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Reading   Luke 7:1-16;  Psalm 130 

Reflection 

The Parade Goes By

Luke 7:11-17

"They were all filled with awe and praised God. 'A great prophet has appeared among us,' they said. 'God has come to help His people.' This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country." (Luke 7:16-17)

When I read a news report in any given week about some famous person who has just died, I think to myself, "The Parade continues to go by."  What I mean by that is that it's like I'm sitting on the curb watching a parade go by. All the time people are coming into view, they're in front of me for a while, and then they pass by - just like I'm watching a parade. "There goes Gerald Ford; he's gone now. Oh, and there went Jackie Cooper, Elizabeth Taylor, Johnny Cash, Kitty Carlisle, Tom Poston, Wally Schirra - they were here for a while and now they've passed by." Most of the people who were famous when I was a kid - movie stars, TV stars, singers, political figures - they're all gone now. The passing parade.

And the parade is not limited to the famous. Most of the adults I knew personally when I was a kid--aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents, my pastors and teachers-many are now gone, too. It must be even odder when you're older, that most of the people you've known in your life are dead. What was it George Burns said? "Every day when I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is check the obituaries. And if my name isn't in there, I get dressed and have breakfast." Well, one day, eventually, old George must have checked the obits and discovered he was in there!

Life is like a parade going by. We see all these people passing in front of us, in and out of view, and all the while we don't realize that we are the ones marching in somebody else's parade! Pretty soon they're going to be wondering where we went. At every funeral, the preacher could close it by saying, "Next!"

This passing parade I'm speaking of is the parade of death. There is this long march going out to the graveyard, and we're all in the procession. We see one of these processions in the Gospel for today.

We're standing by the gate of a town called Nain. And here comes a bunch of people heading out of town. It's a funeral procession, and they're heading out to the cemetery. Must be that young man who died recently. You know, the only son of the widow lady. How sad. Parents aren't supposed to be burying their children; it's supposed to be the other way around.

The parade of death is heading out of town, but as it does, another parade, coming in, meets them on the way. It's Jesus, of course, and those with Him, those following Him. We'll call this procession the parade of life. For that's what Jesus brings with Him: Life. Life that is more powerful than death. The two passing parades meet, the parade of death and the parade of life. The Lord of Life stops the death parade dead in its tracks.

Then Jesus goes up to the pallbearers carrying the body and the Gospel says, "He came up and touched the bier." The bier - that's the funeral bier, the coffin. But Jesus comes bringing the kingdom of heaven, and as we all know, "In heaven . . . there is . . . no bier."

You see, what Jesus is about to do is a sign of what was coming...a sign of what Jesus' whole mission will to accomplish. By the journey Jesus is going on, He will bring life to come out of death. For you see, Jesus was actually heading to the graveyard Himself. He was on the way to the cross, going there to make the rescue for all dead and dying sinners. Jesus Christ, the Son of God came from heaven, the only Son of His Father, to go to the cross, there to take the place of dead young men and grieving mothers and everybody else upon whom death comes.

The word of Jesus is what gives us life, too, my friend - new life now and eternal life forever! His gospel word speaks forgiveness and life into our ears: "I baptize you in the name. . . ." "I forgive you all your sins in the name. . . ." "This is my body, this is my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. . . ." Jesus speaks life into the bodies of dead and dying sinners, for where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

Dr. Lou Jander, MMF Area D, Emeritus     

Pray  (As you pray include . . . people who don't know Christ; people who will plant & witness; include people who pray.   In addition, pray that the land be quenched with rain and that opportunities to bring God's love to individuals and communities impacted by the wildfires not be missed by God's servants.)  

Benediction

You have heard, you have been called, now you are sent. Go in the confidence of the presence of the Living God.   Amen.

Pray that the members of the Texas District embrace the mission.

Lord, As fears grow concerning local, state, and world events, make Your presence known, through Your church and through Your people in such a way that Your hand of grace would be seen calming hearts and minds ultimately drawing all people to Yourself.  Amen.