Resurrection Or Reanimation?
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
This week's lectionary texts provide a pair of stories that foreshadow the central message of Easter. Both the valley of dry, bleached-out bones in Ezekiel and Jesus' revival of Lazarus remind us that, even in the midst of the seeming finality of death, the Spirit of God provides new life. That's certainly a timely message, as the radiation-saturated area around the Fukushima nuclear plant (or Chernobyl, for that matter) seems to be an apt modern counterpart to the valley of dry bones. In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer notes that while these accounts of the regeneration of life are inspiring, we need to be mindful that there is a difference between true resurrection -- as represented by the resurrection of Christ -- and mere reanimation. Resurrection is something that's qualitatively on a different level, because it is life made new by the Spirit of God -- and therefore leads to eternal life. Reanimation just leads to a return to the same old ways and habits, while resurrection sets us free from the bonds that imprison us... even the seemingly implacable bonds of death.
Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on the Ezekiel and John passages and suggests that the idea of new birth is central to both texts -- though we often don't recognize that new birth at first. The recovery of disaster-stricken areas (New Orleans in the post-Katrina era comes immediately to mind) is perhaps a useful metaphor for breathing new life into a valley of dry bones. It's a long and laborious process that may take years or even decades... and Mary notes that the same paradigm is often true of the events in our lives as well. But while the dry bones of our lives may or may not come alive again, in the life of faith they always do -- and as Mary points out, if we're too busy looking for that revival in a familiar form, we may miss the true resurrection that God has in mind.
Resurrection or Reanimation?
by Dean Feldmeyer
Ezekiel 37:1-14; John 11:1-45
The return from death to life is a not uncommon theme in scripture. When it happens to Lazarus we aren't really all that surprised.
In Kings 17, Elijah reanimates the dead son of the widow of Zeraphath. In Acts 9, Peter raises Tabitha from death back to life. Jesus has already raised Jairus' daughter from the dead long before he arrives at Lazarus' house. Yet only one return from death to life is considered "resurrection" -- and that is the one that happens on Easter Sunday.
The widow's son, Tabitha, Jairus' daughter, and Lazarus are all returned to the life they had. If that life is different after this extraordinary experience, it will be up to them to make it so. On Easter Sunday, however, Jesus, who has died, returns as a new being -- the resurrected Christ. God has acted not simply to extend the life of his Son but to transform it as well -- and in the transformation of that life we all receive the power and the possibility of resurrectional transformation.
The task before the preacher this week is to show how all this plays out for twenty-first-century Christians not just at the end of their lives, but in the midst of them as well.
THE WORLD
Lybia, Egypt, Syria: the old is slipping away but the new is not yet. The world waits and watches. Will there be resurrection to new life or just reanimation of the old? Will the results of the demonstrations and revolutions be freedom and democratic government, tolerance and acceptance -- or will the old form of oppression just be replaced by a new form of oppression? Will we see resurrection from old life to new or will we see reanimation of the old life?
Japan: even as the leaders of this wounded nation try to deal with the immediate devastation of the earthquake and tsunami, there is talk of rebuilding and recovery. But what kind of recovery will it be? Will the hunger for cheap energy continue to ignore the risks associated with nuclear power or will the search for safe, clean alternative forms of energy be redoubled? Resurrection to new life, or reanimation of the old?
The American housing industry has, in the past two weeks, entered a second slump even lower than the first of two years ago. Economists and those who should know tell us that it will be two years before the housing industry recovers, and the job market with it.
The recovery of the American economy is taking longer than anyone hoped it would. Economists tell us that the recession ended long ago, but those whose unemployment compensation has run out don't see it. They understand what the children of Israel meant when they told Ezekiel, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely" (Ezekiel 37:11). When the recovery finally comes, when those bones come together and walk, what will it look like? Will it be resurrection to new life or just reanimation of the same old patterns that brought us to recession in the first place?
Politicians, celebrities, and athletes rise to power, fame, and glory... and then fall. An unguarded rant, a bout with substance abuse, an arrest and conviction sends them to the B- or even C-list. They do their time or their community service, or they enter the private sector, or maybe they go into rehab... and a few months or years later they reappear and want our cheers, our adulation, our admiration, even our vote.
Are they resurrected, as they claim? Or are they simply reanimated, delivered back to their old habits, vices, and excesses? And how can we know?
THE WORD
Death is final. It is the period at the end of our lives. If ever there was something that was hopeless, outside of human ability to reverse or undo, it is death. It is the perfect metaphor for hopelessness.
