Sick But Trusting?
5th Sunday in Lent, April 10, 2011. The Gospel is John 11:1-45 (the raising of Lazarus). Secondary text is Ezekiel 37:1-14 (valley of dry bones)
Now a certain man was ill. No kidding. It's one of the understatements of John's Gospel. For only a few verses later we find out that Lazarus is dead. Lazarus may have even been dead when we are introduced to him in verse 1 of chapter 11. Now a certain man was ill.
But he wasn't the first man to be ill nor the last. Kevin has been ill from before he was born. He was born with a congenital heart defect. Local doctors told his parents that he might live to be 10 or 12 years old. And unfortunately there was nothing they could really do about his heart defect, except give him the best possible care and the most love available. Which both the doctors and his family did. But Kevin was one of those people that just kept defying the odds. He did most of his schooling at home. Even confirmation was undertaken at home. But his 10th birthday came and went. His 12th birthday came and went. In his late 30's he received permission to take his driver's license. What a driver he is. Look out world. He trained himself to be a musician – to play a fiddle, a guitar and to dabble on keyboards. This is all amazing because Kevin's fingers – well the ends of them are at least 50% larger than most people's due to his heart defect. Kevin has played in a number of bands. He is also a ham operator and has made a few CD's that have done Ok commercially. But through all of this Kevin's health was gradually deteriorating. About a year ago now, it was discovered that Kevin may be a suitable candidate for a double lung and heart transplant in Edmonton. There have been about 30 of these done in Western Canada in history. Kevin was faced with a decision. Should he risk his life – to say that the surgery is risky – that the recovery is risky – is an understatement. Or should he maintain the status quo – continue to live as he has for the last now 50 years and suffer from gradual debilitating health until he dies. What would you do?
You know we all suffer from degrees of illness. The truth is, we are all sick unto death. I was reminded of this every day when our girls were very young. We lived in the country on a 7 acre parcel of land. On one side of this piece of land was our house. On the other side was the church. But between the house and the church was a grove of trees and then the church cemetery. Spring, summer and fall I would cut across the cemetery to get to the church. And some days our 2 and then 3 year old would hold my hand as we came home at night. One day she asked me, "Does everyone and everything die, Daddy?" What a profound question. And what an earth shattering (to me) answer, "Yes, my princess, everyone and everything dies".
Not only that but death can come in many forms – from our hearts stopping, to brain activity ceasing. Nor is death only physical. Death can also claim our emotions, our thoughts, our feelings. Buy into these proverbs and we are being claimed by the power of death: You can't teach an old dog new tricks. What goes around comes around. You only pass through once. Such proverbial thinking is fatalistic. Such thinking denies the possibility that human beings can be changed, that sometimes, in fact often, there is something called grace where we receive so much more than what we deserve. Do any of us deserve to be born, to be loved, to have friends or to be blessed with a child? 'Tis all grace!
Nor does death only speak to us as individuals or as people. Death can come to institutions as they lose their purpose for being. This includes the church as we know it. If we cease to be about loving as Christ has loved and loves – about being honest about ourselves and others – about advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves, we will certainly die.
We also need to know that death comes to empires, to nations. They rise and fall – and sometimes bless and curse. This is true – it is happening in our world as we speak.
There was man who was ill. His name, Lazarus. Not only was Lazarus ill. His sickness was unto death. Now Lazarus was blessed to have 2 sisters, Martha and Mary. They are devastated by his death. I suspect that their grief was happening on a number of fronts. The one they loved had died. The one who gave them status and could earn money had died. Much was lost. They have sent word to their friend Jesus. As he approaches Martha runs out to him. She says what many of us think, what many of us want from God – magic, prevention of pain, even of death: "Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died".
If only! But Lazarus had died. He was dead. Jesus tells Martha, "Your brother will rise again." Martha says in effect, I know – on the last day. But that promise doesn't particularly help her right then. Jesus responds with some amazing things: " I am the resurrection and the life.
Those who believe in me, even though they die will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this, Martha?" She says that she does.
But later when they come to the tomb where Lazarus had been for 4 days and Jesus tells people to remove the stone guarding its' entrance Martha isn't so sure. She states the obvious - Lord, he'll stink. Jesus looks at her and again questions, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" So, the stone is removed.
Well, the rest of the story, at least as we have it in the lectionary reads like a fairy tale. Jesus yells at the corpse for Lazarus, come out. Then Lazarus bound and wrapped stumbles out! Jesus says unbind him. Lazarus was dead but is alive. There would have been loud rejoicing for a time.
And yet, Lazarus at some time would still die, later, maybe much later on.
But even more than that – if we were to read on only a few verses, we see that the opposition to Jesus grows. People are conspiring to kill him – this one who brings new life, who speaks truth, who cares about all people. We have to know that he is killed. Before there can be any Easter, before there can be any new life, we human beings do our worst to this one of God, this human one who is also divine.
His claim sometimes slaps us in the face if we actually hear Him. "I am the resurrection and the life." You see for there to be resurrection death in all its forms must be taken into account. This includes our own death and the death of others, our obsession with death, our willingness to watch death and spend more money on death than on life, love and forgiveness.
Jesus comes to us in the middle of our lives – where all our struggles, our joys are and asks us – "Will we trust that he is the resurrection and life, here and now?" Are we open to Him filling us with His Spirit, having parts within and around us die, so that there may be new life? This new life is real – and attached to God forever. All else eventually fades, blowing out like a candle in the wind.
Whom are we trusting? Amen.