John 11:1–45
Pilgrimage Focus
Awakening comes when God calls life out of death and hope out of despair.

The story of Lazarus begins with his sisters sending word to Jesus that their brother was not long for this life. And then they waited.
When Jesus heard about his friend’s illness, he said, “This illness does not lead to death.” Yet he did not rush back to intervene. He allowed the illness to take its course, and by the time he arrived, his friend was already gone—gone long enough for Mary and Martha to make peace with the belief that Jesus had waited too long. Gone long enough for Jesus to stand before them and weep.
As there so often is in moments like these, someone nearby had a critique: “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept this man from dying?”
And yet, in an incredible act—a petition to God asking for a miracle that would reveal God’s power over death—Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb. Hope was not lost. Lazarus was raised from death and called back to life.

Hospital chaplaincy often places me at the bedsides of people taking their last breaths. It is heavy and hard and terribly beautiful when loved ones are there, filling those fleeting moments with tears and prayers and laughter. No matter how long or short a life has been, what matters most in those moments are the connections made during the living years.

If you watch closely, sometimes you can sense it—the love shared lingering in the air between loved ones and the one leaving. That love begins to transform into hope. Hope for the loved one to reach ultimate healing and peace. Hope for those who remain that the memories shared, the lessons learned, and the community surrounding them will be enough to carry them through the next few hours and days, and then the months and years.

And it will be enough.

Even when what is most deeply wanted is for their loved one to rise like Lazarus. Even when that resurrection does not happen.
Because small inner resurrections are often happening in the grieving. Loss has a way of putting into perspective what really matters—not perfect moments, but moments of walking together through fear, difficulty, joy-filled moments, and the love woven through it all.

We often place our hope in the young. Beginnings seem to carry their own kind of promise. But if we look long enough, if we listen well enough, we begin to see that the middle and the endings can also be filled with hope, a resilient hope—the hope beyond hopes, hope with a foundation.

When Jesus first heard about Lazarus, he declared that the end was not truly the end. That is the lesson of resurrection: death does not have the final word.

Sometimes resurrection looks like a miraculous calling forth, like Lazarus stepping out of the tomb. Sometimes it looks like unexpected healing.

And sometimes resurrection is an awakening within those who remain—a quiet calling to carry the work forward, holding tightly to what matters most.

Connection.
The movement of love.
The hope that continues to pass between us.
It was love that brought Jesus to Lazarus in that tomb.
It was love that later led Jesus to the cross.
And it is love that Jesus calls us to today, no matter the kind of endings we may be facing.

Love God.
Love one another.
Love your neighbor.
Love your enemy.
Love carries the hope that keeps moving us forward.
Love brings us back to life.

Preguntas para la reflexión
Where in my life does it feel like something has been buried or lost?
What might God be calling back to life within me?
Like Lazarus stepping out of the tomb, what might God be calling me to leave behind?

Práctica cuaresmal
Even when miraculous resurrections do not come the way we expect, hope still moves among us—through love, presence, and connection. These practices offer a small way to live into that hope this week.

Hope often moves through the quiet ways we show up for one another. This week, consider reaching out to someone who might need connection—or, if you are the one longing for it, take the brave step of reaching out yourself. Share coffee, a meal, or simply time together. Acts of love and presence can become small resurrections in the middle of ordinary days.

You might also listen to this podcast(https://www.restoresmallgroups.org/searching-inward-podcast/searching-inward/episode-84) conversation on hope with Scott Reall, author of Journey to Freedom and creator of the Journey to Freedom small group curriculum. If you are curious about exploring healing and freedom in community, sign up here(https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfuVzl0vE3woA_dwKg-YS8riv8M64sVF3qBQh4o5cjTBfKUpA/viewform?usp=publish-editor) to learn more about joining a Journey to Freedom small group with others in our TWK Connection.

Closing Prayer
God who calls life out of death,
meet us in our waiting, our grief, and our longing.
Awaken us to the hope and love that lead us back to life.
Amén.