On a whim…

The words, “Lazarus, come forth”, move me. There are other phrases, scents, and sounds that stir me as well but these words re-kindle a deep seated urge to stand up and demand a hearing. It has been seventeen long years since I began a self imposed exile from the pulpit; I retired. That’s not to say I have not had an occasional visit and, at the time the estrangement began, I imagined it would only be temporary. Each visit has seemed like an encounter with an old friend; a visit in which the months or years between disappear and the friendship is fresh. Alas, despite the durability of the relationship, the visits have been rare and the exile seems to be permanent. Yet, ever do I have preaching on my mind.