Year A
\nEzekiel 37:1-14
\nPsalm 130
\nRomans 8:6-11
\nJohn 11:1-45<\/p>\n
In the year 587 BCE\u2026 the nation of Israel ended\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>its long magnificent history\u2026 finished\u2026 no\u2026 Israel didn\u2019t just have a cut or an abrasion\u2026 Israel didn\u2019t just have a laceration that needed a few stitches\u2026 or a limb that needed a cast\u2026 Israel was done for\u2026 Jerusalem and its holy temple destroyed\u2026 leveled to the ground\u2026 and the dessert was filled with the bones of dead young men\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>the Babylonians had wiped out the Israelite army\u2026 and the bodies hadn\u2019t been buried\u2026 because no one was left to do the burying\u2026 and in time\u2026 all that remained in the hot sun\u2026 were the bleached bones of a dead nation\u2026<\/p>\n Although Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus\u2026 after having heard that Lazarus was ill\u2026 he stayed two days longer in the place where he was\u2026 he told the disciples\u2026 our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep\u2026\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>the disciples said\u2026 Lord\u2026 if he has fallen asleep\u2026 he will be all right<\/i>\u2026 Jesus however\u2026 knew better\u2026 and he told them plainly\u2026 Lazarus is dead<\/i>\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>and there was a belief at that time\u2026 that the person\u2019s spirit hung around for three days after they died\u2026 Jesus wanted there to be no doubt that Lazarus was dead before redeeming suffering\u2026 and tragedy\u2026 with grace\u2026<\/p>\n Then God said\u2026 prophesy to these bones\u2026 mortal\u2026 and say\u2026 O dry bones\u2026 hear the word of the Lord\u2026 I will lay sinews\u2026 and cause flesh and skin to come upon you\u2026 and you shall live\u2026 and you shall know that I am God<\/i>\u2026<\/p>\n So I prophesied\u2026 and suddenly there was a noise\u2026 and bones came together\u2026 and there were sinews\u2026 and there was flesh\u2026 but the ruach<\/i>\u2026 the pneuma<\/i>\u2026 the Spirit had not yet come\u2026 and God said\u2026 prophesy to the breath\u2026 and say to it\u2026 come from the four winds\u2026 and breathe upon these slain\u2026 that they may live<\/i>\u2026<\/p>\n When Jesus saw Mary and the others weeping\u2026 he was deeply moved\u2026 and asked\u2026 Where have you laid him<\/i>\u2026 and Jesus wept\u2026 Martha and Mary\u2026 with no male relative to care for them\u2026 were probably afraid for their futures\u2026 that may be part of the reason why\u2026 when the stone had been moved away\u2026 Jesus thanked God for always listening to him\u2026 and he called Lazarus out of the tomb\u2026 he called Lazarus from death to life\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>Jesus called the four winds\u2026 to blow away the stench of death\u2026 so that life could come\u2026 and Jesus told the assembled community\u2026 to gather up all the medical supplies they could find\u2026 and bring them to those in need\u2026 so that the life given to Lazarus\u2026 could be given to others as well\u2026 Jesus told the community\u2026 to care for one another\u2026 regardless of socio-economic status\u2026 or party affiliation\u2026 or any other label we use\u2026 to decide who\u2019s worthy and who\u2019s not\u2026<\/p>\n This new coronavirus\u2026 that’s prowling among us\u2026 is causing everything from symptoms so mild you\u2019re not sure if you have it\u2026 to take-care-of-yourself-at-home sickness\u2026 to hospitalization\u2026 and death\u2026 this virus is an opportunistic pathogen\u2026 which means that given the opportunity\u2026 it will infect our bodies\u2026 and when our bodies are in close proximity\u2026 it does this seamlessly\u2026 that\u2019s why it\u2019s so critical that during this time\u2026 we remain apart in body\u2026 but united in Spirit\u2026<\/p>\n The Rev. Steven McClelland\u2026 of First Presbyterian Church in Hackensack, NJ wrote\u2026 the prophet Ezekiel had an urgent task before him\u2026. he had to confront the people with a sense of their sin\u2026 with their own complicity in a lifestyle of opulent abuse that had forgotten about the widows\u2026 the orphans\u2026 and the poor\u2026 and one of the problems of being blessed\u2026 he wrote… is that in time you forget from whom all blessings flow\u2026 and you think it\u2019s because of your brilliance\u2026 or skill\u2026 and you believe that these things are now an entitlement that you have earned\u2026 and you forget that they were and always will be a gift of God\u2019s grace\u2026<\/p>\n And God\u2019s grace is in this circumstance too\u2026 the virus will not be gone by Easter\u2026 but perhaps\u2026 one of the most hopeful silver linings\u2026 is that globally\u2026 we may discern God\u2019s call to give up wretched excess\u2026 and shift our priorities\u2026 and our manufacturing facilities\u2026 to protecting life\u2026 perhaps\u2026 this pandemic may precipitate a quantum leap in how we connect\u2026 it\u2019s already doing this with thousands of Zoom and other kinds of video meetings\u2026 and perhaps\u2026 we\u2019ll act a little bit more\u2026 as though we believe deep down in our souls\u2026 that we\u2019re all in this together\u2026 but one thing this coronavirus can\u2019t do\u2026 is infect our