I heard a story about a young minister who was called upon to do his first funeral. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he decided to read the Gospels and see what Jesus said when he went to a funeral. He was amazed to discover that whenever Jesus attended a funeral it turned into a resurrection! (When I first heard that story, I remember thinking to myself, “I know who I want to invite to my funeral!”)
One of the funerals Jesus attended was for his friend Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. It was outside Lazarus’ tomb Jesus said to the grieving sisters, “‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”
We kind of lose track of Lazarus after his resurrection, but scripture tells us Lazarus became a potent symbol of Jesus’ life giving power. Many believed in Jesus because of him. Beginning this weekend, we will be exploring what it means to live a resurrected life in a new sermon series titled, “Living the Lazarus Life.” Come and discover how you, too, can live the Lazarus life!