Rector's Sermon - Sunday, March 17, 2002

First Reading	Psalm	Epistle	Gospel
Ezekiel 37:1-14	130:1-7	Romans 8:6-11	John 11:1-45

      Last week, the remains of Engine #55 was pulled from the subterranean wreckage of the World Trade Center. It belonged to a fire company that was among the first to respond on the morning of September 11th. Somehow it seems to connect with this morning's poignant story of the raising of Lazarus.

      John arranged his Gospel around seven great signs, signs of God' grace that Jesus in his ministry revealed. While today's Gospel reading was likely based on a specific incident, we know at the onset that John has reworked and woven it thick with many symbolic threads. It is not just a story about Jesus' relationship with a family of Bethany; it is about God's relationship with us.

      Jesus was on God's mission, working on God's schedule. That is why Jesus was not there when Lazarus died. The emotion that Jesus displayed upon his meeting Martha and his arrival at the tomb reflected the tension and the cost of discipleship. Jesus demonstrated that a life of faith is not an easy life, immune from pain and struggle.

      The present text describes Jesus as being greatly disturbed when he stood in front of the tomb. I suspect "greatly disturbed" covered a wide range of feelings, including fear and doubt. Nevertheless, and this is the main point John is making, Jesus in the face of death, said, roll away the stone, I am going in. Jesus was willing to go into the tomb and face down death, on this earth, in our life, today. That is why Jesus replied to Martha, I am the resurrection, I am a sign of God's gift of life.

      In fact all of Jesus' great signs in John's Gospel involved God's willingness to get involved and enter into our life today. God offers hope and strength not only in the future and hereafter, but here and now. The first such sign was at a wedding, a very commonplace event. Weddings have been happening for thousands of years the world over. Jesus showed that God offers to change our stale, petty, often dead-end life into something stimulating and hopeful. God likes people to celebrate and to savor enjoyment with one another. The second sign was Jesus' healing a young child who was near death. Again, Jesus did not avoid a seemingly hopeless or losing situation. The third sign was the healing of an invalid who had been sick for 38 years. He had been waiting to be healed at the pool of Bethzatha but it looked as if it would never be possible for him to get to the healing waters in time. His clock was running out, but God stepped in and reset it. The fourth sign was the feeding of the five thousand with five loaves and two fish, a sign that God feeds the hungry, and God is generous, not miserly towards humanity. God does not hold back. Last week, we read of the fifth sign, Jesus' healing a man blind since birth. The world considered the man cursed. Jesus saw someone in need of a blessing. The sixth sign was today's raising of Lazarus. Next week on Palm Sunday we read the passion and the last sign of God's love will be revealed to us as Jesus goes on his last journey to the cross. We will be reminded as we enter Holy Week, that God is willing to enter our existence from beginning to end.

      I cannot presume to know the thoughts of those in Engine 55 as they responded that morning last fall. My guess is that while they didn't really know what they were in for, the seasoned fire fighters among them had a good hunch. Perhaps some remembered that Lazarus got out, but Jesus had to be first willing to enter the tomb and confront death face to face. As first responders, they would be doing much the same thing. I'd like to think that somehow the great sign of Jesus entering our life and being with us on both sides of the grave, of Jesus' proclaiming roll away the stone and in effect announcing, "I'm going in", gave them the courage to call out, unbind and lead to life again those as good as dead. .

      And I offer this to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen