Pre-Service Announcements
Who would have known a month ago how life would change so much! But,
► “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Even though we can’t meet as a church, we can still BE the church.
►For where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Mtt 18:20
Try to stay in touch with other members, friends, & family.
►Our weekly worship services, sermons, announcements, & prayer requests are available several ways: - Our Church Website: www.TrinityKalispell.org
- Our New Ministry Phone App
- DVDs available OUTSIDE by our main entrances
►Be sure to continue to support your church through our website or by mailing in your offerings. Our ministry expenses are not taking a break during this time.
Some of you may not be able to give, because your work hours have ceased and we are in prayer for you.
►In light of Governor Bullock's stay at home order, we will be closing the church office beginning Monday, March 30- April 10th & workig from home.
►We are in crazy, unfamiliar times during this social distancing requirement due to the COVID-19 crisis. It can be overwhelming to say the least. It is important we take care of ourselves and each other. Trinity has many members who are ready to lend a helping hand if you are high-risk for COVID-19. Maybe you need your mail picked up, someone to deliver your groceries, need to hear a friendly voice on the phone, need a DVD and/or player from the church. We are a large church and don't always know everyone's situation. This is where you need to ask for help and let that be a blessing for those who want to serve in this way.
You can email Laurie Peiffer at [email protected] or call or text her at 249-8559 so she can coordinate the right volunteers to help.
►Thanks for your prayers for me and my family.
As you may or may not know, my wife is one who is high risk for COVID-19 because of her health issues with Lyme Disease & Biotoxin Illness and so every time I come home from town, I change out of my city clothes and wash my hands so I reduce the chance of giving her anything that her weakened immune system can’t handle. My prayers are for many of you who have similar struggles because of your weakened immune systems, health or age.
►BTW, a great way for people to make sure they wash their hands for 20 seconds is to say The Lord’s Prayer, Luther’s Morning or Evening Prayer, or sing the doxology, or a verse of any Christian song or hymn while washing their hands.
►I don’t plan to repeat any of the announcements from last week when I spoke about all the online resources for you while you are in isolation, since you can just go to last week’s service and watch them again. So be sure to check out last week’s video announcements or our website for suggestions of how to watch some great devotions, or Bible studies provided by awesome Lutheran ministries, as well as my recommendations for Christian movies to watch on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, & Prime Video.
►One addition to last week’s suggestions would be: Adventures in Odyssey is having a special 4-week trial. My family spent many hours on the road listening to this awesome imaginative program on trips to town or to see family in other states. www.oaclub.org
►Also, instead of paying $20 for your family to go to a movie theater, you can purchase a download “I STILL BELIEVE” from your favorite online movie source, such as Prime Video. It was the number 1 film on its opening day a few weeks ago and stayed in the top 3 before movie theaters started closing due to virus concerns, but you can still watch it on-demand. It is a true story of Christian singer Jeremy Camp. I would classify it as a romance/drama. It is a tear-jerker, but has a great ending that ties in really well with last week’s sermon.
►You guys can see me, but I can't see you. Could you send me a photo of you,
and whoever else might be home watching this video?
Please email it to: [email protected]
►Last week our service was a simplified early service style with the organ.
This week will be a simplified late service style.
We will go back to traditional services during most of Holy Week.
The next service will be on Wednesday starting at noon.
►Our next sermon series will be the 4 sermons during Holy Week
Palm Sunday - Next week is Palm Sunday, so before then, if you have any tree branches that need trimming or tall weeds that need pulling or even just a few coats from your closet, make sure and have those ready for next week’s Palm Sunday worship service.
Maundy Thursday - Since we will not be celebrating communion, I will be focusing on the Washing of the Disciples Feet and how that relates to washing hands
Good Friday - This will be online beginning at 6pm and will be a Tenebrae Service – aka Service of Darkness where you will start with all your lights and/or candles on and then turn them off during a series of 7 readings and songs.
Easter - is a surprise. I’ll tell you more about that when we get closer to that date.
►It will be so great to worship together again in our church building, won't it?
