Bethlehem Lutheran Church

One of the opportunities that I have in my travel- especially on the LONG flights I take when traveling to India (two roughly eight hour flights out, nine hours or so on the way home), is to catch up on my reading. I take my I-pad with the Kindle app, so I’m not lugging lots of books. I often skip the movies, and read for hours...

 And first on my list as I leave today is Rob Bell’s new book: A Book about Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person who ever lived... Rob is an amazingly gifted pastor- serves a congregation of 10,000 at the Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

 The book has spurred quite a bit of conversation and controversy among some church folks and theologians, because Rob questions openly the idea that if you don’t have Jesus as your personal savior when you die, you go to hell- that all the wonderful stuff in the Bible about God’s eternal love, about the promise of forgiveness, God’s telling us that we must always forgive or we won’t be forgiven- ALL that stuff has an expiration date- namely, your death. Die without Jesus, and you’re done- and that includes ALL the people who have ever lived who haven’t accepted Jesus or aren’t Christians, or who haven’t even heard of Jesus...

This has our conservative brothers and sisters all upset- because their most important reason for sharing our faith is to keep people out of hell. And in all seriousness, that is a pretty motivational reason. How could you not share Jesus if it meant eternal life for someone connecting and eternal damnation for someone who didn’t???

But the whole conversation also focuses our faith- or orients it, if you will, entirely into the future- it’s all about heaven, and the hope of glory- or not. And it makes belief in Jesus a sort of “heavenly insurance policy...” and then, life now, and how you live, is somehow less important...

Now, as I said, I’ve not yet read the book, but I will say a few things- that I have said before, in one forum or another over the years: I believe with all my heart in an eternal relationship with God. And I am perfectly willing to trust God to work the question of salvation out for everyone- because we know the character of God through the gift of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord...

And we talk about sharing our relationship with Jesus not because we want to keep others out of hell, but because we have this relationship with the living God in Christ Jesus who offers forgiveness for our past, meaning and significance for our present and hope for our future. How can we not share that- and him???

I say every week that because of Jesus- his life, his death and resurrection- you and I have Jesus’ promise to walk with us through this life, through our deaths and into our forevers- that his love will never and cannot ever be taken from us.

I say often that this love- this promise is something that is there for us regardless of what life throws at us. That the promise is not an easy pain-free life: bad things happen; people get sick; people even die- accidently- without warning- and Jesus’ promise is to be there for them- for you and for me- no matter what...

That means that Jesus was there for Lee Graba when he died suddenly yesterday- holding him in his arms as he died- and it means that he is there for Jan, Ally and Eric, now and in the days, weeks and months ahead.

And that hope- of no more crying, no more mourning- life eternal in God’s presence, reunited with your loved ones who have gone before- of God reaching out and wiping every tear away has taught me not to fear death- not to be afraid... (I’m not saying I want to die anytime soon, understand: all things being equal I would like to see my grandchildren’s children- but death itself, is not to be feared- because I KNOW Jesus will be there for me...)

But our life of faith, as I started to say earlier, is so much more than waiting for the future, however wonderful that future might be. It’s so much more than “pie in the sky, by and by when you die...”

It is living in the present NOW- living in relationship with the same Jesus who will one day bring us into the light of God’s presence. It is living the life that Jesus said he came to bring: “I have come,” he said, “that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” For NOW- today, each and every day!

And here- our Gospel reading- the raising of Lazarus from the dead is SO incredibly helpful.

This is an amazing text, as we continue our journey through John’s Gospel. This is the event that leads to Jesus crucifixion: for the religious authorities who have been opposing Jesus, trying to figure out what to do with him, there is no longer any question: he has to go.

Jesus is someone different- someone of enormous power- someone who could easily destroy their plans, and their relationship with the ruling powers of Rome: Jesus raises the dead. This is a sign of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.

And yet, this is not a text about resurrection- about the glorified and final resurrection waiting for us all. This text is about restoring Lazarus to life in his present, not his future!

If heaven’s so great (and it is!) why not let Lazarus stay dead? As you have heard me say, he has to go through this again? Like dying once isn’t enough?

But in calling Lazarus back to life, we begin to see death as Jesus saw it- and as he sees it now: not only the stopping of physical processes, but separation and alienation from God!

And we see just how passionately- and how strongly Jesus desires to overcome that separation, not only for Lazarus, but also for you, and for me...

Look at the depth of Jesus’ feelings: Jesus is “greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved...” Jesus weeps- for Lazarus and for those close to Lazarus... (Have you ever realized that Jesus has those feelings for you- that when you’re in pain, Jesus is there?)

Jesus loved Lazarus: “See how he loved him,” the text says, and in fact, there is one tradition that says Lazarus is the un-named disciple whom Jesus loved...

And that is the very same love which Jesus has for you- the very love of God made real in Jesus Christ. “God so loved the world that God gave...” A love so great that Jesus laid down his life for you! There’s an old poster- “How much do you love me?” “This much,” Jesus said, and he stretched out his arms and he died!

