This Week at Camas Friends

Lazarus is Dead

Do you know the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead? Spoiler alert: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead!

But the story is more than the happy ending. On the way to this fantastic finale, Jesus deals with a lot of challenging things. He is criticized by his friends. He is misunderstood by his disciples. He goes to places where he is met not with hospitality but with violent anger. He faces a lot of pressure, from multiple sources. He centers the needs of others, functioning in caregiver mode. He is doubted in a way that seems to bother him.

And at some point, he becomes greatly “disturbed.” He even weeps. Jesus, regardless of whatever confidence he has or optimism he exudes or hope to which he clings or “cool and collected” demeanor he possesses, grieves.

Jesus is allowed to grieve.

And so are we.

-Matt

Text of the Week

John 11:1-45 (NRSV):
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” 11 After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

Grocery Delivery and Pantry

If you are unable (or prudently hesitant) to leave your home but need an errand run (items from the grocery store, for example), please let Matt know. Matt and Janet Grove will make arrangements to get you what you need, if possible.

Would you like to be "on the list" of folks whom Janet contacts to help with such errands? Please let Matt or Janet (littlejanetg@gmail.com) know.

Our Food Pantry is open tomorrow (Thurs) from 10am to 1pm. Know anyone who would benefit? Please pass this info along. Matt and Janet (and others) can deliver pantry items to folks who are unable to leave home.

CFC Book Group Resumes Tonight...on Zoom!

The CFC Book Discussion Group will continue

via ZOOM!

on March 25th at 7pm. We are discussing The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby.

Please read the Foreword and Chapter 1 for tonight. A more extensive reading schedule and description of the book are available HERE.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/347822642 (use this link for each meeting for eleven weeks, starting at 7pm on the 25th; link will be re-posted here each week).

RSWR Spring Fundraiser Update

CFC is working to raise $6500 by April 26th to fund a full project with the organization Right Sharing of World Resources. RSWR provides women with grants that are used to create a revolving microloan fund that the women use to start or expand businesses and lift themselves out of poverty. Read more about the fundraiser HERE. Donation update as of March 25th: $5020.26! (note: this amount is likely lower than what has actually come in). Please continue to donate online or by mailing checks to the CFC office.

FCNL Policy Priorities Discernment Update

From Norma:

"Nine Friends met on Sunday March 8, 2020 to discuss and discern our input on FCNL’s policy priorities for the 117th Congress. We now have until May 1, 2020 to submit our priorities to FCNL. Using the list of FCNL’s Legislative Priorities for the 116th Congress along with the Statement of Legislative Priorities called The World We Seek, we thoughtfully discussed the issues that we have noticed people bringing up in our worship times at Camas Friends. We are sharing the results of this discernment meeting with the community of worshippers that makes up Camas Friends. Please take some time to review our list and the Statement 'The World We Seek'."

View CFC's list and FCNL's statement HERE.

Lazarus is Dead

Text of the Week

Grocery Delivery and Pantry

CFC Book Group Resumes Tonight...on Zoom!

RSWR Spring Fundraiser Update

FCNL Policy Priorities Discernment Update

Sunday Sermons