All Saints Day
“Death, be not proud,” John Donne admonishes, and St. Paul cries, “O death where is thy victory, O death where is thy sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)
The poet John Donne had been hit by death repeatedly. His wife died young, as did five of his twelve children.
Horatio Spafford wrote the words to “It is well with my Soul” as he was crossing the Atlantic - over the spot where the ship had sunk that held his wife and children, all of them losing his life. He took a separate ship across the Atlantic and told the captain to wake him when they reached the spot where the ship had been lost that carried his wife and children. He wrote these words…
“When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul”
Our Bishop, Mark Stevenson lost his wife this past week.
Many of you in this room have lost close loved ones this past year.
Today we gather and honor All Saints’ Day, with a nod to All Souls’ Day -remembering those who have died, as well as celebrating and honoring the living.
Being followers of Christ does not save us from the reality and sorrow of death. Death will come for us all.
Today, we remember those we have loved and lost and all the saints within the blessed communion; and we are allowed to feel whatever we may be feeling.
Even Jesus, confronted by the death of his dear friend Lazarus and the immense grief of his sisters, broke down and wept.
But we are also urged toward hope and not despair. “Did I not tell you,” Jesus reminds the grieving Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
If you believe you will see the glory of God.
The grave is not the absolute finale of the great act of life. St. Paul shared with the people in Corinth, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15: 51-57
The trumpet will sound and the dead shall be raised and we shall be changed. We do not know the specifics of what this will look like, but we are promised it.
Today, we are also reminded that on this earth, death is the great equalizer.There is no difference between rich and poor when death arrives. Money and expensive medicines and interventions may alleviate some of the pain— it may even prolong life— but when death arrives, the rich die just as the poor die.
Everyone who lives will die. That’s simply how it is.
Jesus in today’s Gospel passage brought Lazarus back from the dead, but that was just for a little while; Lazarus eventually died too.
The whole story is fascinating. Jesus was taunted --“Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” People were sort of upset when Jesus came four days after Lazarus’ passing. Even those who believe can be upset with Jesus at the moment of and the days following death, wondering where Jesus was in those moments.
Jesus being disturbed we are told, goes to the tomb and tells them to take away the stone — (and poor Martha is still trying to direct things, “Lord, there is a stench”… she can’t let up on her control for even a minute) but Jesus responds “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
If you believe, you will see the Glory of God.
Believing guarantees that you will God’s glory.
Jesus prays,
"Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."
God always hears you. Jesus spoke his words out loud for the sake of the crowd. Sometimes we say things for others.
Jesus did not have to raise Lazarus from the dead, but he did, so that the crowd back then, and you and me today, might believe — so that we might trust in the God who sent Jesus to raise Lazarus, in the Father who raised the Son on the third day, in the Lord who will swallow up death forever.
Jesus showed his power over death.
This story inspires us in our waiting, in our hoping, in our trusting, in that long silence in between — in the midst of our grief and our wonderings —until we are reunited with our loved ones and come ourselves into the nearer presence of God — we are reminded that Jesus has power over death.
We believe in a God who swallows up death forever.
Lazarus is raised and Jesus says, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Sometimes each one of us needs help becoming free, loosing ourselves from the chains that we allow to bind us.
“Go, unbind your friend,” Jesus says.
Jesus’ command are words we can think about for ourselves. Do you have a friend you need to help unbind themselves? Abundant life is available for all - for you, for me, here and now. In the midst of your grief, in the midst of your tears, in your longing to be reunited with your beloved who is now part of that great cloud of witnesses, unbind yourself if need be.
Take away the stone.
Lazarus, come out!
Unbind him and let him go.
Jesus issues these commands, taking charge of the situation.
What would it be like today to feel and to live in to the truth that Jesus is in charge?
We Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, rose again, and lives on in eternity. The Alpha is also the Omega; the beginning and the end — and is making all things new.
Despite the death of the body, we continue to live in the Lord. We trust in these promises.
And when we pray, just like when we receive the sacraments, we are closer to the saints because we place our hearts and minds in the nearer presence of God.
Jesus didn’t just call Lazarus from the grave. Jesus saw and participated in their grief, and he sees and participates in our grief.
Jesus cries with us beside the tomb and offers prayers on our behalf. He remains the one God sent to give us life that overcomes death.
The promise in Isaiah is referring to a future where God will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. Isaiah 25:6-9
We continue to wait; and we will rejoice in his salvation. Amen.
