See bulletin See Chart of Nine Leprous Excuses Video Most Christians seem to know the nighttime prayer... "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." But don't you find it to be, whether young or old, a little morbid to be praying about death? In the Gospel of John, we are told that Jesus was good friends of the family of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He and the disciples often stayed with them in Bethany just two miles outside of Jerusalem. But Lazarus had gotten really sick. Jesus told His disciples, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up. Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead." (John 11:11-14) Not the "Happily ever after" we would expect from God's Holy Word. This is what so many mock Christians for today. But that's not the end of the history lesson. And the lesson for the disciples was not just for those who followed Him then, but who follow Him now, today. The lesson is that with Jesus, God's Son, death has no power. Lazarus WAS dead. His lifeless body had already been in the grave four days and was decaying rapidly. But when Jesus arrived, He commanded them to take the stone away. And by the word of Jesus' mouth He called Lazarus back to life... just as if Lazarus had been lying there asleep in the tomb. After all, Jesus said to Martha seconds before He raised her brother to life, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." (25-26) So there's nothing morbid about praying at night with our children or by ourselves to the Lord about dying in our sleep. Because with Jesus Christ, death to the Christian is nothing but a restful sleep that we can be confident we will be awaken when He calls! Amen!