Unbind Him and Let Him Go March 9, 2008
Sermon for A5, March 9, 2008
Scripture: Ezekiel 37: 1-14, John 11:1-7, 17-27, 38-45
I don’t know if it’s all the snow still around us or the fact that Easter is particularly early this year, but it sure doesn’t seem possible that it is the 5th Sunday in Lent. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week. In our scripture today, the author of John reminds us that Jesus and the disciples are getting very close to Jerusalem, only two miles away. For the writers of all the gospels, going to Jerusalem is a code word for Jesus’ crucifixion. In the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, called that because they are very similar to each other, the big event that hastens Jesus’ trouble with the authorities is the cleansing of the Temple; however, in John the temple scene is very near the beginning right after the first miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana. For John the big event hastening Jesus’ crucifixion is the raising Lazarus from the dead. In the scripture immediately following, the chief priests and the Pharisees are told what Jesus did and "from that day on they planned to put him to death." They also planned to get rid of the evidence as well by putting Lazarus to death "since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus" (12:9-11). There are so many things going on in this chapter and as you probably noticed I only read some of the verses. I encourage you to read the whole chapter as part of your Lenten study.
Let me connect our Lazarus story to our first scripture reading in Ezekiel. In this passage we have the famous story made into song about the dry bones taking form and coming to life again. It was a common idiom of that day for the people to express their helplessness and hopelessness by saying, "Our bones are dried up." So Ezekiel shows them a vision of exactly that: dry bones. Rolf Jacobsen in an online explanation of this passage says that the reference to "bones" here is a way to refer to one's deepest self, or, in the case of "our bones," a way for the community to refer to its most essential self. “What we learn from this is that Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones is a poetic and prophetic response to the situation of God's people—to their sense of hopelessness, to their situation of being cut off from their land, their temple, and—they think!—from their God.” (Jacobsen) An important point here is that whether it is the dry bones of Ezekiel or the dead body of Lazarus, ruah, the Greek word that can be translated both as breath and Spirit, is necessary for life. In both cases it is the Spirit—whether it comes from the Hebrew God or from Jesus—that makes life possible. With God's spirit, there is life—and what Jesus called fullness of life.
Death and resurrection are the themes that permeate both of these lessons. They both present the biblical case for trust in God. The image is that of forgiveness and redemption certified by resurrection and new life. Jesus asks Mary if she believes that he is the resurrection and the life. Do you here this morning believe? In other words, do you trust this power of the Spirit? This power to bring us new life? We can’t do it on our own. The power of the Spirit is not something that we can prove as we would a science hypothesis. It is deeply mysterious, this creative and transforming Spirit, this power that’s available to you and to me. We heard how Jesus didn’t hurry off to Bethany to heal his friend. He knew that he had the power of life and death as part of his divine persona. He was confident that he could use this power to bring Lazarus back to life. However you believe what factually happened with Jesus and Lazarus, there is no question that the event is transforming and life-altering.
Just as Jesus calls Lazarus to “Come out!”, I believe that he is calling us. Jesus wants to unbind Lazarus and set him free. What binds us? What are those strips of cloth that hold us back, preventing us from truly living? Are we being bound by hopelessness like Ezekiel’s people? Do the tragedies of nature and the results of others’ violence lead us to such great discouragement that we feel immobilized? Are we bound by fears, addictions, anxiety? Maybe some of us are bound by hatreds, resentments? Is there someone that you need to forgive? Do you need to put away the “shoulds”, “oughts” and the “ have to’s” and really be who you are, or do what you are really being called to do by the Spirit? Are there things pulling you down or pulling you apart? I wonder how many of you are bound by anger at God or others for what’s happened or not happened in your life. Are you filled with despair because of your lack of faith? Is there a closet that you want to come out of? Do you need new life?
God is still speaking to us today, calling us out of our tombs of despair, denial, and death, calling us to new life right now, right here. We are challenged to believe that it is never too late to hope, to be transformed. Our dry bones can get up and dance! Remember the Psalmist we read in our call to worship: "I wait for the Lord. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning. O, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love and with him is great power to redeem."
If we let Jesus unbind us and let us go, there’s no stopping us! We can be transformed individually and as a church community. What we are on our own cannot compare with what we will be if we let the Spirit transform our life. We can change the world in the direction that Ann Weems wrote about in “Reaching for the Rainbows”:
I keep reaching for the rainbows. Thinking one morning The hungry will be fed, The dying held, The maimed walking, The angry stoked, The violence stroked, The oppressed freed, The oppressors changed, and every tear wiped away.
My sisters and brothers, we have to do more than just reaching for rainbows; if we let Jesus into our hearts, and our minds, and our souls, I believe we will know what we are being called to be and do. As I’ve said many times, none of us can or should even try to do everything; yet, we can all do something. As always I’m available to pray and talk with you individually to help you discern how Jesus is calling you.
