Communal Rising

Sermon Preached on 4-10-11

Most people and I think you would agree with me, would waste no time in traveling to the bedside of a loved one who is ill. Recently in my own life, I did the very same. My grandfather, whom I love very much, is in the dying process. I was about to leave for some vacation, but before I left my mother suggested that if I wanted to see him, which I did, I better go before I left for vacation. “He may not be here when you return,” my mother stated. The one whom I loved very much, I most definitely wanted to see, to tell Him I loved him, give him a kiss on the check, and tell him goodbye. He lives in a skilled nursing home which was 4 hours from where I live, but I didn’t care how long the drive was and I did not care that I had to another day off from work. I went to see him the day before I left for vacation, an 8 hour round trip. There was no hesitation, no thoughts of delay.

Jesus received news from Martha and Mary that their brother Lazarus, the one whom Jesus loved, was ill. Now one would expect that Jesus who is the light world, the bread of life, the Good Shepherd, the one who was in beginning with God, would waste no time in being at the bedside of Lazarus’ to support him, to provide comfort, and to even perform a miracle to heal him from his illness so that he would not die. But Jesus did the exact opposite of what Martha and Mary expected and what we would expect. He delayed his trip. How could Jesus decide to wait? How could he consciously make the choice to delay his trip, by 2 days, knowing that Lazarus would mostly likely die? How could Jesus not rush to the bedside of the one whom he loved?

This part of the story I have never understood, particularly in light of my own grandfather and my calling as a Chaplain to be with people as they die and comfort their loved ones to best of my ability.

Actions sometimes speak louder than words and this delaying action by Christ makes me wonder, is Christ really with us in our time of need? Will He rush to our aid and comfort us or even perhaps heal us in a timely manner? Martha and Mary express a similar feeling when they use the “what if statements” regarding Jesus’ actions towards Lazarus. They say to Him, upon his slow arrival, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”

Martha and Mary’s statement takes on its own form in our language, “Lord if only you had been here my loved one would have died a peaceful death instead of one of tragedy.” Or “Lord if only you had been here you could have stopped this accident from happening.” Or “Lord, if you love us, why don’t you respond immediately?”

In times of urgency and anxiety coupled with the potential death or illness of our loved ones makes us spring into action and respond in a timely manner. Our time is precious to us and we are bound by time.

But Jesus’ time is not our time. “The work of Jesus has its own hour.” We may never fully understand God’s time and we sometimes get frustrated with it. But the events that unfold in this miracle story of raising Lazarus from the dead shed some light for us as to why Jesus waited. When Jesus heard the message that Mary and Martha had sent he says to those who are listening, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Jesus had a purpose in his delay. His purpose was to show that He is the resurrection and the life. Jesus tells those whom he is surrounded by including Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” Now Martha understands this declaration from Jesus to mean that Lazarus will rise again on the last day. However, Jesus’ means something else and responds to her saying, “I AM the resurrection and the life.”

Many times we think just as Martha does, that the resurrection is a distant promise, our guarantee of salvation, our eternal life with God and Jesus in heaven.

But what Jesus means in the Gospel of John is something entirely different. Jesus does give us a distant promise resurrection from the dead, but through his declaration of I Am the resurrection and the Life, Christ also gives a promise in here and now, in the present.

A further reading of this Gospel story does not tells us of Lazarus’ future with Jesus, but his present life with Jesus, his sharing a meal with Jesus, his fellowship with Jesus, his closeness and intimacy with Jesus.

Christ was deeply moved and sadden over the death of Lazarus, the one whom he loved, but the delay in his trip was to show us that Christ has power over death, Christ’s defeats the power of death because in him the world meets the power of the love of God.

Christ’s delay teaches us about the reality of the resurrection promise in our present lives as well as our future lives with God and Jesus.

Jesus shows us the glory and love of God as he has calls for Lazarus come out of the tomb. However, Christ does not perform this miracle entirely on his own. He calls for a communal rising, one which the community gathered helps by removing the stone from the cave and unbinding the cloths from Lazarus hands, feet and face.

Jesus calls upon the community. He calls upon you and me, he calls upon the doctors and nurses, the police, paramedics, and Chaplains, he calls upon strangers and family to open up the way so that we may all hear Jesus’ voice calling to us from deep within our cave of death, depression, despair, anger or even denial and to help unbind us that we may live knowing of Christ’s love and power over sin and death.

Alleluia! Amen!