It is Jesus’ greatest desire to break down the barriers that separate us- from each other and from God, including the greatest one of all: death itself...

Then Jesus acts on that desire: he goes to Lazarus’ tomb and orders the stone to be taken away. Martha, Lazarus’ sister says “It’s been four days; it will stink! (There’s a Jewish tradition of the soul lingering near the body for three days- it is past that now; Lazarus is dead and decaying. It is hopeless, he is dead, dead, dead...)

But Jesus doesn’t listen. He prays, and then in a loud voice (there’s that voice we talked about- the sheep know the voice of the shepherd and follow!) “Lazarus, come out!”

Lazarus leaves the darkness of the tomb- of separation and death, and comes out alive into the light of day! And note this: Jesus has Lazarus leave his grave clothes- the bindings right there. They are taken off; they stay at the door of the tomb; he doesn’t need them anymore.

Lazarus goes home new- a fresh start to his life, leaving the wrappings, the old grave clothes behind. Jesus raises him NOW-in his life, and goes with him as he begins again...

Now I would submit to you that each of us- each of you- has a tomb- a place of separation from God and from others- a place which is closed off or shut-in, whether the whole world knows- or just you; it really doesn’t matter.

Some of those are tombs into which you have been pushed: hurt by what others have done, by things beyond your control- loss of job, or a relationship, whether it is your spouse, parents children- it could be anything.

And you are trapped; you’re angry and bitter...

And others of you are in tombs into which you have climbed, and pulled that stone shut tight: habits or addictions which dominate your life- or relationship you have broken, people who are hurt because of your actions, your words...

And all these tombs have been closed longer than just four days- in some cases, they have been sealed up for years- decades, even. And if you want to talk about hell, this is it: right now- walled up and separated from God, from the people around you- you don’t need hell fire and brimstone-

and still, there is the crucified and risen Jesus, standing outside, and saying to YOU: COME OUT! It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, you are my child, and my love will surround you, hold you and make you new!

Leave all those things you had in the tomb at the door; leave the grave clothes there. You don’t need them. Leave the hurt, the bitterness, the separation and the anger, even if you can’t imagine living without them, because, Jesus says to you, I will give you life- abundant life- right now!

Now if you’re like me, my first question is “How do you expect me to do that? I could never do it alone!!!” And you would be right. But Jesus answers you “I will be with you always, and you have brothers and sisters with you: My Body; the church, the Communion of Saints.

Look around you: we are all in this together- wherever we are in our journey of faith: thanking God for the gift of Jesus as we worship; bearing witness to Jesus love by reaching out to others; being his arms and legs as we serve others in his name; growing- always, more and more about what it means to live as Jesus’ disciple, and comforting, sharing, and loving one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

No one- no one connected with this community of faith need ever face any crisis alone. No one connected with this community of faith need ever fear shame or embarrassment as you deal with the difficult struggles of addiction, abuse, mental illness or whatever.

Whatever it is that is keeping you locked in the darkness of your tomb will be defeated when the light of Christ’s resurrection shines in on it- and on you. And, in fact, whatever might be keeping you locked in may be the very thing God wants to use to help others facing the same thing!

Who better can help someone enduring the pain of abuse than someone who is recovering from abuse? Or who better to help someone recovering from an addiction than someone who is recovering themselves?

This is a community where we are committed to caring for each other- and I know this to be true...

Again and again, the people of Bethlehem demonstrate their love and care for those in need. I think of the Gathering- did you know that on two Thursdays each month, people with family members with Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia can drop them off here, and know them to be cared for, fed, with friendship and caring... And the break can mean the very world to the people who are on twenty-four seven with their loved ones...

We are connected with NAMI- the National Association for Mental Illness- offering comfort and understanding to families who deal with the devastation of mental illness...

We host Kid’s Care- an organization that offers support and love to children whose family members, often parents are dealing with cancer...

And that’s not even beginning to scratch the surface of all those of you who are quietly, daily, offering your love and support to folks who need it- taking a meal to an elderly person, driving someone to the hospital for their cancer treatment, enfolding a grieving family like the Graba’s, as I know you will, with the very love of Jesus at the most impossible time of their lives...

So I am thanking God today: that our faith is far more than an interesting theological conversation about what happens when we die...

I am rejoicing that God has called me- that God has called you- out of a life of separation and death- of hell- like He did Lazarus...

I invite you, too, to rejoice as you hear God call your name when you come forward for Holy Communion- whether it is for the first time or the thousandth or more, and you dedicate/re-dedicate/re-focus your life... You will change- for the better- be made new, with the promise of the presence of God....

And I am thanking God for each of you- partners in our Pilgrim Journey, for the todays we share that matter so much, as we serve each other and our world, and for the tomorrow we shall share forever, in Jesus’ Name!

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