March 22, 2026 homily on Psalm 130 and John 11:1-45 Pastor Galen for the fifth Sunday in Lent.
“Help, God—the bottom has fallen out of my life!” – Psalm 130:1 MSG
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.’” – John 11:25
The Bottom has Fallen Out
Have you ever felt like the bottom has fallen out of your life? You were trying to hold everything together, but it felt like the bottom had dropped out, like when you put too many things in a box and the bottom gives way and everything spills everywhere.
The summers after my junior and senior years of high school, I spent two weeks at the beginning of each summer at a training camp to serve as a summer missionary with an organization that ran 5-day clubs, essentially Vacation Bible Schools, for children across the region. The training camp was intensive, with long hours in the classroom mixed with evaluations of our memorization and presentations.
Both years I attended, I had experiences that felt like the bottom had fallen out of my life. The first year, I naively signed up to participate in the talent show with a classmate, not realizing that our act, meant to be lighthearted and humorous, would not be well received by the camp director. That same year, I also developed the worst case of hives I’ve ever had and had to be taken to the emergency room by that very same director.
The second year, I received word that my grandfather, my only remaining grandparent, had passed away. Although I was able to go home for the funeral, it was difficult to be away from my family as I received and processed the news.
All of us, I’m sure, have had moments like this, times when it feels like one thing after another keeps happening, and as much as we try to hold it together, eventually everything begins to come undone.
Martha and Mary
In John 11, Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha, were trying to hold it all together, but everything felt like it was on the verge of falling apart. Their brother Lazarus was sick, and they knew that Jesus could heal him, but they did not know where Jesus was. They sent word to him, but Jesus did not come. The waiting must have been unbearable as they watched their brother gradually slip away. And then the unthinkable happened. Lazarus died, and his body was placed in a tomb. It must have felt like the bottom had fallen out of their lives.
Finally, Jesus showed up, but by then it was too late to heal their brother. Lazarus was dead. Martha rushed out to meet Jesus, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21).
Now let’s pause right there for a moment. Do you hear the faith in that statement? Martha fully believed that Jesus could have healed her brother. She was completely convinced that Jesus could have prevented his death. That is an incredible amount of faith. And if that weren’t enough, she goes on to say, “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him” (John 11:22). Do you hear the depth of her faith? Even at her lowest point she believed that God could still act. That is faith.
This is Martha, the same sister who is often criticized because she asked Jesus to tell Mary to help in the kitchen. But here, Martha not only believes that Jesus could have prevented her brother’s death, she believes that even now, something is still possible. She believed that death was not the end. Even when it felt like everything had fallen apart, she trusted that Jesus could still do something.
Jesus tells her that her brother will rise again (John 11:23), and Martha responds, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” And then Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” And he asks her, “Do you believe this?” (11:24–26).
And Martha says, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world” (John 11:27).
Did you catch that? Martha recognizes Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. This is a truth that even many religious leaders of her day either failed to see or refused to accept. Her confession stands alongside Peter’s confession in the Gospels when Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13–16; Mark 8:27–29; Luke 9:18–20). Martha knew who Jesus was, and she believed. Even when hope seemed lost, she trusted. Even in the depths, she had faith.
Then Martha went to get her sister Mary. We do not know why Mary did not go to Jesus right away. Perhaps she was angry, and understandably so. She too believed Jesus could have healed her brother. But maybe she felt that nothing could be done now. She was grieving, hurting, and overwhelmed.
But Martha goes to her and says that Jesus is calling for her. Maybe Mary did not have the faith to believe anything could change, but Martha did. And so she drew her back to Jesus.
This is why we need spiritual companions. This is why we need relationships with other believers, people who can draw us back to Jesus when we are discouraged, when we doubt, when we are at our lowest. We need people who can remind us that God loves us, that God sees us, and that even when we cannot see a reason for hope, we can still trust in Christ.
This is why gathering together matters. Church is not just about singing songs and listening to a sermon. It is about building relationships with others who are walking this journey of faith, so that when it feels like our lives are falling apart, we can support one another and remind each other that Jesus still cares, and that hope is not lost.
It pains me to think of those who are not part of a faith community, and who may struggle to believe that God loves them or cares for them. I believe God calls us to be like Martha, to remind one another that Jesus is calling us, that he invites us to bring our worries, our grief, our anger, and our pain to him.
Even in her own grief, Martha was looking out for Mary. Oh, that we would each have a Martha in our lives.
Jesus Wept
Many of us know what happens next. Mary comes to Jesus, falls at his feet, and says the same words, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” And when Jesus sees her weeping, he begins to weep as well. The shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept,” but oh, what a profound phrase.
Jesus wept not only for Lazarus, but also for Mary and Martha and all who were grieving. In those few simple words, “Jesus wept,” we are reminded that God sees us in our pain, our doubt, our anger, and our grief. And God cares.
This was not just a quiet tear. The word used here suggests a deep, gut-level response, like the snorting of a war horse. It connects with verse 33, where Jesus is described as being “deeply moved” and “greatly disturbed.” This is grief. This is anger at the brokenness of the world.
Jesus knew Lazarus would rise again. And yet, he still entered into their sorrow. Because death, grief, and suffering are not what God intended. We were created for life with God. But we have chosen our own way, time and again, breaking that relationship. And so the world is marked by pain and loss.
And Jesus wept, not only for Lazarus, but for all the suffering we endure, and for all the times we wonder what is happening, and why, and where is God.
Jesus, The Resurrection and the Life
This is why Jesus came, to restore what was broken. To heal our relationship with God and with one another. To bring life where there was death.
The raising of Lazarus is a sign, a glimpse, of what is to come. Lazarus was raised back to earthly life, but eventually he died again. Jesus, however, rose to a new and eternal life that will never end. And that is the promise for all who trust in him.
This is what Jesus meant when he said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25).
And one of my favorite parts of this story is what happens after Lazarus comes out of the tomb. Jesus does not just stop there. He says, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
In other words, Lazarus still needed help. He was alive, but he was still wrapped up.
And I think that is true for us, too. Jesus calls us into life, but we still need each other to help unwrap the things that hold us back: the fear, the shame, the doubt.
Again, that is what community is for. That is what the church is meant to be, a place where we help each other live into the life Jesus is calling us into.
So this morning, whatever you are going through, know this: God sees you. God knows. God cares. Even when it feels like the bottom has fallen out of your life, there is still hope. There is life beyond what we can see.
Let us remind one another of that truth. Let us be like Martha, pointing each other back to Jesus. Let us surround ourselves with people who will encourage us when we are down. And let us look to Christ, who is the resurrection and the life, and place our trust in him.
Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection in Response to today’s message:
- Where do you see yourself in this story—Mary, Martha, or Lazarus? Why?
- When have you felt like “the bottom has fallen out” of your life?
- What stands out most to you about Martha’s faith in the midst of grief?
- What does it mean to you that “Jesus wept”?
- Who has been a “Martha” in your life—someone who helped draw you back to Jesus? How might you be called to be that person for someone else?
Hampden United Methodist Church 