The children of Israel are being held in captivity "by the rivers of Babylon." They are not allowed to leave. They have been told to thrive or die in a land that is not their own. The temple, the seat of both their religious faith and their government, has been destroyed. Their king has been blinded and thrown into prison after being forced to watch his family being murdered.
All that is in their hearts to do is to weep and remember Zion. When the prophet Ezekiel tries to preach words of encouragement to them, they reply: "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely." We are as dead as the dried-up bones you see in the desert. There is no life in us, and there is no way to put life back into us. Our situation is hopeless.
Ezekiel responds by describing a vision he has had. In it God shows him a valley filled with dry bones into which God breaths the spirit of new life. The dry, dead bones receive the breath of God and with it not just reanimation but resurrection.
Death, Ezekiel says, may be hopeless for us, beyond our ability to undo -- but it isn't for God. God stands outside the boundaries of life and death, of being and non-being -- and those who stand with God stand outside those boundaries too.
The story of Lazarus in John 11 is like a "greatest hits" album of New Testament quotes. It is filled with axioms and pithy sayings, any of which could be fodder for good preaching: "Jesus wept." "Let's go to Judea again." "Let's all go and die with him." "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." "Your brother will rise again." "Lazarus come forth." "Unbind him and let him go."
But the point of the passage is that Lazarus is dead. To paraphrase Monty Python: He has passed on. He has passed away. He has crossed over. He has stepped into the void. He is no longer with us. He is the brother formerly known as "alive." He has breathed his last. He has gone to his great reward. It's hopeless. Forget it. You are too late, Jesus. He... is... dead!
Oops, make that "He WAS dead."
But is Lazarus resurrected or is he just reanimated? Is he still breathing the fetid, moldy, dust-filled air of the tomb? Or is he breathing the life-giving, life-affirming, life-filling, fresh, cool breath (Spirit) of God? John leaves that question unanswered, and in doing so the question goes from historical to existential. It goes from being a question about Lazarus to a question about us.
Ezekiel closes his story by quoting Yahweh to the people and to us: "I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, Yahweh, have spoken and will act."
CRAFTING THE SERMON
We all crave resurrection. But we settle for reanimation.
A perceptive preacher might begin with a trip down the Via Dolorosa of everyday life. We fail, we suffer rejection, we fall down, we receive ridicule, and we are hurt or betrayed by those we love. We suffer earthquakes, tsunamis, economic recessions, and lost jobs. We die. And where death is concerned -- literal or figurative -- we feel as though the situation is hopeless... as hopeless as the bones lying bleached and shrunken in the desert sand. We feel completely cut off from God, from each other, from all creation, even from ourselves.
The promise of the gospel, however, is Easter. Death -- literal or figurative -- is not the last word. The promise of the gospel is resurrection -- but resurrection is more than reanimation.
Reanimation is a return to the same old, same old. It is back to life as it was. The breathing returns, but it is not new. The body is still bound, the air is still fetid, the old habits are still in place, and the old prejudices and perceptions still reign within.
Resurrection is new life made new by the Spirit/breath of God. The resurrected life is life abundant, transformed, and authentic... not as it has been, but as it can be. ("You shall live.") The resurrected life is filled with the perception and discernment that comes from a true and close, personal relationship with the Lord of history. ("You shall know that I have spoken and will act.")
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Ezekiel 37:1-14; John 11:1-45
As we approach Palm Sunday and Easter, our readings this week give us a foretaste of Easter as we travel with Ezekiel to the valley of the dry bones and with Jesus to the tomb of his beloved friend Lazarus.
"Can these bones live?" God asks Ezekiel. "O Lord God, you know," Ezekiel answers. There seems to be a word missing in the NRSV translation, and the gap is intriguing. Should it be "God, only you know" or "God, you already know"?
"Can these bones live?" is a question that recurs in politics, entertainment, sports, and our own lives.
In the world of politics, the semi-continuous race for president is gathering steam, looking ahead to the 2012 elections. Past and future candidates may well be asking themselves, "Can these bones live?" Can the bones of campaigns past rise again? Can the candidates resurrect advisory and fund-raising teams again? Is it possible to get past gaffes and mis-statements? Will voters forgive adultery, whining, and seeming racial prejudice?
