Father and Son of the Holy Spirit, how could
we possibly say more after hearing that incredible
account that St. John the theologian gives us?
In just a few words, although it's a long account,
but he's spare in his description. He gives us
everything we need to know. It's very, it's soul
-shaking. I want to start by congratulating all
those who celebrate the anniversary of their
baptism on this blessed day. That God would continue
to strengthen you, to give you zeal and love
for him and your brothers and sisters as you
progress and mature in the Christian life. This
account we heard from St. John in the chapter
11 not only is spare in words and just so shaking,
it rings true, doesn't it? Martha's hope that
Jesus can do anything, then her rebuke to him,
if you had been here, my brother would not have
died. It echoes the universal voice that we hear.
It's the cry of believers and unbelievers too,
who wonder why God allows death and suffering.
Why doesn't God deal with stuff that we know
is important the way we want him to deal with
it? We might stand in wonderment how it is that
the God -man, Jesus Christ, weeps at the death
of his friend, the one he loves, it says. So
clearly in the account, we see that death, which
is something not created by God, the book of
wisdom tells us that, and we know from the account
in Genesis that when God said to Adam and Eve,
when you eat of that, you shall surely die. And
they did die spiritually immediately. They lost
the Holy Spirit, and then they died physically
as time went. And we see that this death which
God did not create, which God does not want,
which is, St. Paul says, is the last enemy to
be overcome. And he shouts out, death, where
is thy sting? Oh, Hades, where is thy victory?
Because since the resurrection, the crucifixion
and the resurrection, the sting and the finality
of death are gone. So when Christ says, he who
believes in me shall never die, the words are
true. But so many of us are married to the idea
of progress. Things should get better. Why are
things not better? Why are things the same? Why
does this these horrible things continue? Why
can't we should be progressing? But that's that's
a devious and terrible and corrupt idea. Because
Christ doesn't compel anyone. He invites. He
loves. He gathers us together. And it's one heart
at a time. It's not a group of people that he
comes to. Your friend Lazarus, the gospel says.
We are his friend. All of humanity is his friend.
Perhaps Jesus still weeps. The hour is coming
in which all who are in the grave will hear his
voice and come forth. We hear in chapter 5 in
the Gospel of John. And now, in order to destroy
death and its grip on humanity, Christ himself,
and this means God himself, love itself, life
itself, and there is no other, raises Lazarus.
not by asking God, his Father, to do it, but
by his own word. Come forth. And he is raised
not as a ghoul or some kind of zombie. This day
is a sign of what is to come the following week.
Scriptures are full of signs. Moses asked for
a sign. God tells him to throw his staff down
and it becomes a snake. Then he says, pick it
up by its tail, which is a very dangerous thing
to do. And he picks it up and becomes a staff.
And this is the sign that he will have authority
and judgment. And the most famous sign of all,
of course, is the sign given to Ahaz, who says,
I don't really want a sign, but he gets it anyway.
Deliverance will come. God will come when a virgin
conceives. and bears a child. And this is the
sign that the hour has come in which all that
are in the grave will hear his voice. And brothers
and sisters, we have been baptized. We have heard
that voice. And our souls, which were under the
stone in the tomb, have come forth and are now
living for the life of the age to come, the kingdom
of God. War has been declared, the right kind
of war. to the right enemy, that is death. The
word that Lazarus was raised from the dead spread
like wildfire, and people came to see him. We'll
hear that in the gospel later. And yes, we come
back to church this evening. The church does
our best to take us through all of Lent. for
example, was this passage so we could come to
Bethany today and then to Jerusalem and then
to Golgotha and then to the tomb. Church does
its best. We just respond. I'm mindful that today
and tomorrow are united by a single hymn, a triparian
we call it, by raising Lazarus from the dead.
You've heard it sung, and you'll hear it sung
many, many times. Our singing of that traparion,
and it is tempered, properly so, and sung with
restraint, with the understanding that these
two days between the end of Lent and Holy Week
were certainly very sorrowful days for our Savior.
For everything he did, was in preparation for
the Passion. And those tears he wept were not
for show. He groaned in his spirit, St. John
says, weeping for the death he sees and for those
who do not hear his voice and come forth. He
did everything not to gain followers, not to
start some kind of religious movement, or to
gain fame. but to save us. It's a very odd combination
of things. These two days are filled with the
shadow cast upon them from Holy Friday, the darkness
and the rebellion, our rebellion, our sin, because
the crucifixion wasn't because of some bad people's
sins, but also... these days also have the light
shining, the revelation of what that cross is,
God's kingdom. And St. Paul says, therefore,
since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot
be shaken, have full trust in God. He's faithful.
Let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably
with reverence and fear. The master calls thee,
is what Martha said to Mary. The master calls
you and me. He wants me to stay. He wants us
to accompany him through Holy Week. How do we
do that? We simply come back. To our Lord, who
is our life, be glory and honor now and ever
to ages of ages. Amen.