This is Love

Each week seems to bring some bad news, this week it seems more than usual has stuck to me.

·         A cyclone hit the Pacific Islands

·         A police officer lost a leg yesterday when a texting driver ran into him as he was setting up a RBT stop

·         17 people died in a shooting at a school in Florida

Closer to home, this week, another woman spoke to me about domestic violence, and how she is in the process of separating from her partner. She and her children are safe.

I wonder if we might all want to join with Mary and Martha and say: “Lord, if you had been here,”

This story is pivotal in the Gospel of John.

It is like a hinge between the public ministry of Jesus, healing, signs, travelling, and the final words of Jesus to his disciples, then his arrest, death and resurrection.[i]

This passage has grief, understandable grief, and Martha, in the midst of her grief, makes this confession:

“Yes, Lord! I believe that you are Christ, the Son of God. You are the one we hoped would come into the world.”

A few days after the death of her brother,
in her grief, and her wondering what if -
what if Jesus had been here;
and maybe some anger that he was not.

In the midst of all that, Martha makes this confession of faith. One author even suggests this passage should be called the Confession of Martha, rather than the raising of Lazarus.[ii]

“Yes, Lord! I believe that you are Christ, the Son of God. You are the one we hoped would come into the world.”

Then the miracle, life returned.

Then an invitation to be involved. Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb, and then Jesus tells the people, “Untie him and let him go.”

And here is the part I want to focus on this morning, the reaction of people to the raising of Lazarus.

We are not told how his sisters react, but we hear of Mary again in the next chapter, when she pours perfume on the Lord’s head and wipes his feet with her hair.

The responses we are told about by John are that, after seeing all that happened, some people had faith in Jesus.

But some went to the Pharisees and reported what had happened.

And the religious leaders decided that both Jesus and Lazarus needed to die, permanently.

Coming into contact with Jesus never leaves us the same.

Recently we have heard about Nicodemus coming at night to see Jesus, and while it is not clear at that point in the story if Nicodemus follows Jesus, Nicodemus helps bury Jesus.

The woman who encountered Jesus at Jacob’s well, her life was clearly changed, and so was the life of many of the people in the village.

Last week we heard about the man born blind, and how recovering his sight set up a series of questions from the religions leaders and then he was excluded from the Synagogue.

How we view any situation depends on where we stand.

For example, if everyone with over $30, 000 in investments had their investment halved, so that those with less than $2, 000 could have theirs doubled, how would you feel?

I am guessing, it depends on which group you are in.

 “… God’s activity will change us, it will comfort some and threaten others. Even the promise of new life, that is, comes only as good news to those who recognizes that the old life is not enough and only threatens or upsets those who don’t want to change. “[iii]

Is the new life, the transforming life based on love and grace,
the new life that calls for us to leave behind the old, to take on the new
the new life that calls for us to live for others
is that good news for you?

The religious leaders did not celebrate that a man who was born blind could now see, or that a man who was dead is now alive.

No! this person Jesus threatened their way of living, it threatened the balance they had achieved with the Roman overlords. The religious leaders had position and status, as long as no one stepped out of line.

And along comes Jesus, who says that life is for living,
that people are loved
that all people are valued and precious, no exceptions
that God wants a connection with us, not based on rules, but on a relationship
and that our relationship with God through Jesus will change us.

We are challenged in our living to not only look at what God is doing,
but to become part of the work,
not to be passive bystanders,

We are not only called to be witnesses of God’s action in our lives, but also to be changed by what we see and thereby invited into the ongoing reality of what God is doing. God does the miracle, but God also gives us a part to play as it unfolds in our life [iv]

This morning you will be invited to reaffirm your commitment to God in a covenant prayer. This is not an easy prayer to pray.  
None of us are perfect
we well all fail
we will at times challenge God

The story of Jesus and Martha and Mary and Lazarus,
speaks to me of real life
life that is messy and painful
that at times we will grieve
at times we will rejoice
at time God will work miracles in our presence
and at times we will be expected to be part of those miracles.

And I keep coming back to love,
the love of God
the love that says yes,
even when we say no.
the love that says you are valuable
when the voices tell us we are not welcome
the love that says I would die for you
rather than play it safe.

Here is a poem:

Prayer:  This is Love

This is love.
Not that you spoke words of comfort,
walked with the unclean and unloved,
shared wisdom, bread and wine,
brought healing into lives
and challenged the status quo.

This is love.
That you spoke the word of God,
walked a painful road to the Cross,
shared living water, bread of life,
brought Salvation to the world
and died for the sake of all.

This is love.
It is a seed
sown in the ground,
which germinates,
blossoms,
and spreads its sweet perfume.

~ written by John Birch, and posted on Faith and Worship. http://www.faithandworship.com/

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[i] Bible project John

[ii] https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3404

[iii] http://www.davidlose.net/2017/03/lent-5a-heartache-miracle-invitation/

[iv] http://www.davidlose.net/2017/03/lent-5a-heartache-miracle-invitation/