In politics, certain iconic moments often stand in for substance, and we extract a portrait of a candidate from a single encounter or sound bite instead of the fullness of their record and positions on the issues. Hillary Clinton with tears in her eyes, or Howard Dean and the scream, or Sarah Palin stumbling in an interview with Katie Couric changed the trajectories of their campaigns. Can these bones live after voters see a glimpse of the candidate, unpackaged and unprotected by their team?
In sports, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick had an excellent year with the team, contributing to his rehabilitation in the public eye. If the Eagles hadn't done as well, could we see him as favorably as we do now?
In entertainment, sitcom star and perennial bad boy Charlie Sheen's resilience translated (until recently) into millions of dollars per episode of his television series Two and a Half Men. In spite of numerous episodes of violence against the women in his life, the bones of his comic talents guaranteed resurrection in show business. Not until he insulted another white man -- the show's creator, Chuck Lorre -- did his starring role end. His current solo act, now on tour, raises the question of whether he can resurrect his career yet again.
In the case of public figures, it's hard to tell what's new and genuinely improved, and what is the gift of skilled public relations help. We hope that public figures have learned and grown and returned as better people, but we fear it is hype and mirrors.
In our own lives, we might ask the same question. After a layoff, a divorce, a battle with addiction, can the bones of our old lives yield something new? After the ravages of cancer treatment, an abusive relationship, a failed business, or a suicide attempt, can we find a new way to live? After a child leaves for the military or college, can the bones of a familiar partnership grow into something that fits this stage of life? Can these bones live?
The bones of the old often become the foundation of the new, but the form may be a surprise. As Dean Feldmeyer notes above, resurrection is much more than breathing new life into the old body.
Resurrection is new life, plus change. Even Jesus comes back changed, still marked by death. We carry the old bones into the new life. The death of the former things in our own lives may make room for new graces that surprise us -- not just new versions of what we had before, but whole new lives, relationships, careers, and outlooks on the world. Can these bones live? In God's grace, of course they can -- but the way they come alive may surprise us, or even frighten us. We may miss the resurrection, if we're just looking for the old way to come back. If we will only accept the past, reanimated, then we may miss the real resurrection.
If we watch for the old bones to live in some new way, then God is there in the desert, ready to amaze us. The shape of it is a mystery, but the truth of it is certain. Does only God know, or does God already know? The answer to both questions is "yes" -- and yes to new life.
ILLUSTRATIONS
It would be difficult to come up with a more apt example of new life being breathed into a valley of dry bones than the life story of the acclaimed actor Charles S. Dutton. Dutton had a tough upbringing in inner-city Baltimore; he was a dropout, and at 17 was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to several years in prison. During his imprisonment he found himself in solitary confinement, where he had no privileges except being able to read one book. The book he read was an anthology of plays by black playwrights -- and it made such an impression on him that when he was released from solitary confinement, he petitioned the warden to start up a prison drama group. Dutton went on to receive his GED, and upon his release from prison he enrolled in a drama program at Towson State University -- and began a professional journey that took him to the Yale School of Drama, and success as an actor on stage, film, and television. From the dry bones of the Baltimore streets and finding himself in "the hole" of solitary confinement to the bright lights of professional acclaim and stardom, Dutton's remarkable life gives us an example that there is hope for a better, changed life in even the seemingly bleakest of circumstances.
* * *
If you walk through the doors of the chapel at New College at Oxford University in England, you cannot miss the life-sized statue standing at the center of the narthex. The renowned sculptor Jacob Epstein created this powerful piece, in which a stone figure of Lazarus is bound from head to foot. The grave clothes are still wrapped around his body. Jesus, with tears running down his face, yelled into the tomb: "Unbind him and let him go." There is no more appropriate sculpture to be placed at the entrance of every church. Our task is to unbind those bound with many things, and let them go. Isn't this also the task of the sermon -- to help people become unbound from the many things that cripple and hold them back?
* * *
There is an old Celtic prayer to help us unclutter our lives:
Lord, help me now to unclutter my life,
To organize myself in the direction of simplicity.
Lord, teach me to listen to my heart;
Teach me to welcome change, instead of fearing it.
Lord, I give You these stirrings inside me.
I give you my discontent.
I give you my restlessness.
I give you my doubt.
I give you my despair.
I give you all the longing I hold inside.
Help me to listen to these signs of change, of growth;
To listen seriously and follow where they lead
Through the breathtaking empty space of the open door.
* * *
In Gail Godwin's novel The Good Husband, there is a conversation between the main character Magda, who is dying of cancer, and a woman named Alice. Magda says to Alice, "One does know, eventually. I am beginning to know."
