2 Large Boxes of Kleenex Tissues
Trey Little | 19-Sep-10
"Supply List: 2 Large Boxes of Kleenex Tissues"
Allow me to give a little context into what we are about to read in our sermon text for this morning. Lazarus--the brother of Mary and Martha from Bethany--lay deathly ill. You may recall that Jesus was very close to this family--He had dined in their home--Mary had poured perfume on Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair--Martha had cleaned the house perfectly and made some incredible snacks for them to eat.
Needless to say--Jesus was exceptionally close to these three.
Yet, after receiving word that Lazarus was sick--Jesus stayed where he was for two more days--He didn't drop everything at once and rush to the hospital--or to their home. You see, Jesus was about moving as the Father directed--not as the people directed.
Well, as you probably know--Lazarus died. The text actually says: "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep..." But right after that--Jesus said: "I am going there to wake him up."
How great would it be to have a friend that had the power to "wake you up!"?
By the time Jesus made it back to Lazarus--he had been dead and in the tomb for four days. There were people all around--gathered to comfort Mary and Martha.
When M & M heard that Jesus was there--Martha rushed out to lay the sad--guilt trip on Jesus. She said: "If you had been here, my brother would not have died."
How is that for a warm, hospitable welcome?
But then Jesus said to Martha: "Your brother will rise again."
Let's pick the story up there--John 11:25-44 (pg. 1063 in the pew Bibles).
Back in 1992 Tom Hanks, starred in a movie called "A League of Their Own." You may recall this film--it was about two sisters who joined the first ever female professional baseball league and Tom Hanks (Jimmy Dugan in the movie) was the coach of the Rockford Peaches.
One of the more memorable scenes in the movie was a dialogue between Coach Jimmy Dugan and right fielder Evelyn Gardner. Jimmy called her over to him as they made their way to the dugout in between innings. He said: "Evelyn, could you come here for a second?" Evelyn makes here way to Coach Dugan and then he asks: "Which team do you play for?" She answers: "Well, I'm a Peach." He then says--in a rather loud and in your face tone of voice: "Well I was just wonderin' why you would throw home when we got a two-run lead. You let the tying run get on second base and we lost the lead because of you. Start using your head."
Well, as you probably can imagine--Evelyn starts to cry.
This only gets Dugan even more worked up. He says: "Are you crying? Are you crying? ARE YOU CRYING? There's no crying in baseball!"
No crying! Sometimes I wonder if we don't take this a little too seriously. In the name of "toughness" we can forsake the emotion of realness. For some reason we think crying is a sign of weakness. But imagine if you stood in the hospital room and noticed tears streaming down your friend's cheeks, would you say: "Are you crying? Are you crying? There's no crying in the hospital." Or what if during this service the Holy Spirit touched your heart in such a way that it brought you to tears--what if I stood in this pulpit and shouted: "Are you crying? There's no crying in church."
No crying? Are you kidding me--crying is Biblical!!
John 11:35--"Jesus wept."
The shortest verse in all of Scripture but one with lasting effects. The thought that the Son of God could and would weep is almost beyond belief. Some say He wept in sympathy for the ones He loved who were grieving--particularly Mary and Martha. Others say Jesus wept for all people who grieve over the death of loved ones. Still others say Jesus wept over the frailty of life and the ravages of sin and despair. Others suggest that Jesus wept in anger over those present who remained in unbelief in the face of death. And still, others say Jesus wept in sorrow for having to call Lazarus back from eternity into a world where he would die again.
Now, I don't know exactly why "Jesus wept." And quite frankly, the reason "why" He wept is not what matters--the fact that He "wept" does matter. It matters because we can always know that we have a Lord who cares. We serve a God with emotions not one that simply goes through the motions. We embrace a Lord and Savior who desperately desires to embrace us.
So let me ask you: How handy are your 2 large boxes of Kleenex tissue? You are going to need them.
When the nightly news reports that several hundred thousand people are reported dead in the aftermath of a tragic natural disaster--you are going to need them.
When you stand over the hospital bed of your mother as she struggles to breathe her last breath--you are going to need them.
