A note from Pastor regarding his sermon:

Bible trivia enthusiasts like to remark that one verse in our Gospel reading for this week – John 11:35 (“Jesus wept”) – is the shortest verse in the Bible. This is true in English translations. But in the original Greek there are shorter verses, regardless of whether one is looking at word count or number of letters. (1 Thessalonians 5:16 – “Rejoice always” (πάντοτε χαίρετε) is shorter!)

Nevertheless, there is something quite profound in contemplating the fact that Jesus wept during the story of the death and raising of Lazarus! No doubt Jesus knew that He had the power to raise Lazarus from the dead. And no doubt He knew that that was precisely what was going to happen. And yet still, Jesus displays sorrow at the death of a friend and the effect it has on those around Him. And by reflecting on Jesus’ own response to death, we can learn more about how God views death and the role it plays in our Christian life.