greek Thessalonians responded to suffering with joy by remaining faithful to the tasks of preaching Christ crucified and resurrected while being persecuted by the government, the non-Christian religious leaders, and sometimes family and friends, residents of the towns and regions surrounding Thessalonica came to believe in Jesus so that they too could experience joy despite worldly suffering.


Just like the Thessalonians, as you endure the suffering of this life with joy, knowing that by suffering God is uniting you with Jesus, making you like Jesus, and will exalt you like Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven, others will see your faith driven, hard to understand and believe, joy in affliction and come to repentance and faith as they see the life of Christ exemplified in your daily experiences.


This week, hide 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 in your heart for times of trouble and affliction. 


[9] But [Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (ESV)


This is the Word of God for you today.


This is the Grace of God for you today.


Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.


June 21, 2026

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Where Is God?

John 11.1-45

Do you ever ask questions like…

Where is God when bad things happen?

Where is God when I am suffering?

Where is God when I am mentally and emotionally unstable?

Where is God when marriages fall apart?

Where is God when children are abused?

Where is God when cancer and disease show up?

Where is God when addiction ruins my life and my family’s life?

Have you ever asked these questions? Or, similar questions?

Maybe you asked similar questions this week after hearing some of the top news stories.

Maybe you asked, “Where was God when Hawaii faced record breaking flooding?”

Maybe you asked, “Where was God when Cuba’s electrical grid collapsed leaving millions of people in the dark?”

Maybe you asked, “Where is God as the Iranian war enters it’s fourth week leaving a trail of deaths and destruction causing people all over the world to fear nuclear retaliation?”

Maybe you asked, “Where is God as airport security workers are denied their fairly earned wages as the Washington politicians who are holding their money back continue to get paid?”

When life is interrupted by events that cause pain and suffering, both Christians and non-Christians often ask the same questions…

“Where was God?,”  

“How come God didn’t stop this from happening?,” and

“If God is all-powerful and sovereign over all things, why would He let this tragedy unfold?”

In this morning’s text from John’s biography of Jesus, chosen for us by the lectionary, we encounter a situation in which similar questions were asked about God’s whereabouts when bad things were happening.

Let’s here from John 11.1-45 together now.

John 11:1–45 tells us this:

[1] Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. [3] So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” [4] But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

[5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. [7] Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” [8] The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” [9] Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. [10] But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” [11] After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” [12] The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” [13] Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. [14] Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, [15] and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” [16] So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

[17] Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. [18] Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, [19] and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. [20] So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. [21] Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” [23] Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” [24] Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” [25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, [26] and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” [27] She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

[28] When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” [29] And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. [30] Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. [31] When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. [32] Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” [33] 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. [34] And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” [35] Jesus wept. [36] So 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 also have kept this man from dying?”

[38] Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. [39] Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” [40] Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” [41] So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. [42] I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” [43] When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” [44] The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

[45] Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, (ESV)

About 2000 years ago, when Jesus’ close friend Lazarus passes away, we hear the question, “Where was God?,” being asked not once, not twice, but three times by three different people.

First Martha, who runs to find Jesus when tragedy strikes, approaches Jesus on the road and says: “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died!”

Secondly, Mary, who stays behind to mourn, weep, and grieve, says to Jesus when He calls her to come to him:  “Lord, if you would have been here my brother would not have died.”

And thirdly, some of the Jews who were present and watching the tragic situation unfold, asked: “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”  

As Lazarus was sick, dying, and then dead, questions arose about God’s love, God’s goodness, God’s care, and God’s concern for those He claimed to love.

Some of those questions being,

“Where was God when I was anxious and worried watching my brother get progressively sicker?,”

“Where was God when my brother died at a young age?,” and

“Where was God as I was forced to deal with grief and loss of a loved one?”

In all three statements we see Jesus being accused of not being present when tragedy struck.  And in the same vein, of not caring about those whom He loved and who loved Him in return.  

In this text from John 11.1-45, Jesus answers the question, “Where is God when we are suffering and hurting because bad things happened?”

But, Jesus answers the question of God’s presence in suffering differently than humanity ever could or would.  

Because of sin, when we don’t get a perfect life with all of our desires, wants, and wishes perfectly met by the “Genie-in-a-Bottle” god, we say that God is no longer there or has left us when we needed Him most.

