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The Rt. Rev. Arthur E. Walmsley
Jesus wept. – John 11:35
Begin with the shortest verse in the Bible: two words — Jesus wept. They appear at the heart of the story in John’s Gospel when Jesus responds to his close friends and followers, Martha and Mary, whose brother Lazarus is gravely ill. Jesus and the disciples hurry to Bethany, a village just two miles east of Jerusalem, and on their arrival discover that Lazarus has died. That is a very human story, is it not? We can probably imagine being there.  A month ago I had a telephone call — a longtime friend had suffered a stroke on the way to an appointment, his car crashed into a tree, and he was dead. Would I come and preach at his burial service.