His eye is on the widow
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For he commanded and they were created. Psalm 148:5
Read Luke 7:11—16
Of course the focus of the story has to be on Jesus, the Lord and giver of life. But I cannot help seeing it all through the eyes of the widowed mother of the dead man. She has lost her child. She has mourners all around, wailing. They have been telling her she is the most bereft of women, her husband gone, and now, before her own time, out of the natural order, her son. Her provider. Her only son. So if I want a picture of the most bereft of people, here it is. She is it. The Lord himself fixes his eye upon her in her inconsolable misery. ‘Do not weep.’ At the conclusion Jesus is declared to be a great prophet, risen among Israel, but I have seen him as more. I have seen him as the creator who brings life at his word. Yet, for all that, I do not focus on that tonight. What I focus on is that the creator of heaven and earth comforts a widow.
My gracious Lord, for all your life-giving power, I have joined the church throughout the centuries marvelling at you. You surrendered your glory. You made a space for this widow. You took her grief as your agenda for action. Without you she was bereft. You spoke the word. You raised the man. You restored the son to life. You gave joy. You gave son to mother, mother to son. You spread the fear and awe of God. Your power was loving. Your love was power. And life: your love was life. It is still your love that I adore.