Sermon Sunday March 9, 2008
I know it's been a long time since I last posted an update - I wrote on last week and then lost it - so I'm going to try to write another one this week. However, I preached this morning and it was the first time in about 5 months that I've scripted a sermon. People really liked it and thought it was one of the best sermons I've preached (although they seem to say that every week - maybe that means something!!! I keep getting better? Who knows??)
Anyways - the script below represents most of what I said - it's not everything of course because sometimes I just get carried away. However, it's a good outline of where I went with it!
Scripture:
Ezekiel 37.1-14
John 11.1-45
Prayer:
Our Ezekiel passage today is a little like a movie or a book isn’t it? We read it and hear it and our minds start to imagine what it looks like and how each sentence plays out. Each of us probably imagines the desert full of dry bones differently, but we experience, together here, the story unveiling itself for us.
Child, asks the voice of God, can these bones live?
Now, I ask you to take a closer look at the bones. What are they? Don’t imagine them to be the bones of people or animals, but imagine them to be the building blocks of potential and the stepping stones of our imagination to our dreams, our ambitions and our futures. Some of you might think that I’m going a little crazy, as you may think that you’ve lived those out already, but imagine that you are standing on this ledge looking out and you see all of these things - so many dreams and building blocks in this desert. And God asks, Child, can these bones live?
Can they? Can you manage to make out what is out there in this vast open valley of bones? This dry and parched valley? Can you make out what dreams and ambitions are buried underneath some of the ones there on the top? Maybe there are dreams, ambitions and other things in this dry valley that you have forgotten about. If I were to describe to you my valley it might be full of my dreams - I see these that memory of being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up and my replying “a mommy” - I see that memory over there of thinking of going to Law School or becoming an accountant. I see a memory over there that looks as if I may have wanted to be skinny and buff - Another one over there that tells me and reminds me that the dream of being a minister has been a long journey full of surprise, disappointment, joyful experiences and it is ever on going. I respond of course these bones can live!
In the reading we heard the voice respond to God - Oh God, my God - you know the answer to this question! The dreams and ambitions are not simply ones that haven’t happened or that I’ve let fall by the way side. They are dreams and ambitions that have made me who I am today and each of you have those same dreams and ambitions that have led you to being who each of you are; full of life, full of surprise and expectation and experience. Each of you have lived some of your dreams and ambitions and you have perhaps made some changes along the way. But that doesn’t deter God in the least. God still gives us the nudges we need in order to continue growing into who we are as humans, as children of God and as the people we are meant to be.
God says to the bones - I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. Our dreams and ambitions live - they have lived - they continue to live. Perhaps we haven’t lived them out completely, but that isn’t to say that they don’t exist. That isn’t to say that they haven’t helped to make us who we are. These gifts, dreams, ambitions - all of them are from God, given life and given that ability to grow and to expand upon.
The voice in our reading then does as commanded. The bones came together and God tells the one in our reading to prophesy to the four winds of Breath - to have God’s breath enter into them. The breath comes and the bones, now full of life and experience, fully ready to be taken into the world - stand. God’s Spirit given to each of us that we might live out our dreams and expectations, that they too might live and that we might count them exceedingly - that we can acknowledge the hurt of dreams not lived out and the ambitions that we once had that changed by various aspects of our lives.
God has put God’s Spirit in the midst of this valley full of dry bones and caused them to once again live. Do we trust that God is alive in the midst of our dry valleys and our dry and dusty bones? Do we trust that God’s Spirit is still alive in the midst of the disappointments and heartbreaks of life and that we are still living for something? Do we trust that we can still live out some of these dreams, ambitions and accomplishments - no matter how old we are? Perhaps we need to be reminded of this more and more!
I’m sure that Lazarus also had dreams and ambitions; as did his sisters Mary and Martha I’m sure. And for some reason, Lazarus falls ill and he dies. His potential is seemingly done. Nothing more for him to do, except be put in the tomb and be remembered.