Meanwhile I'm thankful for the technology we have in place that allows us to stay in touch. Whenever we do come back to worship together, we might just make that our Easter Service. I’m kinda thinking that our first Sunday back might look something like this: (Chris Farley entrance on David Letterman -1996) Probably not too much different than the rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. J
And now.. Let’s turn our hearts to worship our amazing God!
WORSHIP SERVICE
Invocation - In the Name of the Father & the Son & the Holy Spirit. AMEN
Confession of sins – Use your computer or phone to check the boxes on your screen of the sins that you have committed this week. Check all that apply.
I’m just kidding, of course, about submitting your sins in that way,
But that is what confession is all about. It’s admitting to someone else (God) that you are a sinner. God is serious about sin-- so serious that He sent his son to pay the price that you & I couldn’t pay.
Let us pray…Heavenly Father, we have failed to live for You alone. Give us the power of Your Holy Spirit that as we examine ourselves, we admit that we are sinful. We ask for forgiveness through Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
So I ask you…Do you believe that you are a sinner?
Are you sorry for your sins?
Do you desire to change your sinful life with the help of the Holy Spirit?
Because of Jesus, I, as a called & ordained servant of the Word, can assure you that your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. AMEN.
SONG -
Readings –
Children’s message – Skit Guys video about Lazarus (shortened version)
SONG -
SERMON - Can You Believe It? - Jesus Raises Lazarus
We are in the midst of the unknown right now. How bad will COVID19 get?
We don't know. Yet we know that our Lord is with us.
This world is very temporary. But we know the Word of God stands forever.
Jesus came into this world to give us life -- life that will not end.
He promises that all who believe and trust in Him will live forever.
Jesus fully paid for our sins and made it possible for us to be forgiven.
He rose from the dead & His Resurrection will be celebrated soon!
We know that the most important and first action is to pray.
Prayer unleashes God’s power. It comforts us and reminds us that
God is in control. Our hope and trust is in Him.
People today are mourning...
Mourning because of our lives have been turned upside down.
Mourning the possibility of job loss. Mourning losses from the stock market crash.
Mourning the loss of freedom to be out and about in our normal patterns.
Mourning is part of this imperfect life.
Jesus mourned. In today’s Gospel reading,
We remember how He wept over the death of His close friend Lazarus.
Let’s take a look at that story in our Gospel reading,
John 11:1–3
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
Jesus stayed in Bethany (near Jerusalem). When Lazarus became deathly ill,
Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus, no doubt expecting He would help.
The simple message was, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
The Greek word used for “love” was one that stressed their friendship.
Maybe you feel helpless or hopeless. You are separated from friends & family.
Some of them may be sick and you are worried about them.
They may die & this is horrible. Can you imagine their surprise when Jesus said
John 11:4–6
“This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.
Maybe His flight was cancelled. Maybe there was a quarantine. Nope.
When Jesus heard the message, He reacted in a strange way. He was nonchalant. This sickness was not meant to end in death, he assured them.
But listen carefully, He didn’t say Lazarus WOULDN’T die,
just that death was not to be the end result.
The sickness was to serve a divine purpose, so that the Son might be glorified.
It’s hard to know how the disciples must have felt about those words.
Was Jesus going to heal Lazarus from a distance as He had done for others?
John assured the readers that Jesus loved the two sisters & Lazarus.
This time the Greek word for unconditional “love,” – agape
But Jesus waited for 2 days after hearing the news, even tho he was 1-3 days away
In all of this Jesus was preparing both for the glory that would come from raising Lazarus and for the time of His sacrifice at Calvary.
John 11:14–15
So then He told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Which is harder to do-- heal someone or raise them from the dead?
By not being there to prevent Lazarus’ death, His goal was to strengthen the disciples’ faith even more. And He would be showing them
shortly before His own death that He had the power to raise the dead to life
—even after the body had begun to decay!
John 11:17 - On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for 4 days.
The trip took a long time: at least a day for the messenger and then as long for Jesus, plus Jesus’ two-day delay. So Lazarus not only died, but he lay in the grave
4 days by the time Jesus arrived. Many Jews were still coming from nearby Jerusalem to pay their respects and to comfort the grieving sisters.
