Take Off Your Grave Clothes

 Yesterday in worship, we looked at John 11:1-45- the account of the death and resurrection of Lazarus.  What I found particularly interesting in the passage is that when Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb- back to life- that Jesus told some people nearby to "Unbind him, and let him go."  Lazarus was given new life and yet, he still needed the help of the community to embrace the new life and take off his grave clothes.

•  We might be surprise at the people around us who stink like death because they are not surrounded by a community who will help the remove their grave clothes.
• We may have been given new life in Christ, yet we still allow sin to be part of our life.  We have a habitual sin that we just cannot shake...We keep the grave clothes on!  This is why confessing our sins is so important- we break the bound of secrecy and invite others to help us take off our grave clothes by holding us accountable and praying for us.
• Heard the phrase "so heavenly minded that they're no earthly good?"  By raising Lazarus, Jesus accentuates that this life matters. Our everlasting life with God begins when Jesus becomes our Lord and Savior. God has a purpose and a plan for our lives...to live out resurrection and invite others to experience resurrection for themselves.

This passage is a hopeful reminder about what God is doing through Jesus...and is a foreshadow of what is to come.  If Jesus can bring Lazarus back from the dead, surely he can do the same for himself----and for you and me!

Lazarus needed help taking off his grave clothes...just for fun, where were Jesus' grave clothes?