Jesus, however, says that the illness of Lazarus is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Hmmm, perhaps Lazarus’ potential isn’t completely finished - maybe there might be a bit more he can do in death that he wasn’t able to do in life. So off Jesus and the disciples go to Judea, where they had just been and there was an attempt to get rid of Jesus - but of course, it wasn’t really the right time for God’s plan!
When they arrived, they find that Lazarus had been dead four days. According to Jewish custom, the soul leaves the body after three, so on the fourth day he would have been considered completely dead - as opposed to just slightly dead!
Martha meets Jesus on the road and walks up to him “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” What a greeting hey? Thanks for coming to offer your sympathy and all, but you know - if you would have just come sooner - none of this would have happened. We’re not sure how she says it; maybe angrily, maybe sorrowfully, perhaps matter of factly. We know all about this don’t we? WHY GOD? Why did so-and-so die? They were so young! Why did the Tsunami happen and kill so many people? Why did George Bush get elected again? Why are there millions of children suffering from AIDS in Africa daily? Why God, why?
Martha and Jesus talk, he informs her that no matter whether a person dies or not, they will have eternal life. Heaven - cosmic swirls - the place where rainbows are - whatever that vision of life after death is - that is what Jesus is talking about. Her feelings are somewhat soothed and she goes off to tell Mary that Jesus has arrived and wants to see her. She too comes to Jesus and kneels at his feet, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Again, he is greeted in the same fashion - we’re still not sure of her tone of voice, except we are told she is weeping. Seeing Mary weep and the sadness of all those around her, Jesus was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.
So, Jesus cried. Shortest sentence in the bible and how much does it portray! Jesus wept. The Saviour. Of whom we sing great hymns of triumph, whom angels greeted in brith and whom we greet with loud Hosannas, he wept like an infant. Jesus, fully human and fully divine, feels what we feel. There’s nothing wrong, weak or un-Christian about feeling sadness. But Jesus wept, as we are wont to do when we experience the death of a loved one.
Then Jesus decides to take action. He goes to the tomb and tells them to roll away the stone. They try to dissuade him - “it’s going to stink - he’s been dead four days already!” But Jesus demands that the stone be rolled away. Great foreshadowing right? We know the story of the stone being rolled away - but wait, it’s not for Lazarus, it’s for Jesus. What do you mean Jesus isn’t the first resurrection story in the Bible? Lazarus? But - but - but he’s just a normal person!
Jesus looks upward and thanks God, asks for some sign to be given for the crowd and cries “Lazarus, come out!” Out of the tomb came Lazarus, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, his face wrapped in cloth and Jesus tells them to unbind him and let him go. Do you see the problem here? His hands and feet are bound by strips of cloth. So, obviously he can’t walk right? Obviously the astonishing thing wasn’t that he was raised from the dead, but that he floated out of the tomb. I mean, really, how much more movie-like can you get!
An ordinary person raised from the dead to show the glory of God. A person with dreams and aspirations and life to live. God has chosen more than once through history ordinary people to show the extra-ordinary love of God. Ordinary people that can do just about anything when filled with the Spirit, the breath, the love of God.
Look around you. No, seriously I mean it, look around you right now. Do you see all of the ordinary people sitting around you? Do you know what their dreams and ambitions are? Do you think they have any idea what your dreams and ambitions are? Perhaps you’re sitting beside a loved one - someone who does know some of them, but not all of them. Perhaps you don’t even know all of your dreams and ambitions, but God does! God knows all of the ones that exist now that may not have years ago. God knows the ones that existed once that you never gave another thought to.
When you are taken to that desert place, where you see those bones laying there and you are made aware of how deep God’s knowledge of you is - may you be awed. When you are asked, Child, can these bones live may you have the ability to say “Yes, they can and they are!” When you are standing there looking out at those bones, may you remember that God works through the most ordinary people and that we live our lives listening for God to say “Come out!” May we weep with Jesus and live our dreams, hopes, ambitions and aspirations every day. May God continue to use ordinary people to do extra-ordinary things in the world. And may we recognize that in our ordinary lives, we are extra-ordinary people. Amen.