Let us pray: Dearest God, Holy Spirit, unbind us and let us go, let us hear the call of Jesus and help us follow in his path. Come, Holy Spirit, come. Fill our hearts with hope and use us to bring about your kingdom. Amen
Scripture: Ezekiel 37: 1-14, John 11:1-7, 17-27, 38-45
I don’t know if it’s all the snow still around us or the fact that Easter is particularly early this year, but it sure doesn’t seem possible that it is the 5th Sunday in Lent. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week. In our scripture today, the author of John reminds us that Jesus and the disciples are getting very close to Jerusalem, only two miles away. For the writers of all the gospels, going to Jerusalem is a code word for Jesus’ crucifixion. In the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, called that because they are very similar to each other, the big event that hastens Jesus’ trouble with the authorities is the cleansing of the Temple; however, in John the temple scene is very near the beginning right after the first miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana. For John the big event hastening Jesus’ crucifixion is the raising Lazarus from the dead. In the scripture immediately following, the chief priests and the Pharisees are told what Jesus did and "from that day on they planned to put him to death." They also planned to get rid of the evidence as well by putting Lazarus to death "since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus" (12:9-11). There are so many things going on in this chapter and as you probably noticed I only read some of the verses. I encourage you to read the whole chapter as part of your Lenten study.
Let me connect our Lazarus story to our first scripture reading in Ezekiel. In this passage we have the famous story made into song about the dry bones taking form and coming to life again. It was a common idiom of that day for the people to express their helplessness and hopelessness by saying, "Our bones are dried up." So Ezekiel shows them a vision of exactly that: dry bones. Rolf Jacobsen in an online explanation of this passage says that the reference to "bones" here is a way to refer to one's deepest self, or, in the case of "our bones," a way for the community to refer to its most essential self. “What we learn from this is that Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones is a poetic and prophetic response to the situation of God's people—to their sense of hopelessness, to their situation of being cut off from their land, their temple, and—they think!—from their God.” (Jacobsen) An important point here is that whether it is the dry bones of Ezekiel or the dead body of Lazarus, ruah, the Greek word that can be translated both as breath and Spirit, is necessary for life. In both cases it is the Spirit—whether it comes from the Hebrew God or from Jesus—that makes life possible. With God's spirit, there is life—and what Jesus called fullness of life.
Death and resurrection are the themes that permeate both of these lessons. They both present the biblical case for trust in God. The image is that of forgiveness and redemption certified by resurrection and new life. Jesus asks Mary if she believes that he is the resurrection and the life. Do you here this morning believe? In other words, do you trust this power of the Spirit? This power to bring us new life? We can’t do it on our own. The power of the Spirit is not something that we can prove as we would a science hypothesis. It is deeply mysterious, this creative and transforming Spirit, this power that’s available to you and to me. We heard how Jesus didn’t hurry off to Bethany to heal his friend. He knew that he had the power of life and death as part of his divine persona. He was confident that he could use this power to bring Lazarus back to life. However you believe what factually happened with Jesus and Lazarus, there is no question that the event is transforming and life-altering.
Just as Jesus calls Lazarus to “Come out!”, I believe that he is calling us. Jesus wants to unbind Lazarus and set him free. What binds us? What are those strips of cloth that hold us back, preventing us from truly living? Are we being bound by hopelessness like Ezekiel’s people? Do the tragedies of nature and the results of others’ violence lead us to such great discouragement that we feel immobilized? Are we bound by fears, addictions, anxiety? Maybe some of us are bound by hatreds, resentments? Is there someone that you need to forgive? Do you need to put away the “shoulds”, “oughts” and the “ have to’s” and really be who you are, or do what you are really being called to do by the Spirit? Are there things pulling you down or pulling you apart? I wonder how many of you are bound by anger at God or others for what’s happened or not happened in your life. Are you filled with despair because of your lack of faith? Is there a closet that you want to come out of? Do you need new life?
God is still speaking to us today, calling us out of our tombs of despair, denial, and death, calling us to new life right now, right here. We are challenged to believe that it is never too late to hope, to be transformed. Our dry bones can get up and dance! Remember the Psalmist we read in our call to worship: "I wait for the Lord. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning. O, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love and with him is great power to redeem."
If we let Jesus unbind us and let us go, there’s no stopping us! We can be transformed individually and as a church community. What we are on our own cannot compare with what we will be if we let the Spirit transform our life. We can change the world in the direction that Ann Weems wrote about in “Reaching for the Rainbows”:
I keep reaching for the rainbows. Thinking one morning The hungry will be fed, The dying held, The maimed walking, The angry stoked, The violence stroked, The oppressed freed, The oppressors changed, and every tear wiped away.
My sisters and brothers, we have to do more than just reaching for rainbows; if we let Jesus into our hearts, and our minds, and our souls, I believe we will know what we are being called to be and do. As I’ve said many times, none of us can or should even try to do everything; yet, we can all do something. As always I’m available to pray and talk with you individually to help you discern how Jesus is calling you.
Let us pray: Dearest God, Holy Spirit, unbind us and let us go, let us hear the call of Jesus and help us follow in his path. Come, Holy Spirit, come. Fill our hearts with hope and use us to bring about your kingdom. Amen
posted by Sermons given at Deering Community Church @ 12:03 PM
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