The poet John Donne had been hit by death repeatedly. His wife died young, as did five of his twelve children.
Horatio Spafford wrote the words to “It is well with my Soul” as he was crossing the Atlantic - over the spot where the ship had sunk that held his wife and children, all of them losing his life. He took a separate ship across the Atlantic and told the captain to wake him when they reached the spot where the ship had been lost that carried his wife and children. He wrote these words…
“When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul”
Our Bishop, Mark Stevenson lost his wife this past week.
Many of you in this room have lost close loved ones this past year.
Today we gather and honor All Saints’ Day, with a nod to All Souls’ Day -remembering those who have died, as well as celebrating and honoring the living.
Being followers of Christ does not save us from the reality and sorrow of death. Death will come for us all.
Today, we remember those we have loved and lost and all the saints within the blessed communion; and we are allowed to feel whatever we may be feeling.
Even Jesus, confronted by the death of his dear friend Lazarus and the immense grief of his sisters, broke down and wept.
But we are also urged toward hope and not despair. “Did I not tell you,” Jesus reminds the grieving Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
If you believe you will see the glory of God.
The grave is not the absolute finale of the great act of life. St. Paul shared with the people in Corinth, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15: 51-57
The trumpet will sound and the dead shall be raised and we shall be changed. We do not know the specifics of what this will look like, but we are promised it.
Today, we are also reminded that on this earth, death is the great equalizer.There is no difference between rich and poor when death arrives. Money and expensive medicines and interventions may alleviate some of the pain— it may even prolong life— but when death arrives, the rich die just as the poor die.
Everyone who lives will die. That’s simply how it is.
Jesus in today’s Gospel passage brought Lazarus back from the dead, but that was just for a little while; Lazarus eventually died too.
The whole story is fascinating. Jesus was taunted --“Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” People were sort of upset when Jesus came four days after Lazarus’ passing. Even those who believe can be upset with Jesus at the moment of and the days following death, wondering where Jesus was in those moments.
Jesus being disturbed we are told, goes to the tomb and tells them to take away the stone — (and poor Martha is still trying to direct things, “Lord, there is a stench”… she can’t let up on her control for even a minute) but Jesus responds “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
If you believe, you will see the Glory of God.
Believing guarantees that you will God’s glory.
Jesus prays,
"Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."
God always hears you. Jesus spoke his words out loud for the sake of the crowd. Sometimes we say things for others.
Jesus did not have to raise Lazarus from the dead, but he did, so that the crowd back then, and you and me today, might believe — so that we might trust in the God who sent Jesus to raise Lazarus, in the Father who raised the Son on the third day, in the Lord who will swallow up death forever.
Jesus showed his power over death.
This story inspires us in our waiting, in our hoping, in our trusting, in that long silence in between — in the midst of our grief and our wonderings —until we are reunited with our loved ones and come ourselves into the nearer presence of God — we are reminded that Jesus has power over death.
We believe in a God who swallows up death forever.
Lazarus is raised and Jesus says, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Sometimes each one of us needs help becoming free, loosing ourselves from the chains that we allow to bind us.
“Go, unbind your friend,” Jesus says.
Jesus’ command are words we can think about for ourselves. Do you have a friend you need to help unbind themselves? Abundant life is available for all - for you, for me, here and now. In the midst of your grief, in the midst of your tears, in your longing to be reunited with your beloved who is now part of that great cloud of witnesses, unbind yourself if need be.
Take away the stone.
Lazarus, come out!
Unbind him and let him go.
Jesus issues these commands, taking charge of the situation.
What would it be like today to feel and to live in to the truth that Jesus is in charge?
We Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, rose again, and lives on in eternity. The Alpha is also the Omega; the beginning and the end — and is making all things new.
Despite the death of the body, we continue to live in the Lord. We trust in these promises.
And when we pray, just like when we receive the sacraments, we are closer to the saints because we place our hearts and minds in the nearer presence of God.
Jesus didn’t just call Lazarus from the grave. Jesus saw and participated in their grief, and he sees and participates in our grief.
Jesus cries with us beside the tomb and offers prayers on our behalf. He remains the one God sent to give us life that overcomes death.
The promise in Isaiah is referring to a future where God will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. Isaiah 25:6-9
We continue to wait; and we will rejoice in his salvation. Amen.