Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:32 ESV

Have you ever wondered if your prayers are making it past the ceiling or if God can hear you over the clamor of billions of other folks praying at the same time? Mary’s prayer gives me hope. It wasn’t long, it wasn’t eloquent, in fact, it wasn’t even original.! These were the exact words her sister Martha had used just a few minutes before. But Jesus did something many of us fail to do in a moment of someone else’s time of crisis or grief: He listened. He didn’t interrupt, correct or give advice. Jesus simply gave Mary space to voice her struggle with the terrible question of why.

After taking time to listen, Jesus did something encapsulated in the shortest verse of the Bible: He wept. His tears more than His words, brought healing comfort to Mary and her friends. Lazarus lay in the grave, and though Jesus knew what was going to happen next, no one else did. In our lives it is the same. We see, as Paul says, “through a glass darkly” Our understanding of the future is often clouded by the sorrows or struggles we are drowning in. And yet, our Jesus, who is the Resurrection and the Life, kneels down next to us, and weeps. Now, Jesus doesn’t do this because He doesn’t know what to do. He knows exactly what we need and what His plans are, but He takes time for us to look up to Him and then He begins to show us the way out.

“Where have you laid him?” Jesus asks, and they lead Him to the tomb. Only then, just outside the tomb, where their brother lay wrapped in graveclothes on a cold stone slab, Jesus takes command. “Take away the stone.”

“But Lord,” Martha informs him. He has been dead four days and (here I love the King James) “He stinketh!” Did you know that Jesus already knows how bad things smell in our lives. The death of our hopes and dreams have lain in the grave so long that they smell to high Heaven. But Jesus isn’t concerned about how bad our problems smell, He is concerned now about our obedience and faith. In the words of the hymn, this is the moment to “Trust and Obey>” Yes, Jesus listens, and yes, He weeps with us, but there also comes a time when we must obey, if we are to see the glory of God. What are you facing this morning? Is there a grief, a broken relationship, sickness or disability that has brought life to a standstill. Jesus is here, right now, and He will take time to listen, He will even take time to weep, and then as you trust Him, He will show you the next step to take. What a patient, compassionate, and mighty Savior we serve. I do hope you will enjoy this short message that was given yesterday at Life Care Center. Have a blessed day everyone!

I can’t explain how the hummingbird flies
Nor why in the summer an ancient tree dies
Or when at the dawn as I get out of bed
Why deer creep to thickets to lie down instead

My life’s like a puzzle still missing a part`	
With questions of mysteries that stir in my heart
When the voices of worries are filling my ear
Above all their clamoring I can still hear 
His quiet voice that is calling me come
And the sound of His footsteps leading me home 

He comes and stands and He knocks at my door
 And offers to enter to heal and restore
And when I ask Him why He gives such grace
He points to the Cross where His love took my place

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? John 14:2 ESV

His Love Took My Place
By Peter Caligiuri copyright © 2026
All rights reserved

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. John 6:35 ESV

I grew up in a subdivision of homes built in the 1950’s. Since all our backyards connected and no one had fences, the area served as a great place for baseball (except for when I broke one of the neighbor’s windows with a ground-rules double!} Another feature of our homes was that everyone’s kitchen was in the back of the house. That way, when my mom baked bread, the aroma drifted out to us on our ballfield. Then, sure enough, as soon as mom opened the oven door and out took the bread to cool, we all lined up by the door, hoping for whatever she would give. After lecturing us for a minute on the perils of eating hot bread, mom generally surrendered to our pleading eyes and started slicing. Then, after one bite I was convinced that there was nothing on earth like her fresh baked bread.

Today, when I read that Jesus is the bread of life, I often think of mom’s bread. Just like mom’s bread, Jesus offers His life as a free gift, to be received just for the asking. Mom didn’t advertise or have a rule that we must come in for bread. We were drawn by the sweet aroma wafting through our neighborhood. If we are praying for revival, let’s ask ourselves, “Does the love of Jesus waft out our back door to friends, neighbors and maybe even the guy who shows up to fix our air conditioner?” Not everyone will respond, but when bread is baking, some hungry souls just may line up by our back door. Secondly, are we offering fresh loaves, right out of Heaven’s oven, or are we just handing out day-old bread? When Jesus preached, he couldn’t hide from the crowds. Some came with perfect motives, others showed up out of curiosity and some even came just for what they could get. Jesus didn’t turn any of them away, but because His teaching was so different from what they were used to, many chose to go home before they tasted even a single bite of the Bread of Life. I pray that whatever your situation is today, that you will be listening for His knock on your door. Jesus still comes, still offers His life to us and still waits to see if we will open our door to Him. Will you dare to go even further today and come knock on His door? Jesus is still the fresh baked bread of Heaven, and He is ready to freely give Himself to anyone who will come and truly believe.