As was the custom, the relatives mourned the death & revisited the tomb for
7 days, & during that time, others came to give their support.
John 11:21–24
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever You ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered,
“I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Even in her grief, Martha expressed faith and hope.
She had no doubts that Jesus could have healed Lazarus, if He had arrived in time.
Even then she knew that Jesus could help.
She knew that whatever Jesus asked God, God would give him.
Jesus gave her hope, but she wasn’t sure exactly what to hope for.
“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus assured Martha, but she didn’t think He meant that day, by a miracle. She thought Jesus meant the resurrection of the dead
on the Last Day, of which she probably had heard Jesus talk about in the past.
So she also confessed her faith that Lazarus would rise on the Last Day.
John 11:25–27
Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
Jesus’ response told Martha what He intended to do for Lazarus,
although she was slow to see it.
Jesus’ words spoke the eternal truth that has been a comfort to many
at a deathbed, during a funeral, or at a gravesite.
Whoever believes in Jesus will live. Whoever lives by faith in Jesus will never die. The life we have in Christ survives death & the grave.
Physical death does not separate us from God and his Son.
We’re alive with Him forever & will enjoy the glories of heaven.
“Do you believe this?” Jesus asked Martha. Martha said, yes, she believed.
She believed He was the Christ. She believed He was the Son of God.
She believed He was the one who was to come into the world.
She was confessing Jesus as the Savior sent from heaven.
Such faith gave her the life that overcomes death.
How about you? “Do you believe this?” Blessed are those who can answer,
Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ!
John 11:32–37
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
But some of them said, “Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
When Mary reached Jesus, she fell at His feet in worship
& expressed the same faith & confidence in Jesus as her sister Martha had earlier.
Mary was openly weeping, as were those who came with her.
The Scriptures rarely show us emotions in Jesus.
But Jesus cared. His close friend, Lazarus, lay dead in a grave.
His sisters were grieving. Even the hope of the resurrection didn’t prevent crying.
Just as we discussed in last week’s sermon, death is a bad thing.
Even though it may be a way to enter heaven, AND even though God is glorified,
God did NOT CREATE us to die. Physical death is a cruel & sad result of sin.
That is why Jesus wept.
But Jesus wept silently. The Greek word used here for weeping was different from the one used regarding Mary and the others.
Their weeping was that associated with mourning & was usually open & loud.
Jesus shed tears, but the word used doesn’t imply the same outward display.
He wept for His friends. When we read the words today,
we can imagine a sympathetic tear also for us.
We can imagine God’s sadness for whatever burden we are bearing.
For whatever mourning we are enduring…
But especially we can imagine His sadness for each person who does not see JESUS as the resurrection & the life, the Savior from sin.
Some Jews showed a frustration with Jesus. He gave sight to a blind man.
Why couldn’t He have healed Lazarus & kept him from dying?
Perhaps faith was flickering in the hearts of some and they spoke out of confusion. Others may have shut out that faith & said the same words in mockery.
John 11:38–40 - Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” He said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
Jesus ordered the people there to remove the stone,
but Martha objected. “He already stinks,” she warned. “It has been four days.”
So Jesus reminded Martha of His earlier promise,
Lazarus’ illness would not end in death. It was for God’s glory.
John 11:41–44
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.” When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out, his hands & feet wrapped with strips of linen, & a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes & let him go.”
Jesus looked heavenward & with the onlookers listening,
Jesus thanked His heavenly Father for listening to Him.
He didn’t have to speak the words, because He & the Father were one.
But Jesus spoke for the benefit of the others there.
Then Jesus called out loudly for Lazarus to come forth, & Lazarus did,
Jesus raised the man who had been dead and buried for 4 days.
John 11:45 - Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary,
and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in Him.
What Jesus prayed for happened. Many of the Jews who saw what Jesus did believed in Him. God was glorified.
Like the story the blind man we read about last week,
God used bad situations for good… to show His glory…
What about us today? WE are going through a challenging time.
