It was a simple email,
“I named you in my prayers this morning, asking that God would gift you with all that you need on this day to fulfill your various vocations. May you be blessed with wisdom, courage and hope as you navigate these days. Thank you for your partnership in ministry! You are valued and you are loved.”
The fog lifted in my brain with this email connection in a way that a second cup of tea didn’t. The song by Birdtalker came to mind. It’s in the video right here.
So I played it and danced. This weekend we will gather via ZOOM three times to do real worship- in real time. We will hear the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead.
“Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:44b
Help him take off his grave clothes -Jesus tells those gathered who are witnessing the power of a man being raised from the dead. You. Help him. Unbind him. Let him go- you - all of you. And- us - all of us. Jesus is speaking to us today in this text. The one named as Resurrection and Life speaks to us in this time and this place about the power of unbinding one another.
It takes WE to loose the grave clothes. We are in this together even as we are physically separated one from one another. It certainly is not too much for God to overcome! This one who raised Lazarus from the dead is with us. This one who weeps and mourns with us and for us and often because of us- this Jesus is with us. Today how about kicking up your heels or at least nodding your head as some of the folks do in that video.
Click on this video and dance!
Come on! Let the music help you come up out of the fog and let loose some of the grave clothes. Come on….let the One who is Resurrection and Life live in you in this day, in this moment and in this breath.
Let the amazing grace and love of Jesus (who can raise one who is dead to new life) fill you up today. The same Jesus who shares our deep sorrow and weeps call us to be in this together helping to unbind one another. So maybe today you send a simple email like the one I received today or you send a note in the snail mail. God only knows how the Spirit is calling you today to be part of the loosening of grave clothes to unbind others and let them go.
May this song and your dance and the way you are reaching out into the world to love, serve and grow help unbind you and set you free to live this day in the power and presence of the Resurrection and the Life.