What if Lazarus hadn't been raised from the dead? What if Jesus had called out, Lazarus had stayed in the grave, and everybody had to deal with the fact that when you die, you die?
It seems like Jesus was preparing for Plan B, because as he was surrounded by mourners, who were crying, and wailing in sorrow, he didn't tell them to quiet down and prepare for a miracle, he stopped, he joined, he broke down - you know it's the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept", or as scholars say, more accurately it's that Jesus burst into tears.
Maybe your plan A is to heal that relationship, miraculously recover your health, or strike it rich with that new business.
When that doesn't happen, God has not left the building and there is a plan, because God will do one of two things: make it happen, or give you the strength to get through it.
The story of Lazarus sats God's power can make the impossible happen - like ending a war, uniting a divided country, or liberating an oppressed group.
But it also says that as we go through the unspeakable, we are not alone, somebody weeps next to us, somebody is just as torn up as we are, and will not abandon us.
Listen to Saint Mick, you can't always get what you want, but you get what you need.
And I'll see you Sunday.
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