When an uncomprehendable--one-car-accident results in the death of someone you love--you are going to need them.
When you receive the news that your father's cancer has re-appeared--you are going to need them.
When you discover that a loved one has a mental disorder and you can't fix it--you are going to need them.
When you stand beside the grave of a young teenager who mistakenly thought they were "fine" to drive home after a party--you are going to need them.
When you are so weighed down by difficult decisions and countless responsibilities that you have become an emotional wreck--you are going to need them.
When you are overcome by other's generosity--you are going to need them.
When you send your child off to college--you are going to need them.
And trust me--when you hear Jesus calling in a loud voice--"Come out!!! Take off those grave clothes--come out--let's go!"--you are going to need them.
But here is the "So what" for me: I think "Jesus wept" to remind us that tears are not a sign of weakness--but of strength. Because in the midst of Jesus shedding tears--He spoke life into a dead man--you have to be pretty powerful to do something like that. And do you know what happened immediately after Jesus dried His tears and hugged Lazarus' neck?--He rejoiced in the fact that many of the Jews who had seen what He had done "put their faith in him" (John 11:45).
Friends, there was nothing weak about Jesus Christ. Jesus wept because He had a heart of love and compassion for His people. He said: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul went on to say: "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. FOR WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG."
How will we share His compassion with others--how will others see the tears of Jesus in ours?
I don't know if you know it but the movie "A League of Their Own" had a very intriguing tagline. It was: "To achieve the incredible you have to attempt the impossible."
For many of us--showing our emotions has been virtually impossible. But I want to assure you of this--the fact that Jesus wept is incredible to me--and I think it is perfectly acceptable--if not encouraged--to do what Jesus did.
Listen, I don't know why AISD put "2 Large Boxes of Kleenex Tissues" on the official supply list--but my guess is--they knew at some point their kids would need them. Something tells me--Jesus did too.
Crying--are you crying? Beautiful! May we forever CRY OUT TO JESUS!
2 Large Boxes of Kleenex Tissues--we are going to need them and whenever we need "them" may it be a reminder that we need Him!!
AMEN.
Allow me to give a little context into what we are about to read in our sermon text for this morning. Lazarus--the brother of Mary and Martha from Bethany--lay deathly ill. You may recall that Jesus was very close to this family--He had dined in their home--Mary had poured perfume on Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair--Martha had cleaned the house perfectly and made some incredible snacks for them to eat.
Needless to say--Jesus was exceptionally close to these three.
Yet, after receiving word that Lazarus was sick--Jesus stayed where he was for two more days--He didn't drop everything at once and rush to the hospital--or to their home. You see, Jesus was about moving as the Father directed--not as the people directed.
Well, as you probably know--Lazarus died. The text actually says: "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep..." But right after that--Jesus said: "I am going there to wake him up."
How great would it be to have a friend that had the power to "wake you up!"?
By the time Jesus made it back to Lazarus--he had been dead and in the tomb for four days. There were people all around--gathered to comfort Mary and Martha.
When M & M heard that Jesus was there--Martha rushed out to lay the sad--guilt trip on Jesus. She said: "If you had been here, my brother would not have died."
How is that for a warm, hospitable welcome?
But then Jesus said to Martha: "Your brother will rise again."
Let's pick the story up there--John 11:25-44 (pg. 1063 in the pew Bibles).
Back in 1992 Tom Hanks, starred in a movie called "A League of Their Own." You may recall this film--it was about two sisters who joined the first ever female professional baseball league and Tom Hanks (Jimmy Dugan in the movie) was the coach of the Rockford Peaches.
One of the more memorable scenes in the movie was a dialogue between Coach Jimmy Dugan and right fielder Evelyn Gardner. Jimmy called her over to him as they made their way to the dugout in between innings. He said: "Evelyn, could you come here for a second?" Evelyn makes here way to Coach Dugan and then he asks: "Which team do you play for?" She answers: "Well, I'm a Peach." He then says--in a rather loud and in your face tone of voice: "Well I was just wonderin' why you would throw home when we got a two-run lead. You let the tying run get on second base and we lost the lead because of you. Start using your head."
