First Presbyterian Church of LaGrange Texas

Rutter's Requiem includes the words of Psalm 130, "Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice." The cello voices the anguish of the prayer. As Martha speaks to Jesus, words of loss and hope, this is the soundtrack I hear. "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Kneeling at his feet, Mary repeats these words. She is weeping, the neighbors are weeping, and Jesus weeps asking, "Where have you laid him?"  At the tomb of Lazarus, we join the sisters in the unspoken question, "Why?" and find the divine response is not answer but accompaniment—God entering into shadow to lift us into the light.