Anyways - the script below represents most of what I said - it's not everything of course because sometimes I just get carried away. However, it's a good outline of where I went with it!
Scripture:
Ezekiel 37.1-14
John 11.1-45
Prayer:
Our Ezekiel passage today is a little like a movie or a book isn’t it? We read it and hear it and our minds start to imagine what it looks like and how each sentence plays out. Each of us probably imagines the desert full of dry bones differently, but we experience, together here, the story unveiling itself for us.
Child, asks the voice of God, can these bones live?
Now, I ask you to take a closer look at the bones. What are they? Don’t imagine them to be the bones of people or animals, but imagine them to be the building blocks of potential and the stepping stones of our imagination to our dreams, our ambitions and our futures. Some of you might think that I’m going a little crazy, as you may think that you’ve lived those out already, but imagine that you are standing on this ledge looking out and you see all of these things - so many dreams and building blocks in this desert. And God asks, Child, can these bones live?
Can they? Can you manage to make out what is out there in this vast open valley of bones? This dry and parched valley? Can you make out what dreams and ambitions are buried underneath some of the ones there on the top? Maybe there are dreams, ambitions and other things in this dry valley that you have forgotten about. If I were to describe to you my valley it might be full of my dreams - I see these that memory of being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up and my replying “a mommy” - I see that memory over there of thinking of going to Law School or becoming an accountant. I see a memory over there that looks as if I may have wanted to be skinny and buff - Another one over there that tells me and reminds me that the dream of being a minister has been a long journey full of surprise, disappointment, joyful experiences and it is ever on going. I respond of course these bones can live!
In the reading we heard the voice respond to God - Oh God, my God - you know the answer to this question! The dreams and ambitions are not simply ones that haven’t happened or that I’ve let fall by the way side. They are dreams and ambitions that have made me who I am today and each of you have those same dreams and ambitions that have led you to being who each of you are; full of life, full of surprise and expectation and experience. Each of you have lived some of your dreams and ambitions and you have perhaps made some changes along the way. But that doesn’t deter God in the least. God still gives us the nudges we need in order to continue growing into who we are as humans, as children of God and as the people we are meant to be.
God says to the bones - I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. Our dreams and ambitions live - they have lived - they continue to live. Perhaps we haven’t lived them out completely, but that isn’t to say that they don’t exist. That isn’t to say that they haven’t helped to make us who we are. These gifts, dreams, ambitions - all of them are from God, given life and given that ability to grow and to expand upon.
The voice in our reading then does as commanded. The bones came together and God tells the one in our reading to prophesy to the four winds of Breath - to have God’s breath enter into them. The breath comes and the bones, now full of life and experience, fully ready to be taken into the world - stand. God’s Spirit given to each of us that we might live out our dreams and expectations, that they too might live and that we might count them exceedingly - that we can acknowledge the hurt of dreams not lived out and the ambitions that we once had that changed by various aspects of our lives.
God has put God’s Spirit in the midst of this valley full of dry bones and caused them to once again live. Do we trust that God is alive in the midst of our dry valleys and our dry and dusty bones? Do we trust that God’s Spirit is still alive in the midst of the disappointments and heartbreaks of life and that we are still living for something? Do we trust that we can still live out some of these dreams, ambitions and accomplishments - no matter how old we are? Perhaps we need to be reminded of this more and more!
I’m sure that Lazarus also had dreams and ambitions; as did his sisters Mary and Martha I’m sure. And for some reason, Lazarus falls ill and he dies. His potential is seemingly done. Nothing more for him to do, except be put in the tomb and be remembered.
Jesus, however, says that the illness of Lazarus is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Hmmm, perhaps Lazarus’ potential isn’t completely finished - maybe there might be a bit more he can do in death that he wasn’t able to do in life. So off Jesus and the disciples go to Judea, where they had just been and there was an attempt to get rid of Jesus - but of course, it wasn’t really the right time for God’s plan!
