Songs In The Night

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Palm Sunday

Last Sunday, March 28th 2021, the Christian faith recognized Palm Sunday, the day Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. With much fanfare, Jesus entered the great city riding a colt as the crowd adorned His path with their cloaks and palm branches while crying out,

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

Who besides the members of the Holy Trinity could know how quickly things would change during the upcoming Holy Week? What would begin with Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a borrowed colt to shouts of acclamation, would soon transpire to witnessing Jesus carrying our cross on his bloody and beaten body out of Jerusalem to shouts of derision and tears of defeat. His exit from Jerusalem couldn’t have been a greater contrast to His entry.

But Jesus wasn’t finished.

Graveside Visit

Palm Sunday is a day of anticipation. We know it precedes Easter Sunday by one week, but what a difficult week it is that separates them. The Temple must be cleansed by Jesus, and then His Temple must be destroyed by the Father. Before the stone can be rolled away, the cup must be drunk to the dregs. Life can be so bittersweet.

As Palm Sunday was coming to a close, my heart told me I had to make a graveside visit. My mind however wasn’t so convinced. It was getting late, it was dark, and it was cold and windy. Despite the arguments, my conscience wasn’t listening. Hence I grabbed my flashlight and my coat and walked to the cemetery next door and then made my trek to the far end.

Turning on my flashlight I shone it on the tombstone I had to see, simply etched:

Brooke Elizabeth Becker

Feb. 19, 2010, March 28, 2010

Daughter of Scott and Becky

Even though nobody else besides me would know it, I felt I had to go to my daughter’s graveside on the eleventh anniversary of her passing. Which also happened to be on a Palm Sunday. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I turned off my flashlight and made my way back home with the wind howling and the darkness enveloping me. On the day we commemorate Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, I can rejoice in my daughter’s triumphal entry into the presence of Christ.

Yes life can be bittersweet, but our hope is the fact that Christ isn’t finished.

Funeral Crasher

Although the first miracle Jesus performed was at a wedding, He soon gained a reputation for disrupting funerals. As Luke chapter seven records, Jesus was entering a town called Nain when He came across a funeral procession. With a crowd at His back, Jesus paused for the procession and the large crowd following the widow who was about to bury her only son. With both crowds at a standstill, Jesus spoke three simple words to the grieving mother.

“Do not weep”.

Do not weep? Her husband is dead and now she is about to bury her only son. Who is going to protect her? Who is going to provide for her? What about that void in her heart? Do not weep?

¹⁴ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. – Luke 17:14-15

Christ isn’t finished.

Only Believe

Jairus was a desperate man. As a synagogue ruler he may have been a man of some social status. He was charged with the responsibility of maintaining the synagogue and scheduling it’s services, but as is true of all men, his abilities were limited. Ruling a synagogue doesn’t equip a man to battle death. With his only daughter on the brink of eternity he was faced with one hope. Jesus.

Falling at the feet of Jesus, Jairus implored Him to intercede on behalf of his daughter. What father wants to face the prospect of burying his twelve year old child? Humbled by his utter helplessness, Jairus does the only thing he can; he implores Jesus to come to his home where his daughter is quickly fading.

As Jesus is approaching the home of Jairus the dreaded news is delivered by a messenger. There is no longer any need to bother Jesus, because the girl has died. The news obviously must have stunned Jairus, but Jesus countered the bad news with these comforting words:

“Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” – Luke 8:50

Do not fear? A father has just received word that his only daughter is dead! His heart has been pierced by the worst conceivable pain. How can he face his future? Do not fear?

⁵¹ And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. ⁵² And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” ⁵³ And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” ⁵⁵ And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. – John 8:51-55

Christ isn’t finished.

Come Out

Jesus loved the siblings Mary, Martha and Lazarus, but where was He during their hour of greatest need? When the sisters sent word to Jesus that their brother was ill He did not make a bee line to their home. Rather, He stayed two additional days in the place where He was. As Jesus was “stalling”, Mary and Martha were becoming more desperate with each passing hour as Lazarus’ condition worsened. Where is the balm when we need it most?

Finally, when Jesus was ready, He and HIs disciples began their Journey to Bethany and the home of Lazarus. But they were too late. By the time they arrived, Lazarus was dead and had already been in the tomb four days. Rebuked by Martha for being late, and being charged for the responsibility of her brother’s death, Jesus responded:

“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?” – John 11:25-26

Do you believe this? If not Martha, watch this!

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.” – John 11:38-44

Christ isn’t finished.

Grief upon Grief

Life can be so cruel. Or should I say, death can be so cruel? Yesterday, on the eleventh anniversary of the date we buried our little girl, death struck again. This time it took a Grandson. I feel as if I have been kicked in the stomach and somebody has taken all of the air out of the room. After having been down this path, I hoped against all hope my children would never have to experience the pain of losing a child. But like the widow of Nain, Jairus, Martha and Mary, I am reminded that I am so frail and helpless. Certainly no match for death. But….

Christ isn’t finished.

The grave is not the end. Hence, when Jesus refers to the death of the saints, He likens it to sleep.

¹¹ After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” – John 11:11

⁵² And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” – Luke 8:52

And Paul writes:

¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. – 1 Corinthian 15:17-18

But Christ has been raised.

Encourage One Another

When I walked out of the cemetery last Sunday night in the teeth of the howling wind, little could I have known what the next couple of days would bring. With the tombstone of my daughter behind me I was looking forward to the future. Anticipating the joy that awaited our family with two babies expected in the next couple of months. I never dreamed I would be burying some of those hopes. But death will not have the final word.

24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ² And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. ⁵ And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but has risen.  – Luke 24:1-6a

Today we feel like we are stuck in Gethsemane. Wrestling with God that we could be spared the pain, but acquiescing to His will. As I try to come to grips with the pain and the grief, I hear the same words I heard at my daughter’s graveside.

Only believe. Your daughter lives.

¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words. – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Christ isn’t finished. It is only because He lives that we have life. For eternity!! In the midst of our grief, we can rejoice that our grandson Isaiah is in the presence of our Savior with our daughter Brooke.

Some day, we too will “fall asleep in Christ” and awake in His presence.

Do you believe Christ is the resurrection and the life?

Praise God for the empty tomb!