Gospel Reading: Luke 7:11-17
Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town.When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

Sermon: God of Compassion

This story from the Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus had compassion on a widow who was in distress. This poor woman was about to bury her only son, so he raises him from the dead.

Jesus stops the hearse, touches the coffin and says: “Young man, I say to you, rise!” Now, this could potentially have been the most embarrassing moment of Jesus’ ministry, had the body of the boy not responded. After all, this was Jesus’ first raisin’ from the dead experience—it was pretty early in his ministry career. But of course, the boy did get up.

The fact that it mentions that the mourners were overcome with fear sounds realistic. Imagine you would witness something like this at a funeral you attend; imagine the corpse would start twitching, then sit up and start walking around. Joy would only set in after the initial shock. There are only few things creepier than the thought of a casket opening and a believed dead person to stagger out. This is the stuff that horror flicks are made of.

What does this story teach us? See you in church to find out the rest of the story.

Blessings on the journey!