When they arrived, they find that Lazarus had been dead four days. According to Jewish custom, the soul leaves the body after three, so on the fourth day he would have been considered completely dead - as opposed to just slightly dead!
Martha meets Jesus on the road and walks up to him “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” What a greeting hey? Thanks for coming to offer your sympathy and all, but you know - if you would have just come sooner - none of this would have happened. We’re not sure how she says it; maybe angrily, maybe sorrowfully, perhaps matter of factly. We know all about this don’t we? WHY GOD? Why did so-and-so die? They were so young! Why did the Tsunami happen and kill so many people? Why did George Bush get elected again? Why are there millions of children suffering from AIDS in Africa daily? Why God, why?
Martha and Jesus talk, he informs her that no matter whether a person dies or not, they will have eternal life. Heaven - cosmic swirls - the place where rainbows are - whatever that vision of life after death is - that is what Jesus is talking about. Her feelings are somewhat soothed and she goes off to tell Mary that Jesus has arrived and wants to see her. She too comes to Jesus and kneels at his feet, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Again, he is greeted in the same fashion - we’re still not sure of her tone of voice, except we are told she is weeping. Seeing Mary weep and the sadness of all those around her, Jesus was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.
So, Jesus cried. Shortest sentence in the bible and how much does it portray! Jesus wept. The Saviour. Of whom we sing great hymns of triumph, whom angels greeted in brith and whom we greet with loud Hosannas, he wept like an infant. Jesus, fully human and fully divine, feels what we feel. There’s nothing wrong, weak or un-Christian about feeling sadness. But Jesus wept, as we are wont to do when we experience the death of a loved one.
Then Jesus decides to take action. He goes to the tomb and tells them to roll away the stone. They try to dissuade him - “it’s going to stink - he’s been dead four days already!” But Jesus demands that the stone be rolled away. Great foreshadowing right? We know the story of the stone being rolled away - but wait, it’s not for Lazarus, it’s for Jesus. What do you mean Jesus isn’t the first resurrection story in the Bible? Lazarus? But - but - but he’s just a normal person!
Jesus looks upward and thanks God, asks for some sign to be given for the crowd and cries “Lazarus, come out!” Out of the tomb came Lazarus, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, his face wrapped in cloth and Jesus tells them to unbind him and let him go. Do you see the problem here? His hands and feet are bound by strips of cloth. So, obviously he can’t walk right? Obviously the astonishing thing wasn’t that he was raised from the dead, but that he floated out of the tomb. I mean, really, how much more movie-like can you get!
An ordinary person raised from the dead to show the glory of God. A person with dreams and aspirations and life to live. God has chosen more than once through history ordinary people to show the extra-ordinary love of God. Ordinary people that can do just about anything when filled with the Spirit, the breath, the love of God.
Look around you. No, seriously I mean it, look around you right now. Do you see all of the ordinary people sitting around you? Do you know what their dreams and ambitions are? Do you think they have any idea what your dreams and ambitions are? Perhaps you’re sitting beside a loved one - someone who does know some of them, but not all of them. Perhaps you don’t even know all of your dreams and ambitions, but God does! God knows all of the ones that exist now that may not have years ago. God knows the ones that existed once that you never gave another thought to.
When you are taken to that desert place, where you see those bones laying there and you are made aware of how deep God’s knowledge of you is - may you be awed. When you are asked, Child, can these bones live may you have the ability to say “Yes, they can and they are!” When you are standing there looking out at those bones, may you remember that God works through the most ordinary people and that we live our lives listening for God to say “Come out!” May we weep with Jesus and live our dreams, hopes, ambitions and aspirations every day. May God continue to use ordinary people to do extra-ordinary things in the world. And may we recognize that in our ordinary lives, we are extra-ordinary people. Amen.