But, Jesus’ answer to the question of God’s whereabouts in tragedy, suffering, and pain, points us to the truth and good news that He is most present with you at those times.

Psalm 34:15–18 says this:

[15] The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

and his ears toward their cry.

[16] The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

[17] When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

[18] The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit. (ESV)

Jesus is there with you, speaking loudly to you in the most difficult moments of life.  

That may seem like an odd statement because when we think about God, we want to think “happy” thoughts like joy, peace, rest, and heaven.  We don’t want to hear or think that God comes closest in the hardest and most painful moments of life. We want God to eradicate pain and suffering instead.

But this is the truth of scripture.  It is only when sin shows its full power—to kill, destroy, damage, and hurt—that we are able to understand the predicament of humanity.  It is in suffering that we see the brokenness that needs to be fixed.  It is in pain that we realize our imperfection.  And it is in those moments that we recognize our need for a fixer, a healer, a rescuer, and a giver of perfect and unending life.

David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group points out that 

“National and global events can get our attention for minutes and weeks, but personal crises—divorce, losing your job, death, and economic instability—really can recalibrate spiritual priorities.”

Jesus begins, before Lazarus passes away, by telling His disciples that Lazarus’ sickness was for the purpose of ensuring that they and others would believe that Jesus was in fact the Son of God sent to save men and women from their sin.

And, to show them the hope that they had during this time of loss, Jesus demonstrates His power, right there, on the scene, in the very moment, to turn mourning into dancing, to bring life out of death, by raising Lazarus from the dead so that God our Father in Heaven would be glorified and people would come to faith through repentance of sin and belief in God’s Savior.

Jesus, God in flesh, simply calls Lazarus’ name and he comes walking out of the tomb, raised back to life, for all to see and hear about.

You can even imagine that as Lazarus is making his entrance back into the world of the living, House of Pain’s Back From the Dead is playing as the soundtrack with the lyrics:

“Erase my name from off the tombstones

Alive and kickin’, breathing the air

Call out my name…and I’ll be there

…’Cause I’m back from the dead.”

The historian Paul Veyne calls himself an “unbeliever,” and yet he extols the message of human dignity that we find in the sacrificial love and death of Jesus. Veyne writes:

“[In the gospel, a person’s life] suddenly acquired an eternal significance within a cosmic plan, something that no philosophy or paganism could confer … The pagan gods lived for themselves. In contrast, Christ, the Man-God sacrificed himself for his [people] … Christianity owed its success to a collective invention of genius … namely, the infinite mercy of a God passionate about the fate of the human race, indeed about the fate of each and every individual soul, including mine and yours, and not just those of the kingdoms, empires and the human race in general.”

For Martha and Mary, Jesus was present in their suffering, pain, grieving, and mourning.  He was with them, listening, comforting, and healing.  The text says that “when Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.”  And when He visited the place of burial with the family members, “Jesus wept.”

In their moments of sorrow Jesus was there.  

In their moments of questioning the pains of life Jesus was there.  

In their moments of weeping Jesus was there weeping with them.  

Jesus was troubled by the brokenness of life because of the effects of sin on humanity and Jesus stood by those suffering to have compassion on them, comfort them and provide hope that this is not over, this is not how life will end.  

And, the same is true for you!

In the threats of death and destruction there is always the promise of resurrection and eternal life.

This life, often defined by pain and suffering is not all that there is.

With Jesus, we are not nihilists.

With Jesus, we are awaiting our resurrection and Heavenly home where we are promised that there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more suffering, and no more tears.

In your moments of sorrow Jesus is there.  

In your moments of questioning the pains of life Jesus is there.  

In your moments of weeping Jesus is there weeping with you.  

Jesus is always troubled by the brokenness of your life because of the effects of sin on humanity and Jesus stands by you to have compassion on you, comfort you and provide hope that this is not over, this is not how life will end for you who have faith.

In the midst of your sorrows, Jesus calls your name, bringing you into the hope of eternal life, where no bad things will ever happen.

There is meaning and purpose in everything that happens even when you don’t understand.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Believe in him and even though you die, you shall live.

The is the Word of God for you.

This is the Grace of God for you.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

March 22, 2026