But this isn’t the only time people have gone through something like this.
Watch this video of a woman who was 10 years old
when her family went thru the flu epidemic of 1918
1918 influenza pandemic survivor interview: Mrs. Edna Register Boone
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k20VFZeLKY (shortened version)
Her family drew strength from God
& they grew closer together as a family & as a community.
We’re all learning a lot about what it means to the family of God.
Is God allowing good things to happen in your situation today?
Is there something He can redeem and use for His glory?
Will we have stories of how God brought us through hard times?
We’re seeing today that He is doing beautiful things in the middle of calamity.
God is being glorified.
►I researched Trinity's historical documents and evidence suggests that our church, along with many others in Montana were closed for several weeks because of the flu epidemic of 1918. There was no internet back then,
but while churches remained closed, newspapers printed sermons, Bible readings, & prayers from a rotating roster of local pastors.
During that time, our “Young People’s Society” cancelled their meetings
in Nov & Dec & then in January 1919, they voted to loan the church money!
God be praised! God be glorified!
Satan says – I will cause anxiety, fear & panic.
Jesus says – I will bring together neighbors & family members.
Satan says – I will shut down business, schools, & places of worship & sports
Jesus says - I will help people slow down their lives
& help them appreciate what really matters
Satan says - I will cause economic turmoil
Jesus says - I will teach my children to rely on the Creator & not created things.
Jesus is strengthening His body, the Church, & it is in action.
Some of you may see little affect from this virus.
Others may be directly hit by it with sick friends or family members.
Some of you are facing decision-making or information fatigue.
Some have worries about the health of their families and friends.
By God’s grace, we are able to support and encourage one another.
As Billy Graham said over 50 years ago:
“God is still on the throne...I don’t put my trust in Washington.
I don’t put my trust in the United Nations...I don’t put trust in my money.
I put my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know WHO holds tomorrow.
Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
We may be practicing social distancing, but “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39
I am praying for you! Please reach out to me with any special prayer requests or concerns. Remember: God is a God of miracles!
He can give new life to our worn out bodies…
New life to our stressed out souls. To Him be the glory!
Well, we've been through a month-long series connecting our Gospel readings with the theme "Can you believe it?"
We praise God that HE has given us faith so that we CAN believe it.
On our own, we would be questioning, confused, in the dark.
But God in His mercy, opened our eyes to see the Truth.
In our baptism, He gave faith. We believe.
We believe that God can help us when we're tempted.
That we're born again through water and the Word.
We believe that God could give sight to a blind man.
We believe that Jesus raised a man who had been dead for 4 days.
We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Do we believe this on our own power? Because of something we've done? NO. Our believing is only a gift from God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith & this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.
How we praise God for giving us faith to believe!
What an amazing, awesome God He is!!!!
And now I leave you with this blessing: And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus, our LORD. AMEN
Together we confess our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into Hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN.
SONG - More than Just Enough
©2019 Kevin & Tawn Bueltmann, Jane Williams, Stephen Duncan
Just when we thought that our world was shaken
Nailed to the cross you bled and died
Just when we thought that our hope was fading
Jesus you rose up back to life
Chorus: We know you’re GOOD, and you’re MORE than GOOD enough!
We know you’re WISE, and you’re MORE than WISE enough!
We know you’re STRONG, and you’re MORE than STRONG enough!
We know you’re JUST, and you’re MORE than JUST enough!
Your love is strong enough to save me
Warrior Redeemer Mighty One!
You hold the keys to death and hades.
Conquering sin the victory’s won!
Bridge
Lord, we praise You! We praise You our God and King!
Yours is the power! And Yours is the majesty!
Lord, we praise You! We praise You our God and King!
Yours is the power! And Yours is the majesty!
PRAYERS – (separate sheet & in bulletin)
Dear Lord, You have mercy on us thru Jesus. We give you thanks for the blessings of forgiveness, life, & salvation. Hear us as we pray the prayer You taught us:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; & forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; & lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom & the power & the glory forever & ever. Amen
SONG –
Benediction – The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. AMEN.