Well, as you probably can imagine--Evelyn starts to cry.
This only gets Dugan even more worked up. He says: "Are you crying? Are you crying? ARE YOU CRYING? There's no crying in baseball!"
No crying! Sometimes I wonder if we don't take this a little too seriously. In the name of "toughness" we can forsake the emotion of realness. For some reason we think crying is a sign of weakness. But imagine if you stood in the hospital room and noticed tears streaming down your friend's cheeks, would you say: "Are you crying? Are you crying? There's no crying in the hospital." Or what if during this service the Holy Spirit touched your heart in such a way that it brought you to tears--what if I stood in this pulpit and shouted: "Are you crying? There's no crying in church."
No crying? Are you kidding me--crying is Biblical!!
John 11:35--"Jesus wept."
The shortest verse in all of Scripture but one with lasting effects. The thought that the Son of God could and would weep is almost beyond belief. Some say He wept in sympathy for the ones He loved who were grieving--particularly Mary and Martha. Others say Jesus wept for all people who grieve over the death of loved ones. Still others say Jesus wept over the frailty of life and the ravages of sin and despair. Others suggest that Jesus wept in anger over those present who remained in unbelief in the face of death. And still, others say Jesus wept in sorrow for having to call Lazarus back from eternity into a world where he would die again.
Now, I don't know exactly why "Jesus wept." And quite frankly, the reason "why" He wept is not what matters--the fact that He "wept" does matter. It matters because we can always know that we have a Lord who cares. We serve a God with emotions not one that simply goes through the motions. We embrace a Lord and Savior who desperately desires to embrace us.
So let me ask you: How handy are your 2 large boxes of Kleenex tissue? You are going to need them.
When the nightly news reports that several hundred thousand people are reported dead in the aftermath of a tragic natural disaster--you are going to need them.
When you stand over the hospital bed of your mother as she struggles to breathe her last breath--you are going to need them.
When an uncomprehendable--one-car-accident results in the death of someone you love--you are going to need them.
When you receive the news that your father's cancer has re-appeared--you are going to need them.
When you discover that a loved one has a mental disorder and you can't fix it--you are going to need them.
When you stand beside the grave of a young teenager who mistakenly thought they were "fine" to drive home after a party--you are going to need them.
When you are so weighed down by difficult decisions and countless responsibilities that you have become an emotional wreck--you are going to need them.
When you are overcome by other's generosity--you are going to need them.
When you send your child off to college--you are going to need them.
And trust me--when you hear Jesus calling in a loud voice--"Come out!!! Take off those grave clothes--come out--let's go!"--you are going to need them.
But here is the "So what" for me: I think "Jesus wept" to remind us that tears are not a sign of weakness--but of strength. Because in the midst of Jesus shedding tears--He spoke life into a dead man--you have to be pretty powerful to do something like that. And do you know what happened immediately after Jesus dried His tears and hugged Lazarus' neck?--He rejoiced in the fact that many of the Jews who had seen what He had done "put their faith in him" (John 11:45).
Friends, there was nothing weak about Jesus Christ. Jesus wept because He had a heart of love and compassion for His people. He said: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul went on to say: "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. FOR WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG."
How will we share His compassion with others--how will others see the tears of Jesus in ours?
I don't know if you know it but the movie "A League of Their Own" had a very intriguing tagline. It was: "To achieve the incredible you have to attempt the impossible."
For many of us--showing our emotions has been virtually impossible. But I want to assure you of this--the fact that Jesus wept is incredible to me--and I think it is perfectly acceptable--if not encouraged--to do what Jesus did.
Listen, I don't know why AISD put "2 Large Boxes of Kleenex Tissues" on the official supply list--but my guess is--they knew at some point their kids would need them. Something tells me--Jesus did too.
Crying--are you crying? Beautiful! May we forever CRY OUT TO JESUS!
2 Large Boxes of Kleenex Tissues--we are going to need them and whenever we need "them" may it be a reminder that we need Him!!
AMEN.