Alice then asks, "Know what, Magda?"
"What matters and what's... garbage. Lots of garbage," answers Magda.
"And what does matter?" pursues Alice.
"Things you've loved. People... some you never met. Ideas. You love certain ideas. What finally matters is... ordering your loves."
"Ordering?" responds Alice.
"Not like you order someone around," says Magda. "The other kind... putting in order." Then Magda's yellowed hand reaches out and claims Alice's hand -- and then she whispers, "But mark my word, it will be the big question on the final exam."
* * *
Yuri Milner, 49, the founder of Digital Sky Technologies, purchased a 25,500-square-foot mansion in Silicon Valley for $100 million. This is the most ever paid for a single-family home in the United States. But at 25,500 square feet, does it lack the intimacy of a home and instead is it just a house, a dwelling? Jesus wept outside the burial tomb of his best friend Lazarus, for there was an intimate relationship between the two. This could be found as Jesus sat on a rock a few paces from the briar of one he loved. This is something that would be absent in a house that sits on 18 acres in the hills overlooking San Francisco Bay.
* * *
A "Letter to the Editor" was printed in our small city newspaper that I am sure is reflective of all similar publications. The gentleman wrote: "The idea of having to go to page three to find any national or international news, and having only regional events on the front page seems small-minded to me." Ezekiel was to prophesize, and in so doing the people would be summoned to life. The dry bones would rise up and address the inequities of society. But how many prefer remaining isolated and small-minded, more concerned about the local volunteer fire department's chicken-bog fund-raiser than the tsunami in Japan?
* * *
Best-selling author Mitch Albom recently wrote an intriguing newspaper column in which he griped about the growing popularity of webcasting funerals. While acknowledging that the technology is useful for those who are unable to travel, Albom wonders if it just makes it that much easier for us to become further disconnected from one another -- especially at a time when grieving family and friends most need the touch and support of human connection. As Albom pithily puts it: "If I was worth a visit while I was here, I'm worth one when I'm gone. Just as I don't consider an email a dinner conversation, I don't consider clicking on as paying your respects. You want to say good-bye, please, come say it. But no texting."
It makes one wonder -- when Jesus received the news about Lazarus, what might have happened if instead of interrupting his busy schedule and traveling to be with Mary and Martha he had just caught the webcast of Lazarus' funeral instead?
* * *
In Homer's great epic poem The Odyssey, the hero, Odysseus, journeys back home from Troy to Ithaca in a long sea voyage. Along the way, Odysseus and his crew encounter many obstacles that string their journey out from months into years. One of their most difficult obstacles is in the land of the Lotus-Eaters. In that land there is a certain flowering plant that has narcotic properties. Some of Odysseus' crew eat of the lotus plants and immediately become so filled with pleasure that they forget all thought of the homes and families they've been longing for. The thing they most desire is no longer important to them. These drug-addicted sailors literally have to be dragged back to the ship.
With all his talk about sleep and awakening, Jesus is talking about so much more than simply raising his friend Lazarus from death. He's also teaching about sin, and about the slow spiritual death that results from it. The most dangerous sins are the ones that put us blissfully to sleep, so we're not even aware we're committing them. It's as a wise, old shepherd once said when someone asked him how sheep manage to get lost and separate themselves from the flock. "Sheep don't just get lost," the shepherd replied. "They nibble themselves lost." The sheep, in other words, never look up to see where they're going or how far they've wandered from the flock. All they can see is the next succulent patch of grass... and the next, and the next. The grass is a good thing, and essential to life -- but they follow it so single-mindedly that it leads them ultimately in the direction of death.
Sin is deceptive that way. It lulls us into thinking that we are masters of our lives and of our destinies -- when in reality we're more like the broken-down alcoholic who sips from his bottle of rotgut in a brown paper bag, all the while proclaiming, "I can stop at any time."
* * *
Romans 8:6-11 talks about life and death. One man in Texas left a peculiar request just before he died -- he wanted to be buried in his Cadillac. So after his death his family scrambled around, trying to figure out how to meet their father's wish. It wasn't easy, but finally they found a cemetery that made room for the Cadillac and its owner. At the graveside service a crane slowly lifted up the Cadillac with the dead man inside. As they were lowering the body and the car into the huge grave, someone was heard to say: "Man, that's livin'." Sometimes in our society, as in Paul's, we get life and death mixed up.