Who would have known a month ago how life would change so much! But,
► “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Even though we can’t meet as a church, we can still BE the church.
►For where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Mtt 18:20
Try to stay in touch with other members, friends, & family.
►Our weekly worship services, sermons, announcements, & prayer requests are available several ways: - Our Church Website: www.TrinityKalispell.org
- Our New Ministry Phone App
- DVDs available OUTSIDE by our main entrances
►Be sure to continue to support your church through our website or by mailing in your offerings. Our ministry expenses are not taking a break during this time.
Some of you may not be able to give, because your work hours have ceased and we are in prayer for you.
►In light of Governor Bullock's stay at home order, we will be closing the church office beginning Monday, March 30- April 10th & workig from home.
►We are in crazy, unfamiliar times during this social distancing requirement due to the COVID-19 crisis. It can be overwhelming to say the least. It is important we take care of ourselves and each other. Trinity has many members who are ready to lend a helping hand if you are high-risk for COVID-19. Maybe you need your mail picked up, someone to deliver your groceries, need to hear a friendly voice on the phone, need a DVD and/or player from the church. We are a large church and don't always know everyone's situation. This is where you need to ask for help and let that be a blessing for those who want to serve in this way.
You can email Laurie Peiffer at [email protected] or call or text her at 249-8559 so she can coordinate the right volunteers to help.
►Thanks for your prayers for me and my family.
As you may or may not know, my wife is one who is high risk for COVID-19 because of her health issues with Lyme Disease & Biotoxin Illness and so every time I come home from town, I change out of my city clothes and wash my hands so I reduce the chance of giving her anything that her weakened immune system can’t handle. My prayers are for many of you who have similar struggles because of your weakened immune systems, health or age.
►BTW, a great way for people to make sure they wash their hands for 20 seconds is to say The Lord’s Prayer, Luther’s Morning or Evening Prayer, or sing the doxology, or a verse of any Christian song or hymn while washing their hands.
►I don’t plan to repeat any of the announcements from last week when I spoke about all the online resources for you while you are in isolation, since you can just go to last week’s service and watch them again. So be sure to check out last week’s video announcements or our website for suggestions of how to watch some great devotions, or Bible studies provided by awesome Lutheran ministries, as well as my recommendations for Christian movies to watch on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, & Prime Video.
►One addition to last week’s suggestions would be: Adventures in Odyssey is having a special 4-week trial. My family spent many hours on the road listening to this awesome imaginative program on trips to town or to see family in other states. www.oaclub.org
►Also, instead of paying $20 for your family to go to a movie theater, you can purchase a download “I STILL BELIEVE” from your favorite online movie source, such as Prime Video. It was the number 1 film on its opening day a few weeks ago and stayed in the top 3 before movie theaters started closing due to virus concerns, but you can still watch it on-demand. It is a true story of Christian singer Jeremy Camp. I would classify it as a romance/drama. It is a tear-jerker, but has a great ending that ties in really well with last week’s sermon.
►You guys can see me, but I can't see you. Could you send me a photo of you,
and whoever else might be home watching this video?
Please email it to: [email protected]
►Last week our service was a simplified early service style with the organ.
This week will be a simplified late service style.
We will go back to traditional services during most of Holy Week.
The next service will be on Wednesday starting at noon.
►Our next sermon series will be the 4 sermons during Holy Week
Palm Sunday - Next week is Palm Sunday, so before then, if you have any tree branches that need trimming or tall weeds that need pulling or even just a few coats from your closet, make sure and have those ready for next week’s Palm Sunday worship service.
Maundy Thursday - Since we will not be celebrating communion, I will be focusing on the Washing of the Disciples Feet and how that relates to washing hands
Good Friday - This will be online beginning at 6pm and will be a Tenebrae Service – aka Service of Darkness where you will start with all your lights and/or candles on and then turn them off during a series of 7 readings and songs.
Easter - is a surprise. I’ll tell you more about that when we get closer to that date.
►It will be so great to worship together again in our church building, won't it?
