Stop the funeral (Pt.2)

(Part 2)

“Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.”-Luke 7:14

 

Sometimes we are so busy focusing on what’s been lost that we have fail to see what is right in front of us. The widow of Nain was on a collision course with Jesus. When Jesus saw the woman, his heart overflowed with compassion for her and He stopped the funeral! Come on somebody! Jesus stopped the funeral. He put His hand on the coffin as if to say, “That’s far enough”.  He even caused those tasked with carrying the dead boy out to be buried to stop in their tracks. 

 

 Just because you put something in a coffin, doesn’t mean it’s dead, especially if Jesus is in the room. You can try and put 2020 in a coffin, but you can’t call it dead. We need to quit trying to bury things that Jesus still has His hand on! Obviously, Jesus didn’t see a dead body. He saw an opportunity; an opportunity to demonstrate compassion. He was about to breath life and hope into a helpless situation.

 

Some would say, that just like the widow’s son, this year is just too far gone. We’ve lost 345 days of this year already, however can I declare to you that there are still 20 days remaining. How many days does Jesus need to turn things around? Ask Lazarus how long it takes Jesus to breath life back into something. Ask Jairus’ how much time Jesus needed to turn his daughter’s life around? Ask the widow of Nain, just how long it takes for Jesus to radically impact a person’s life.

 

I will agree that we started off 2020 strong and then when Covid hit, we lost momentum, but here is what I feel God wants me to tell you this today: You don’t need momentum, when Jesus can do miracles. We don’t need to recapture our momentum, we need to recapture our compassion for others:

 

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”-Luke 7:13

 

As the body of Christ we’ve been weeping our year away, carrying 2020 around in a coffin, waiting to bury it so we can move on with our lives. 

 

Like everyone else, I’ve suffered loss this year. I’ve battled Covid, I’ve had numerous vacations and trips canceled, and I’ve grieved the loss of a loved one who have passed away. So it’s not that I can’t identify with the loss everyone is experiencing. 

 

However, as the Body of Christ, we can’t allow our weeping to drown out our compassion. People all around us are experiencing loss and if the Body of Christ isn’t going to step up and respond, who is? 

 

I understand the dangers of Covid-19. Hundreds of thousands of people have died, but let me ask you this, how many of them died without knowing Jesus. Who’s job is it to proclaim Christ during a pandemic? Are we to put our mandate to make disciples on hold until the conditions are better? How many of those who died missed heaven because they did not hear or witness a single demonstration of Christ’s compassion, simply because we refused to adapt and find ways of sharing Christ.

            

What do we say to the thousands upon thousands of additional people that will likely die, between now and 2021? “Sorry, we are postponing our mission of winning souls until the beginning of next year.” 

 

No! Do what it takes to mitigate your risk (put on a mask, sanitize your hands, and socially distance), but don’t bury this year thinking next year is going to be better; because I bet someone was thinking that same thing in 2019. 

 

It’s not time for the church to give up, it’s time for us to give back!

 

“Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.”-Luke 7:14-15

 

Jesus gave the widow of Nain more than a son back. He restored her hope. His compassion led to her miracle. Listen, there are things that you and I can’t give back to people. Losses that we are just not able to recapture, but we can give them the hope we have in Jesus Christ. 

 

However, we can’t do it isolated from humanity. We have to find ways of engaging the lost and the hurting. We have to stop the funeral! Stop trying to bury 2020. I believe Jesus wants to resurrect it. I believe He wants to breath life into it. We have a choice. We can squander the next 20 days or we can demonstrate compassion to a world that needs it more than ever. 

 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church