faith\u2026 our hope\u2026 our confidence in God\u2019s promises\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>so we remain apart\u2026 to protect each other\u2026 out of love\u2026<\/p>\n Two weeks ago\u2026 the Jewish scripture was from Exodus\u2026 and the passage told about how the people were arguing with Moses\u2026 and testing God\u2026 and they asked\u2026 Is the Lord among us\u2026 or not<\/i>\u2026 indeed\u2026 that may be a question that some\u2026 even today\u2026 are asking\u2026 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a scene\u2026 in the movie The Shack\u2026 in which Papa\u2026 God\u2026 shares something with Mack\u2026 which is consistent with our theology\u2026 God said\u2026 just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies\u2026 doesn’t mean I orchestrate the tragedies\u2026 don’t ever assume that my using something\u2026 means that I caused it\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>or that I need it\u2026 to accomplish my purposes\u2026 that will only lead you to false notions about me\u2026 grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist\u2026 but where there is suffering\u2026 you will find grace in many facets and colors<\/i>\u2026<\/p>\n Now I trust God\u2026 but I wear my seatbelt\u2026 I trust God\u2026 but I use oven mitts with really hot dishes\u2026 I trust God\u2026 but make sure our smoke detectors are working\u2026 I trust God\u2026 and I\u2019m self-isolating to protect others and flatten the curve\u2026 because acting with caution and wisdom\u2026 doesn\u2019t mean that I don\u2019t trust God\u2026<\/p>\n But the helplessness\u2026 I think we feel\u2026 may be less for ourselves\u2026 and more for those we love\u2026 we don\u2019t want those we love to get sick or suffer\u2026 and suffering and love are tied together\u2026 because when those we love suffer\u2026 we suffer too\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Psychotherapist Miriam Greenspan says that painful emotions\u2026 can be like a Zen Master\u2026 who whacks his students between their shoulder blades when he sees them going to sleep during meditation\u2026 if we can learn to tolerate the whack\u2026 better yet\u2026 learn to let it enlighten us\u2026 then we may discover the transformative power that\u2019s hidden in the heart of pain\u2026<\/p>\n Similarly\u2026 Carl Jung wrote\u2026 one does not become enlightened\u2026 by imagining figures of light\u2026 but by making the darkness conscious<\/i>\u2026 and reflecting on this insight\u2026 The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor wrote\u2026 I have come to realize\u2026 that in a whole lifetime spent with seekers of enlightenment\u2026 I have never once heard anyone speak about the value of en-darken-ment\u2026<\/p>\n For Lent this year\u2026 we didn\u2019t really have the choice to give up chocolate or beer or other more insignificant vices\u2026 this year\u2026 almost all of us have had to give up our daily routines and many of the things they bring us\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>in some ways\u2026 God has entombed us\u2026 to keep us safe\u2026 out of love\u2026 we don\u2019t know just yet exactly how long we\u2019re going to be behind the stone\u2026 though we have become living embodiments of the faith we confess\u2026 Christ has died\u2026 Christ is risen\u2026 Christ will come again\u2026 and though the darkness of Good Friday this year\u2026 may seem darker than usual to us\u2026 the suffering that Jesus endured on the cross\u2026 out of love for us and for all creation\u2026 has vanquished death\u2026 and has ensured that Easter will come\u2026 and like Lazarus\u2026 we will find new life\u2026 in this world\u2026 and especially\u2026 in the age to come\u2026 Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year A Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 Romans 8:6-11 John 11:1-45 Mortal\u2026 can these bones live?\u2026 I answered\u2026 O Lord God\u2026 you know…\u00a0 In the year 587 BCE\u2026 the nation of Israel ended\u2026\u00a0 its long magnificent history\u2026 finished\u2026 no\u2026 Israel didn\u2019t just have a cut or an abrasion\u2026 Israel didn\u2019t just have a laceration that needed a few stitches\u2026 or a limb that needed a cast\u2026 Israel was done for\u2026 Jerusalem and its holy temple destroyed\u2026 leveled to the ground\u2026 and the dessert was filled with the bones of dead young men\u2026\u00a0 the Babylonians had wiped out the Israelite army\u2026 and the bodies hadn\u2019t been buried\u2026 because no one was left to do the burying\u2026 and in time\u2026 all that remained in the hot sun\u2026 were the bleached bones of a dead nation\u2026 Although Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus\u2026 after having heard that Lazarus was ill\u2026 he stayed two days longer in the place where he was\u2026 he told the disciples\u2026 our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep\u2026\u00a0 the disciples said\u2026 Lord\u2026 if he has fallen asleep\u2026 he will be all right\u2026 Jesus however\u2026 knew better\u2026 and he told them plainly\u2026 Lazarus is dead\u2026\u00a0 and there was a belief at that time\u2026 that the person\u2019s spirit hung around for three days after they died\u2026 Jesus wanted there to be no doubt that Lazarus was dead before redeeming suffering\u2026 and tragedy\u2026 with grace\u2026 Then God