Meanwhile I'm thankful for the technology we have in place that allows us to stay in touch. Whenever we do come back to worship together, we might just make that our Easter Service. I’m kinda thinking that our first Sunday back might look something like this: (Chris Farley entrance on David Letterman -1996) Probably not too much different than the rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. J
And now.. Let’s turn our hearts to worship our amazing God!
WORSHIP SERVICE
Invocation - In the Name of the Father & the Son & the Holy Spirit. AMEN
Confession of sins – Use your computer or phone to check the boxes on your screen of the sins that you have committed this week. Check all that apply.
I’m just kidding, of course, about submitting your sins in that way,
But that is what confession is all about. It’s admitting to someone else (God) that you are a sinner. God is serious about sin-- so serious that He sent his son to pay the price that you & I couldn’t pay.
Let us pray…Heavenly Father, we have failed to live for You alone. Give us the power of Your Holy Spirit that as we examine ourselves, we admit that we are sinful. We ask for forgiveness through Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
So I ask you…Do you believe that you are a sinner?
Are you sorry for your sins?
Do you desire to change your sinful life with the help of the Holy Spirit?
Because of Jesus, I, as a called & ordained servant of the Word, can assure you that your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. AMEN.
SONG -
Readings –
Children’s message – Skit Guys video about Lazarus (shortened version)
SONG -
SERMON - Can You Believe It? - Jesus Raises Lazarus
We are in the midst of the unknown right now. How bad will COVID19 get?
We don't know. Yet we know that our Lord is with us.
This world is very temporary. But we know the Word of God stands forever.
Jesus came into this world to give us life -- life that will not end.
He promises that all who believe and trust in Him will live forever.
Jesus fully paid for our sins and made it possible for us to be forgiven.
He rose from the dead & His Resurrection will be celebrated soon!
We know that the most important and first action is to pray.
Prayer unleashes God’s power. It comforts us and reminds us that
God is in control. Our hope and trust is in Him.
People today are mourning...
Mourning because of our lives have been turned upside down.
Mourning the possibility of job loss. Mourning losses from the stock market crash.
Mourning the loss of freedom to be out and about in our normal patterns.
Mourning is part of this imperfect life.
Jesus mourned. In today’s Gospel reading,
We remember how He wept over the death of His close friend Lazarus.
Let’s take a look at that story in our Gospel reading,
John 11:1–3
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
Jesus stayed in Bethany (near Jerusalem). When Lazarus became deathly ill,
Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus, no doubt expecting He would help.
The simple message was, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
The Greek word used for “love” was one that stressed their friendship.
Maybe you feel helpless or hopeless. You are separated from friends & family.
Some of them may be sick and you are worried about them.
They may die & this is horrible. Can you imagine their surprise when Jesus said
John 11:4–6
“This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.
Maybe His flight was cancelled. Maybe there was a quarantine. Nope.
When Jesus heard the message, He reacted in a strange way. He was nonchalant. This sickness was not meant to end in death, he assured them.
But listen carefully, He didn’t say Lazarus WOULDN’T die,
just that death was not to be the end result.
The sickness was to serve a divine purpose, so that the Son might be glorified.
It’s hard to know how the disciples must have felt about those words.
Was Jesus going to heal Lazarus from a distance as He had done for others?
John assured the readers that Jesus loved the two sisters & Lazarus.
This time the Greek word for unconditional “love,” – agape
But Jesus waited for 2 days after hearing the news, even tho he was 1-3 days away
In all of this Jesus was preparing both for the glory that would come from raising Lazarus and for the time of His sacrifice at Calvary.
John 11:14–15
So then He told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Which is harder to do-- heal someone or raise them from the dead?
By not being there to prevent Lazarus’ death, His goal was to strengthen the disciples’ faith even more. And He would be showing them
shortly before His own death that He had the power to raise the dead to life
—even after the body had begun to decay!
John 11:17 - On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for 4 days.
The trip took a long time: at least a day for the messenger and then as long for Jesus, plus Jesus’ two-day delay. So Lazarus not only died, but he lay in the grave
4 days by the time Jesus arrived. Many Jews were still coming from nearby Jerusalem to pay their respects and to comfort the grieving sisters.
