Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-02-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON.
Reflections of an Elevating Character
wholesome Food for Thought
Studying the scriptural Lesson In
telligently and Probably.
Lesson for March 8.


Lesson for March 3.
Golden Text am the resurrection
and the life."-John IL: 20.
The lesson this week is found In John
IL: 30-45, and has for it's subject the
Raising of Lazarus. 1t is lesson of
love in delay, we might say, love in de-
NAL. The opening text of Scripture sets
the thought graphically before us: Now
Jesus was not yet come into the town..
Somebody sick, "a certain man." like unto
rs all. How quietly they go about the
house! Presently an added hush, broken
by sobs. Death has entered the home.
All, what a typical earth scene is this!
And over there in Perea is Jesus the Lord
of life. He is busy at his work, teaching
and performing miracles. If he will he
can speak life into this poor smitten
frame. Will he do it?
There was much ground for hope.
'Lord," they said, ''behold, he whom thou
lowest is sick" Yes. but there were 9TH
ers whom he loved; others who, perhaps,
needed him more. The last chapter
closes "And many believed in him there"
That was sufficient reason for his tarry-
ing. He was doing a great work and
could not come down. But there was
deeper reason for the delay. In the last
lesson the disciples asked about the man.
born blind. Jesus said it was that the
work of God should be made manifest in
him. Now he quiets fears by saying, like
wise of Lazarus: This sickness is not
unto death, but for the glory of God that
the Son of God might be glorified there
by" Brother, sister, have you ever been
~; Oh 70 tho glory Of Go69
Yes, it was Lazarus. "And Jesus loved
Martha and her sister, and Lazarus" And
he loves you, shut in one, he loves you
still, though he seems to long delay his
coming. Will your love for him stand
the test of waiting or Of delay? We do
not fear his love; that abideth faithful
in sickness or in death, for it is everlast-
ing. But your faith and your hope and
your love- Here is the place Of concern.
Lazarus is dead. and Jesus has mot yet
come into the town." 1t is picture of
the militant not yet triumphant church
on earth. We look toward the heavens
for our Lord. We are sick, dying; one by
one we pass away. Why does our Lord
delay his coming? Christians have pa
tience. AS of old, it is love that delays
him. Therefore" it Is, says the Scrip
ture Verse %, because Jesus loved him,
che abode two days still in the same place
where he was" Look up. He will come.
Surely come quickly" he says. "Amen,
even so come Lord Jesus. There 10 to-
day, and there is tomorrow; and there is
the day after tomorrow" Watch.
Lord, if thou hadst been here" says
Mary, perhaps bit reproachfully. 1t is
still the here and there with her. She
does not seem to understand the divine
| immanence, the life everlasting which
in VS.. 1927, Jesus had been explaining to
Martha. No wonder our Master groaned
in Spirit and was troubled. And in v.
80 he is made to groan again over their
dullness. He walked with them as they
went weeping toward the tomb, and as he
walked with them, he wept with them,
his heart going out to their deep sorrow.
He cares for us, he loves us. Behold"
said the short-sighted Jew, chow he loved
him." They might better have said, 'how
| he loves themv'
And now he is standing by the tomb.
Jesus at the grave, life confronting death (;
| what will be the outcome? Can there be
any doubt? Doubt-there was the trou.
| BILE, the hindrance. 1t was all hopeless
| grief and doubt. The Lord himself had to
supply all the faith, as all the power, on
this occasion. Believe and see. We say
seeing is believing" Christ says be-
| lieving is seeing Note his words here:
''Said l not to thee that if thou wouldst
believe, thou shouldst see the glory of
GodW Lord, increase our faith.
And now they close with each other, the
powers of heaven and the gates of hell.
Just a moment. Come forth" commands
| the Lord of life. "And he that was dead
came forth" Briefly, strongly told.
Words would take away from the majes-
| ty and power of it. 1t is God. He is
Lord of all. He rules in the heavens
above and in the earth beneath. Life is
| stronger than death. And now, 'loosc
him and let him CO." There is something
| for the human to do. There was some.
thing before the miracle: "Take we away
the stone" Get the conditions ready for
the divine demonstration. And now after
| the act of divine power, "Loose him and
let him 60" Set the renewed soul free
to do for himself and for God. 1t is a
voice out of the heavens to the church.
Loose the newborn soul. Do not leave
him on the edge of his old entombment,
bound, as it were, in grave clothes. Loose
fed and many shall believe.
Hints and Illustrations.
Theissues of life and death are presented
in this lesson. 1t should be approached
soberly and deliberately, but not gloomily.
Christ has lifted up even the sepulchre,
and the Christian can contemplate death
itself with equanimity. Perhaps we are
too slow to speak of the great change.
This Scripture opens up the subject for
converse. Let it be free and frank. 1t
may even, by the grace of God, in Jesus
Christ, be joyous. Some day we who
trust in Jesus will all come, like the lost
la Gascogne," a little while delayed, to
meet with glad welcome in that other
/ shore.
Jesus Christ, by his earth visit, robbed
death of its terrors and brought life and
immortality to light. In the freedom that
Paul looked forward 10 after death, the
apostle could hopefully exclaim: For me
to live is Christ, and to die is gain" They
| tell of bishop of England who, walking
forth one day, saw little bird rise from
the ground upon its tiny pinions, and then
suddenly drop to earth again, as by some
unseen constraint. Again il rose, and
again fell. On looking more closely he
discovered that boy had a thread at
tached to the limb of the bird, and that as
often as the little thing tried to fly away
into the heavens the lad would draw II
| hack Go With tho aoul I'm ,,ortaI;tx,