God's Call to Holiness

Isaiah 25:6-9; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44

Our Gospel lesson for this morning, about the resurrection of Lazarus, has been a traditional scripture lesson for the Sunday of the Christian year, known as All Saints Sunday, for hundreds of years. The scriptures tell us that Lazarus and his sisters had been longtime friends of Jesus; that Jesus used to come to their house and stay with them when he was in town. In fact, our gospel lesson for this morning says that when Jesus saw the sorrow of Lazarus' sisters over their brother's death, he wept. And people said, "See how he loved him!" And, so, the story concludes with Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead. Standing before the tomb, he shouted: "Lazarus, come out!" And Lazarus came out of the tomb, still wrapped in his grave cloths.

On All Saint's Sunday one of the emphases is that the dead who are in Christ will be raised, Lazarus being the first example of such a resurrection. But this scripture teaches us more: It teaches that the resurrection will take place on the last day, as where Mary says to Jesus, "I believe Lazarus will rise again at the last day." And, this scripture also reminds us that Jesus is compassionate and caring for those who have lost loved ones because of death, as in the verse – "Jesus wept."

So, there are, indeed, at least three things that we can talk about in this scripture – First, Jesus cares about those who mourn. Second, Jesus cares about those who die. And, third, Jesus victory over death is a promise for all who put their faith in him.

In fact, Jesus does care about those who mourn. In Matthew 5, Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Over the years that I have officiated at funerals I have run into good Christians who were unsure about whether or not it was right for them to mourn. They thought that if they mourned the death of a loved one that their sorrow might be evidence of their unbelief. After all, if you really believe that your loved one who dies is now in heaven and that we will all meet there, someday, in one glorious reunion, you wouldn't think you would mourn when a loved one dies. But, the fact is that Jesus, himself, mourned the death of his friend, Lazarus. The scripture says, "Jesus wept." So, it is alright and totally acceptable for us to be sorry and feel pain when a loved one dies, for Jesus did it, himself. And if Jesus did it, it can't be wrong!

But, there are various reasons that we may mourn. If we mourn because we believe that we'll never see our loved one again; that death has taken our loved one away from us, forever – then that is surely is a sign of our lack of faith. For the scriptures clearly teach us that Jesus died so that all may have life – everlasting life. So, when a loved one dies, the faithful do not mourn because their loved one has passed hopelessly into oblivion. But, the faithful person can mourn, very legitimately and acceptably over the separation that occurs when death takes place. Like the relatives of someone going on a long journey, we may weep tears and feel the pain of separation, even though we know that the day will come when we shall meet again. Indeed, that kind of mourning is perfectly acceptable and natural for those who are faithful and believe in God's promises of eternal life.

Jesus, himself, wept when his friend Lazarus died. But, in a very real sense, he wasn't weeping for Lazarus, for he knew that Lazarus would be raised at the last day. Rather, Jesus wept because he missed his friend and was caught up in the sorrow of Lazarus' sisters, Mary and Martha. Jesus didn't weep because of hopelessness and desperation. Rather, Jesus wept because he could feel the sorrow of those who mourned the death of a friend.

Certainly, that is something for us to keep in mind. When a loved one dies, we should know that in our sorrow and in our tears, God weeps with us. When we are in grief, we are not alone, for God is there with us. God's Holy Spirit comforts us, and the Son of God is there to remind us of the resurrection.

But, not only does Christ have compassion for those who mourn. Christ also has compassion for those who die, as well. One of the interesting phenomenons of the Christian faith is the tendency for many believers to deny the power of death when a loved one dies. In fact, rather than say, "She died," or "He died," we say, "She passed away," or "He expired." The words "death" and "dying" and "died" and "dead" are so difficult for us to say. Even we Christians tend to deny the reality of death, as though it was some sort of illusion. I even remember how at funerals I have been asked to read this poem that you may have heard:

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow;

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain;

I am the gentle autumn's rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft star that shines at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there; I did not die.

Nice poem! Nicely written! But as a Christian I have some problems with that poem! For if death is not real then what Jesus did for us on the cross wasn't real. If death isn't the final enemy, then why did Jesus die on the cross? Why is the resurrection so important? And when I die I certainly want to be more than just a thousand winds that blow and glints on snow and sunlight on ripened grain! The fact is that Jesus wept for Lazarus, so how can we be told by some poet not to stand at a loved one's grave and not weep? Death is real! It's a real enemy! And Jesus promises those who put their faith in him victory over death! Jesus promises resurrection to those who die in the Lord. The Christian doesn't deny death. Rather, the Christian looks to Jesus to defeat death and look for that victory on the last day.

It was this message of victory to all of God's saints that became the overwhelming theme of All Saints Day. For years and years Christians would go to worship services on what was called "All Hallows Eve," the night before All Saints Day. In these worship services Christians were told that as they worshiped God and by the power of the Holy Spirit, they actually joined the happy throng of all the saints, including their loved ones who had died, gathered around the throne of God. The sanctuary of the church was somehow, mysteriously, transformed into a place where heaven and earth became as one. And, in fact, this is not a bad thought for us to have whenever we worship God. But, this was especially emphasized on All Hallows Eve. So, you can understand how many Christians, upon going home from this wonderful worship service would want to continue that experience of awe at home, as well. In many places worshipers would put a candle from the worship service into a small lamp made of a gourd and carry it home that night. Indeed, that's where the idea of a jack-o-lantern came from. And it's funny and a maybe a little sad how the custom and its meaning has been corrupted over the years.

But, the fact is this: Jesus cares for those who mourn. And Jesus cares for those who die. And, what is just as profound is this: Jesus' victory over death is a promise for all who put their faith in him.	Amen.