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Soon afterwards He went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town.When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, rise!’ The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’ and ‘God has looked favourably on his people!’ This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country. (Luke 7:11-17)
A funeral seems so final. And in this case, it was in the mom's heart and mind. No one wants to outlive their children, but that was the case of this widow. Her husband had died and now her only son had died. We can only imagine the weeping and wailing accompanying this funeral procession to the grave. Had this woman known or heard about Jesus? We don't know, but Jesus knew her pain and grief and thus His stopping the procession and addressing the woman with these words, "Do not weep." Jesus then addresses the young man, and calls him to rise. He does and he begins to speak. And as you can imagine, no one goes to a funeral expecting the dead person to rise, and so great fear came upon everyone there, but they turned that fear into praising God, saying, "A great prophet has risen among us!," and "God has looked favorably on HIs people!"
As our "sheep friends" in the AgnusDay cartoon above have shared, "It's a sign that God has visited all of us to overcome death for us." Nellie and I are hosting our four youngest grandchildren, two boys and two girls. Nellie sleeps with the babies in our bed, and I with the boys in the guest room. Late last night she came in with sad news about a longtime friend, who was killed yesterday at what must have been after church in Edinburg, Texas. Needless to say I could not sleep well having heard that news about Sylvia Espericueta Flores, and I prayed for her husband, Carlos, and their family. Sylvia was always active in the church and was an officer with the United Methodist Women. When news of a death visits us, we are sad and shocked and we wonder the why behind it; but again, God has visited all of us with the news that Jesus Christ in HIs dying, overcame death, and the promises He made during His life should sustain us until we all meet again.
PRAYER: Gracious God, may Your comfort and mercy be with all who mourn on this Memorial Day. So many service people's families remember the ultimate sacrifice made by loved ones in battle and in peace; comfort them with the way only You can. We pray the same for those who have recently and unexpectedly, lost lost loved ones, like the Flores and Espericueta families. Boost our faith in You and what You offer to the world so that others may come to believe. This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
