[Readings:
Ezekiel 11:18 –20 I will put a new spirit in them;
John 11: 38 – 44 Lazarus, here! Come out! ]
Through Jesus’ prayer and command
Lazarus is called back to life,
called back into relationship with Jesus.
Jesus’ prayer for Lazarus is sign of his prayer for each one of us.
That prayer, for each one of us,
was offered in the events of this week.
It was a lived prayer,
a prayer of self-giving,
a prayer of offering of self.
A prayer spoken at the Last Supper:
This is my blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins
A prayer spoken in the Garden:
Father,
if this cup cannot pass by without my drinking it,
your will be done
A prayer lived,
and that really is the right word,
lived on the Cross.
Jesus’ prayer is for each and every one of us,
A prayer that we will be given a new heart,
a new spirit,
a new relationship with God.
And Jesus’ prayers are always heard. He says
I knew indeed that you always hear me
Jesus poured out his life
in prayer for us,
for the forgiveness of our sins.
How do we respond?
Like Lazarus, we hear his cry to us to come out,
to come towards him, to leave our sins behind.
We hear Jesus speaking through our conscience
as we examine our life:
our relationships with God, with others and with ourselves.
Like Lazarus we hear Jesus’ command
that we allow ourselves to be unbound, to be set free.
Lazarus cannot do this himself, and neither can we:
we rely on the power of God and the ministry of the Church.
We are a redeemed and forgiven people.
Jesus’ prayer is answered.
We show our gratitude for this when,
in genuine humility,
we bring our wrong doing to the Lord,
expressing our sorrow,
seeking reconciliation.
For true worship
is to come before the Lord as we really are,
without pretence,
confident that Jesus’ prayer for our forgiveness is heard.