said\u2026 prophesy to these bones\u2026 mortal\u2026 and say\u2026 O dry bones\u2026 hear the word of the Lord\u2026 I will lay sinews\u2026 and cause flesh and skin to come upon you\u2026 and you shall live\u2026 and you shall know that I am God\u2026 So I prophesied\u2026 and suddenly there was a noise\u2026 and bones came together\u2026 and there were sinews\u2026 and there was flesh\u2026 but the ruach\u2026 the pneuma\u2026 the Spirit had not yet come\u2026 and God said\u2026 prophesy to the breath\u2026 and say to it\u2026 come from the four winds\u2026 and breathe upon these slain\u2026 that they may live\u2026 When Jesus saw Mary and the others weeping\u2026 he was deeply moved\u2026 and asked\u2026 Where have you laid him\u2026 and Jesus wept\u2026 Martha and Mary\u2026 with no male relative to care for them\u2026 were probably afraid for their futures\u2026 that may be part of the reason why\u2026 when the stone had been moved away\u2026 Jesus thanked God for always listening to him\u2026 and he called Lazarus out of the tomb\u2026 he called Lazarus from death to life\u2026\u00a0 Jesus called the four winds\u2026 to blow away the stench of death\u2026 so that life could come\u2026 and Jesus told the assembled community\u2026 to gather up all the medical supplies they could find\u2026 and bring them to those in need\u2026 so that the life given to Lazarus\u2026 could be given to others as well\u2026 Jesus told the community\u2026 to care for one another\u2026 regardless of socio-economic status\u2026 or party affiliation\u2026 or any other label we use\u2026 to decide who\u2019s worthy and who\u2019s not\u2026 This new coronavirus\u2026 that’s prowling among us\u2026 is causing everything from symptoms so mild you\u2019re not sure if you have it\u2026 to take-care-of-yourself-at-home sickness\u2026 to hospitalization\u2026 and death\u2026 this virus is an opportunistic pathogen\u2026 which means that given the opportunity\u2026 it will infect our bodies\u2026 and when our bodies are in close proximity\u2026 it does this seamlessly\u2026 that\u2019s why it\u2019s so critical that during this time\u2026 we remain apart in body\u2026 but united in Spirit\u2026 The Rev. Steven McClelland\u2026 of First Presbyterian Church in Hackensack, NJ wrote\u2026 the prophet Ezekiel had an urgent task before him\u2026. he had to confront the people with a sense of their sin\u2026 with their own complicity in a lifestyle of opulent abuse that had forgotten about the widows\u2026 the orphans\u2026 and the poor\u2026 and one of the problems of being blessed\u2026 he wrote… is that in time you forget from whom all blessings flow\u2026 and you think it\u2019s because of your brilliance\u2026 or skill\u2026 and you believe that these things are now an entitlement that you have earned\u2026 and you forget that they were and always will be a gift of God\u2019s grace\u2026 And God\u2019s grace is in this circumstance too\u2026 the virus will not be gone by Easter\u2026 but perhaps\u2026 one of the most hopeful silver linings\u2026 is that globally\u2026 we may discern God\u2019s call to give up wretched excess\u2026 and shift our priorities\u2026 and our manufacturing facilities\u2026 to protecting life\u2026 perhaps\u2026 this pandemic may precipitate a quantum leap in how we connect\u2026 it\u2019s already doing this with thousands of Zoom and other kinds of video meetings\u2026 and perhaps\u2026 we\u2019ll act a little bit more\u2026 as though we believe deep down in our souls\u2026 that we\u2019re all in this together\u2026 but one thing this coronavirus can\u2019t do\u2026 is infect our faith\u2026 our hope\u2026 our confidence in God\u2019s promises\u2026\u00a0 so we remain apart\u2026 to protect each other\u2026 out of love\u2026 Two weeks ago\u2026 the Jewish scripture was from Exodus\u2026 and the passage told about how the people were arguing with Moses\u2026 and testing God\u2026 and they asked\u2026 Is the Lord among us\u2026 or not\u2026 indeed\u2026 that may be a question that some\u2026 even today\u2026 are asking\u2026 \u00a0 There\u2019s a scene\u2026 in the movie The Shack\u2026 in which Papa\u2026 God\u2026 shares something with Mack\u2026 which is consistent with our theology\u2026 God said\u2026 just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies\u2026 doesn’t mean I orchestrate the tragedies\u2026 don’t ever assume that my using something\u2026 means that I caused it\u2026\u00a0 or that I need it\u2026 to accomplish my purposes\u2026 that will only lead you to false notions about me\u2026 grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist\u2026 but where there is suffering\u2026 you will find grace in many facets and colors\u2026 Now I trust God\u2026 but I wear my seatbelt\u2026 I trust God\u2026 but I use oven mitts with really hot dishes\u2026 I trust God\u2026 but make sure our smoke detectors are working\u2026 I trust God\u2026 and I\u2019m self-isolating to protect others and flatten the curve\u2026 because acting with caution and wisdom\u2026 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=658"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":723,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658\/revisions\/723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMortal\u2026 can these bones live?<\/i>\u2026 I answered\u2026 O Lord God\u2026 you know…<\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n