* * *
Eugene Laubach said one time: "Two men were discussing a third. 'Yep,' said one, 'if Joe had lived for six more months he would have been dead for 65 years!' " What an epitaph.
* * *
I remember a pretty funny cartoon in The New Yorker. A young father, kneeling on the muddy shoulder of a busy highway, was attempting to repair a flat tire in a driving rainstorm. From inside the car his two children, noses pressed to the windows, were staring at him in disbelief. "Don't you understand," he yelled at them. "This is life, this is what is happening. We can't switch to another channel."
* * *
This paragraph comes from a reader of the New York Times:
Years ago a little boy was attending a game at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. The Giants were playing, and this was the boy's first big sports event with his father. He was brimming with questions: "Daddy, which one is Phil Simms?"; "Is this real grass?"; "Where is Lawrence Taylor?" After several moments, as the players took the field following the Cornell Big Red Marching Band, the little boy looked up at his father and asked: "Daddy, is this live?"
Good question for us all.
* * *
It is easy to understand how much "control" a baseball pitcher has -- just look at the statistics of balls and strikes. But coaches today also want to know how much "command" a pitcher has, which is much more difficult to determine. The term "command" means how close the thrown ball comes to the catcher's glove. Ryan Zandler, the general manager for Sportsvision, has devised three-camera filming to answer just such a question. The major league average is 12.9 inches, with Roy Halladay leading the list at 9.6 inches.
When Paul tells us to set our minds on the Spirit, he is implying we are to have both control and command of our thoughts, words, and actions.
* * *
Newsweek magazine did a study on the last word spoken by the men and women executed in Texas from 1976, when the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, to the year 2009. The word "love" measured the highest at 630. A distant second was "thanks," spoken 243 times. The word "afraid" came in last, having only been spoken once. Perhaps unknowingly these men and women understood the teaching of Paul, that by uttering "love" they realized in the last moment of life that "to set the mind on the flesh is death; but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."
* * *
Ninety-four years ago this past week, President Woodrow Wilson stood before Congress and asked for a declaration of war on Germany, saying, "The world must be made safe for democracy." Nearly a century later, the world is still not safe for democracy. With the turmoil in the Middle East, the question still remains if democracy will emerge, and if so, if it will be sustained. Military operations in Afghanistan, the United States' longest war, still show no signs for peace or democracy. The Psalmist said, "My soul waits..." How long must we wait until world leaders understand the message of peace?
* * *
The eight-part TV miniseries The Kennedys is causing a great deal of consternation because of its historical inaccuracies. The program was dropped by The History Channel, which originally funded the production, only for it to be picked up by the Reelz channel. The director, Joel Surnow, said, "There are a certain people who are still invested in the image of Camelot." His desire is to demythologize the Kennedys and show them "as people." Yet, as a director, he considers himself "an agnostic filmmaker." One must ask: if a director has no sense of values, can he adequately portray any individual or event in history? Ezekiel was to prophesize the truth, and in order to do so he had to have a belief system. As an "agnostic filmmaker," can Surnow say the same about his historic film?
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Out of the depths of our lives, let us cry to God.
People: O God, hear our prayer!
Leader: If God should mark our iniquities, who could stand?
People: But with our God is forgiveness!
Leader: Let us wait on God with hope.
People: Our hope is in God, who is filled with steadfast love.
OR
Leader: Come, let us prepare for the resurrection!
People: We are anxious for God to restore us.
Leader: God has more than bringing back the past.
People: We were happy with our past.
Leader: God desires something new, something better.
People: God is good! We welcome God's future for us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"God Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens"
found in:
UMH: 150
H82: 580
PH: 268
NCH: 556
CH: 651
LBW: 463
"All Things Bright and Beautiful"
found in:
UMH: 147
H82: 405
PH: 207
NCH: 31
CH: 61
"This Is a Day of New Beginnings"
found in:
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
"Because He Lives"
found in:
UMH: 364
AAHH: 281
NNBH: 120
CH: 562
"Amazing Grace"
found in:
UMH: 378
H82: 671
PH: 280
AAHH: 271, 272
NNBH: 161, 162
NCH: 547, 548
CH: 546
LBW: 448
"Have Thine Own Way, Lord"
found in:
UMH: 382
AAHH: 449
NNBH: 206
CH: 588
"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling"
found in:
UMH: 384
H82: 657
PH: 376
AAHH: 440
NNBH: 65
NCH: 43
CH: 517
LBW: 315
"Take My Life and Let It Be"
found in:
UMH: 399
H82: 707
PH: 391
NNBH: 213
NCH: 448
CH: 604
LBW: 406
"Something Beautiful"
found in:
UMH: 394
CCB: 84
"Change My Heart, O God"
found in:
CCB: 56
Renew: 143
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who has created and is ever creating anew: Grant us the grace to be part of your bringing creation to a new life far beyond what we have ever imagined; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship you, O God, and to open our lives to your ever-resurrecting Spirit that makes us and all creation into that which is ever new. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways in which we are so easily satisfied with the reanimation of our old lives rather than the new life God offers us.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. In your power and love you have offered us new life that is beyond all our hopes and dreams. Yet we are happy with just reclaiming our old lives. We think more of restoring the past than of finding a new future. Forgive our short-sightedness, and by the power of your Spirit restore the vision of your reign and realm within us. Amen.
