“Everything has its own time” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Dear children of God! how are you? How is life with your family and beloved ones at home and school? Hope you are having a pleasant time on these fifty days’ feasts of resurrection and Pentecost (Feast of Holy Spirit.). It is the occasion of celebrating our salvation and everlasting life in the heavens (Kingdom of God).
Little ones, this is life full of peace, love and happiness that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave us with His scarification upon the cross and resurrection on the third day. We cherish this as our understanding and spirituality in our Christianity. If we live the life our Lord thought us to by abiding God’s law and order of the church, He will give us eternal life (life forever in the heavens) with Him where we are always in joy, peace and harmony.
This time we commemorate, is about the eternal life God endows (gives) mankind in the heavens. So, we do not fast, bow or be in grieve. Yet, we are in commemoration of it but have many trials ahead our lives. We shall not forget to keep the laws and rules that are needed for the triumph on our obstacles. It is the way of spiritual life and being Christian in Christ. We are called “Christian” by the Holy name “Christ.”
The earthly is a time for baring all the suffering and hardships this worldly life offers. After we defeat our enemy by the faith, fast, much prayer and diligence (much bowing and attendance of church liturgy).
As the wise King Solomon said, “everything has its own time,”, the earthy life we lead is the preparation for the soul salvation and everlasting life we recently celebrating. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) This occasion is the resemblance of the life we are given to live forever, with Our Creator God in His Kingdom. The Lord bestowed (gave) us life after body death with His resurrection (rising from the dead).
There is an exemplary story we can mention here. The gospel of Saint John tells the story of Lazarus dying and rising by the Lord from the dead: It is stated as follows: -“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him.” Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about [a]two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone [d]from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:1-44)
You see children! Everything has its own. God has its own time of doing things and performing His miracles. We have read from this story of our Lord raising Lazarus who was dead. Is it not this miracle! Children! Is it possible to rise dead people from the death? Can anyone be able to bring someone to life who is dead just by calling his/her name just like what we have read? the answer, no, it is not possible for humans! But only possible for our creator, God, Who can do anything and everything! We have seen from the story Lazarus rising from the dead by the calling of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Dear children of God! we will also be raised from the dead on judgment when the Lord comes for judging the righteous (good) and sinners (bad people). Even we die today, tomorrow or ten and more years than that, all the dead people will be rise from the dead to face the Lord’s judgment to either be given eternal life or else be punished forever. Those who were good following the true path, obeying God’s law and order will be at put at the right by the order of the Lord. The sinners will be at the left side to be punished in hell.
So dear children, we have to good children of God in keeping His laws using our valuable time wisely and properly so that we will not punished and be bestowed enteral life with God, in living happily ever after with the angels in the Kingdom of heaven.
Farewell, we have finished our lesson for today and leave you with good warmth of greetings and wish in meeting you next time!
May God be with you; Amen!