Inspired by lyrics to “Love Is Alive” by Richad Mekdeci & Tim Burnaman:
“Rise up, rise up this morning, rise up and say, ‘Love is alive, in my heart, in my life today, everywhere in this world. Love is alive in this place. I can feel it, Spirit’s in this place. I can see it, shining in each face.’
Rise up, rise up this morning. Rise up, rise up and say, ‘Love is, Love is alive in my heart, in my life, everywhere in the world, every face in this place. Love is alive! Love is alive in our hearts, in our lives, today, here for each other the way it’s meant to be – sisters and brothers, one great family.’
Rise up, rise up this morning. Rise up, rise up and say, ‘Love is, love is alive in my heart, in my life, everywhere in the world, every face in this place! Love is alive!’”
Responsive Reading for March 28
“Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha …. So the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.’ When Jesus heard this he said, ‘This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’ [He told them,] ‘Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.’ So the disciples said to him, ‘Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.’ But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, ‘Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him’” (Jn. 11:1-15).
“Rise up, rise up this morning, rise up and say, ‘Love is alive in my heart, in my life today, everywhere in this world. Love is alive in this place. I can feel it. Spirit’s in this place. I can see it shining in each face.’”
“When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away …. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died .… Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I have come to believe’ …. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping … he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, ‘Where have you laid him? … And Jesus wept.” [Bystanders said,] “See how he loved him.’ But some of them said, ‘Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?’… So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha … said to him, ‘Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me ….’ And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, ‘Untie him and let him go’” (Jn. 11:17-44).
“Rise up, rise up this morning. Rise up, rise up and say, ‘Love is, Love is alive in my heart, in my life, everywhere in the world, every face in this place. Love is alive!’ Love is alive in our hearts, in our lives, today, here for each other the way it’s meant to be – sisters and brothers, one great family. Rise up, rise up this morning.”
“So Jesus no longer walked about in public …. [but] left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples …. Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him …. The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus, too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him. On the next day, when the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’ … So the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from death continued to testify. This was [also] why the crowd went to meet him, because they had head that he had done this sign” (Jn. 11:54-12:9-18).
“Rise up, rise up and say, Love is, love is alive in my heart, in my life, everywhere in the world, every face in this place! Love is alive!”