As was the custom, the relatives mourned the death & revisited the tomb for
7 days, & during that time, others came to give their support.
John 11:21–24
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever You ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered,
“I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Even in her grief, Martha expressed faith and hope.
She had no doubts that Jesus could have healed Lazarus, if He had arrived in time.
Even then she knew that Jesus could help.
She knew that whatever Jesus asked God, God would give him.
Jesus gave her hope, but she wasn’t sure exactly what to hope for.
“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus assured Martha, but she didn’t think He meant that day, by a miracle. She thought Jesus meant the resurrection of the dead
on the Last Day, of which she probably had heard Jesus talk about in the past.
So she also confessed her faith that Lazarus would rise on the Last Day.
John 11:25–27
Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
Jesus’ response told Martha what He intended to do for Lazarus,
although she was slow to see it.
Jesus’ words spoke the eternal truth that has been a comfort to many
at a deathbed, during a funeral, or at a gravesite.
Whoever believes in Jesus will live. Whoever lives by faith in Jesus will never die. The life we have in Christ survives death & the grave.
Physical death does not separate us from God and his Son.
We’re alive with Him forever & will enjoy the glories of heaven.
“Do you believe this?” Jesus asked Martha. Martha said, yes, she believed.
She believed He was the Christ. She believed He was the Son of God.
She believed He was the one who was to come into the world.
She was confessing Jesus as the Savior sent from heaven.
Such faith gave her the life that overcomes death.
How about you? “Do you believe this?” Blessed are those who can answer,
Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ!
John 11:32–37
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
But some of them said, “Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
When Mary reached Jesus, she fell at His feet in worship
& expressed the same faith & confidence in Jesus as her sister Martha had earlier.
Mary was openly weeping, as were those who came with her.
The Scriptures rarely show us emotions in Jesus.
But Jesus cared. His close friend, Lazarus, lay dead in a grave.
His sisters were grieving. Even the hope of the resurrection didn’t prevent crying.
Just as we discussed in last week’s sermon, death is a bad thing.
Even though it may be a way to enter heaven, AND even though God is glorified,
God did NOT CREATE us to die. Physical death is a cruel & sad result of sin.
That is why Jesus wept.
But Jesus wept silently. The Greek word used here for weeping was different from the one used regarding Mary and the others.
Their weeping was that associated with mourning & was usually open & loud.
Jesus shed tears, but the word used doesn’t imply the same outward display.
He wept for His friends. When we read the words today,
we can imagine a sympathetic tear also for us.
We can imagine God’s sadness for whatever burden we are bearing.
For whatever mourning we are enduring…
But especially we can imagine His sadness for each person who does not see JESUS as the resurrection & the life, the Savior from sin.
Some Jews showed a frustration with Jesus. He gave sight to a blind man.
Why couldn’t He have healed Lazarus & kept him from dying?
Perhaps faith was flickering in the hearts of some and they spoke out of confusion. Others may have shut out that faith & said the same words in mockery.
John 11:38–40 - Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” He said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
Jesus ordered the people there to remove the stone,
but Martha objected. “He already stinks,” she warned. “It has been four days.”
So Jesus reminded Martha of His earlier promise,
Lazarus’ illness would not end in death. It was for God’s glory.
John 11:41–44
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.” When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out, his hands & feet wrapped with strips of linen, & a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes & let him go.”
Jesus looked heavenward & with the onlookers listening,
Jesus thanked His heavenly Father for listening to Him.
He didn’t have to speak the words, because He & the Father were one.
But Jesus spoke for the benefit of the others there.
Then Jesus called out loudly for Lazarus to come forth, & Lazarus did,
Jesus raised the man who had been dead and buried for 4 days.
John 11:45 - Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary,
and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in Him.
What Jesus prayed for happened. Many of the Jews who saw what Jesus did believed in Him. God was glorified.
Like the story the blind man we read about last week,
God used bad situations for good… to show His glory…
What about us today? WE are going through a challenging time.
