03/22/2026
Jan Richardson‘s Lazarus Blessing, as shared at this morning’s Eucharist. +
This Sunday gives us one of my favorite stories in all of scripture: the raising of Lazarus. I am always struck by how Jesus does not go into the tomb to haul Lazarus out. Instead, Jesus stands at the threshold and calls to his beloved friend to come out. Lazarus has to choose whether he will stir himself and take that first step that will lead him out of his own grave. He has to decide for himself whether he will allow his friends to unbind him from the graveclothes that had perhaps already grown familiar and therefore comfortable. That is something to ponder. For the fifth Sunday in Lent, this blessing is from me, for you, with gratitude and hope.
LAZARUS BLESSING
The secret
of this blessing
is that it is written
on the back
of what binds you.
To read
this blessing,
you must take hold
of the end
of what
confines you,
must begin to tug
at the edge
of what wraps
you round.
It may take long
and long
for its length
to fall away,
for the words
of this blessing
to unwind
in folds
about your feet.
By then
you will no longer
need them.
By then this blessing
will have pressed itself
into your waking flesh,
will have passed
into your bones,
will have traveled
every vein
until it comes to rest
inside the chambers
of your heart
that beats to
the rhythm
of benediction
and the cadence
of release.
—Jan Richardson
from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons
janrichardson.com/books
Image: “Lazarus Blessing”
© janrichardsonimages.com
