This morning the ministry group who had been scheduled to come from the outside didn't show up. Perhaps they had car trouble?
So my chaplain, in their absence, asked me to bring a message to the congregation from the Bible. Thus I now had the opportunity to give a sermon from one of my favorite passages in the New Testament. It was the story of the "Widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17)."
It's often been said, I told them men, that the worst thing that could happen to a parent is to have to bury his or her child. Parents usually expect their children to outlive them. But life, I said to them, sometimes has its sad moments and unexpected tragedies. And so this story, I explained, finds a woman whose husband was already dead, having died sometime before this. And now, to add to her sorrow, her only child dies too. Obviously, therefore, her pain and grief are beyond human comprehension. She's now lost everything that was dear to her. First it was her husband, and now her only child. Thus for this poor soul all hope was now gone.
No doubt, I said to my listeners, the townspeople pitied her. They turned out for the funeral while a handful of the local men pitched in to carry the body of this young man while his mother probably wailed in utter despair.
But the story had a happy ending. Out of nowhere Jesus showed up. He had been traveling through the region with His disciples when He came upon a funeral in progress. And what I love about this story, I told the men, is the way the Lord stepped up to the mother in mourning and said to her, "Daughter, don't cry."
Don't cry? How could she not cry? She must've already cried buckets of bitter tears. But Jesus, I said to the audience, can see the end from the beginning.
The Lord, I showed them from the Bible, has a heart of compassion. I believe He had actually heard the cry of this woman's heart. And there is such a thing as a cry from a person's heart. And while it is a language that is imperceptible to men, God can hear it, and He responds.
So in this story the loving Lord reached forth and touched the coffin of this young man. Jesus then said to the cold corpse, "Young man, I say to thee, Arise." It was a miracle. The man got up. He was reunited with his mother. Her hope was restored and, of no surprise, the entire town began to glorify the God of Israel.
I know there are many who do not believe in miracles, I said to the men. But I added that by not believing in a miracle working God they're missing out on great blessings. In addition, I said that, as this story demonstrates, many times the Lord will show up and come to our assistance even when we do not specifically ask Him to. This woman, as far as the Scriptures reveal, did not know who Jesus was. But after He raised her son to life, she then understood things more clearly.
Likewise, I explained, those who were among this throng of mourners not only saw a miracle along with the resurrection power of the Messiah, but they had now come to know that God Himself had visited His people (Luke 7:16).
Finally, I said to them, form this incident these humble folks came to the understanding that the Creator of heaven and earth cared about them. Their lives were important to Him. And our lives, I told the congregation, are just as important to the Lord. He cares about us, and He loves us.
D.B.
It's often been said, I told them men, that the worst thing that could happen to a parent is to have to bury his or her child. Parents usually expect their children to outlive them. But life, I said to them, sometimes has its sad moments and unexpected tragedies. And so this story, I explained, finds a woman whose husband was already dead, having died sometime before this. And now, to add to her sorrow, her only child dies too. Obviously, therefore, her pain and grief are beyond human comprehension. She's now lost everything that was dear to her. First it was her husband, and now her only child. Thus for this poor soul all hope was now gone.
No doubt, I said to my listeners, the townspeople pitied her. They turned out for the funeral while a handful of the local men pitched in to carry the body of this young man while his mother probably wailed in utter despair.
But the story had a happy ending. Out of nowhere Jesus showed up. He had been traveling through the region with His disciples when He came upon a funeral in progress. And what I love about this story, I told the men, is the way the Lord stepped up to the mother in mourning and said to her, "Daughter, don't cry."
Don't cry? How could she not cry? She must've already cried buckets of bitter tears. But Jesus, I said to the audience, can see the end from the beginning.
The Lord, I showed them from the Bible, has a heart of compassion. I believe He had actually heard the cry of this woman's heart. And there is such a thing as a cry from a person's heart. And while it is a language that is imperceptible to men, God can hear it, and He responds.
So in this story the loving Lord reached forth and touched the coffin of this young man. Jesus then said to the cold corpse, "Young man, I say to thee, Arise." It was a miracle. The man got up. He was reunited with his mother. Her hope was restored and, of no surprise, the entire town began to glorify the God of Israel.
I know there are many who do not believe in miracles, I said to the men. But I added that by not believing in a miracle working God they're missing out on great blessings. In addition, I said that, as this story demonstrates, many times the Lord will show up and come to our assistance even when we do not specifically ask Him to. This woman, as far as the Scriptures reveal, did not know who Jesus was. But after He raised her son to life, she then understood things more clearly.
Likewise, I explained, those who were among this throng of mourners not only saw a miracle along with the resurrection power of the Messiah, but they had now come to know that God Himself had visited His people (Luke 7:16).
Finally, I said to them, form this incident these humble folks came to the understanding that the Creator of heaven and earth cared about them. Their lives were important to Him. And our lives, I told the congregation, are just as important to the Lord. He cares about us, and He loves us.
D.B.
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