But this isn’t the only time people have gone through something like this.
Watch this video of a woman who was 10 years old
when her family went thru the flu epidemic of 1918
1918 influenza pandemic survivor interview: Mrs. Edna Register Boone
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k20VFZeLKY (shortened version)
Her family drew strength from God
& they grew closer together as a family & as a community.
We’re all learning a lot about what it means to the family of God.
Is God allowing good things to happen in your situation today?
Is there something He can redeem and use for His glory?
Will we have stories of how God brought us through hard times?
We’re seeing today that He is doing beautiful things in the middle of calamity.
God is being glorified.
►I researched Trinity's historical documents and evidence suggests that our church, along with many others in Montana were closed for several weeks because of the flu epidemic of 1918. There was no internet back then,
but while churches remained closed, newspapers printed sermons, Bible readings, & prayers from a rotating roster of local pastors.
During that time, our “Young People’s Society” cancelled their meetings
in Nov & Dec & then in January 1919, they voted to loan the church money!
God be praised! God be glorified!
Satan says – I will cause anxiety, fear & panic.
Jesus says – I will bring together neighbors & family members.
Satan says – I will shut down business, schools, & places of worship & sports
Jesus says - I will help people slow down their lives
& help them appreciate what really matters
Satan says - I will cause economic turmoil
Jesus says - I will teach my children to rely on the Creator & not created things.
Jesus is strengthening His body, the Church, & it is in action.
Some of you may see little affect from this virus.
Others may be directly hit by it with sick friends or family members.
Some of you are facing decision-making or information fatigue.
Some have worries about the health of their families and friends.
By God’s grace, we are able to support and encourage one another.
As Billy Graham said over 50 years ago:
“God is still on the throne...I don’t put my trust in Washington.
I don’t put my trust in the United Nations...I don’t put trust in my money.
I put my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know WHO holds tomorrow.
Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
We may be practicing social distancing, but “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39
I am praying for you! Please reach out to me with any special prayer requests or concerns. Remember: God is a God of miracles!
He can give new life to our worn out bodies…
New life to our stressed out souls. To Him be the glory!
Well, we've been through a month-long series connecting our Gospel readings with the theme "Can you believe it?"
We praise God that HE has given us faith so that we CAN believe it.
On our own, we would be questioning, confused, in the dark.
But God in His mercy, opened our eyes to see the Truth.
In our baptism, He gave faith. We believe.
We believe that God can help us when we're tempted.
That we're born again through water and the Word.
We believe that God could give sight to a blind man.
We believe that Jesus raised a man who had been dead for 4 days.
We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Do we believe this on our own power? Because of something we've done? NO. Our believing is only a gift from God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith & this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.
How we praise God for giving us faith to believe!
What an amazing, awesome God He is!!!!
And now I leave you with this blessing: And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus, our LORD. AMEN
Together we confess our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into Hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN.
SONG - More than Just Enough
©2019 Kevin & Tawn Bueltmann, Jane Williams, Stephen Duncan
Just when we thought that our world was shaken
Nailed to the cross you bled and died
Just when we thought that our hope was fading
Jesus you rose up back to life
Chorus: We know you’re GOOD, and you’re MORE than GOOD enough!
We know you’re WISE, and you’re MORE than WISE enough!
We know you’re STRONG, and you’re MORE than STRONG enough!
We know you’re JUST, and you’re MORE than JUST enough!
Your love is strong enough to save me
Warrior Redeemer Mighty One!
You hold the keys to death and hades.
Conquering sin the victory’s won!
Bridge
Lord, we praise You! We praise You our God and King!
Yours is the power! And Yours is the majesty!
Lord, we praise You! We praise You our God and King!
Yours is the power! And Yours is the majesty!
PRAYERS – (separate sheet & in bulletin)
Dear Lord, You have mercy on us thru Jesus. We give you thanks for the blessings of forgiveness, life, & salvation. Hear us as we pray the prayer You taught us:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; & forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; & lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom & the power & the glory forever & ever. Amen
SONG –
Benediction – The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. AMEN.