Leader: God is the ever-creating One. God has a wondrous future in mind for all creation, including us. God forgives us and renews us whenever we are ready to receive God's grace.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We have come to worship and praise your Name, O God. Your creation continues to unfold into the future vision you hold for it.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. In your power and love you have offered us new life that is beyond all our hopes and dreams. Yet we are happy with just reclaiming our old lives. We think more of restoring the past than of finding a new future. Forgive our short-sightedness, and by the power of your Spirit restore the vision of your reign and realm within us.
We give thanks for all the wonders of this creation and for all the blessings that await us. You have been gracious to us, O God, and you are constantly at work to bring forth in us and all your creation the goodness your Spirit inspired in all at the beginning.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
In union with your care and love for all creation, we offer to you those who are on our hearts. We offer our prayers and loving spirits to join with your loving Spirit in reaching out to those in need of your resurrecting, renewing power.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
Possibly pictures of Lazarus being raised, an empty tomb, and a cycle of trash being transformed into usable goods.
Children's Sermon Starter
It is time to break out that old magic trick you have tucked away, or go out and get one. It should be one that appears to change one object into another. There are all kinds of tricks where you put an object like a penny in a box and when you close it and open it, you have a quarter instead. Do the trick for the children, and then talk about how anyone can learn to do a trick that makes it appear that something has changed -- but God really does change people. God can make bones become an army or raise Lazarus from the dead. God can take ordinary people and make them disciples. He can take us and make us disciples of Jesus.
CHILDREN'S SERMON Resurrection
John 11:1-45
Object: an obituary section from a newspaper
Good morning, boys and girls! I don't suppose many of you read the newspaper regularly, but every day in the paper they print a section like this one. (show the clipping) This is called an obituary section. It's a list of all the people in our town who have died recently. It tells about the person's age and family and a lot of other stuff about their life.
In the time of Jesus, they didn't have newspapers. But if they did have one, there would have been a really interesting obituary for a guy named Lazarus. It would have told about Lazarus, who had two sisters. He died and was buried in a tomb. But then, they would have said that after he was dead and buried he was brought back to life by Jesus! He came out of the tomb and rejoined his family. Wouldn't that have been an exciting obituary? (let the children answer)
Well, none of the people listed here have been brought back to life by Jesus -- yet! But every one of these people who have recently died will be brought back to life by Jesus -- if they believed in him when they died. Jesus tells us, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live." Jesus has promised to bring everyone back from the dead if they believe in him. Do all of you believe in Jesus? (let them answer) Good! Then you do not have to worry about death. Jesus will give all of you eternal life with him in heaven. Let's thank him for that.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you so much for giving us eternal life so that we never have to worry about death. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, April 10, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on the Ezekiel and John passages and suggests that the idea of new birth is central to both texts -- though we often don't recognize that new birth at first. The recovery of disaster-stricken areas (New Orleans in the post-Katrina era comes immediately to mind) is perhaps a useful metaphor for breathing new life into a valley of dry bones. It's a long and laborious process that may take years or even decades... and Mary notes that the same paradigm is often true of the events in our lives as well. But while the dry bones of our lives may or may not come alive again, in the life of faith they always do -- and as Mary points out, if we're too busy looking for that revival in a familiar form, we may miss the true resurrection that God has in mind.
Resurrection or Reanimation?
by Dean Feldmeyer
Ezekiel 37:1-14; John 11:1-45
The return from death to life is a not uncommon theme in scripture. When it happens to Lazarus we aren't really all that surprised.
In Kings 17, Elijah reanimates the dead son of the widow of Zeraphath. In Acts 9, Peter raises Tabitha from death back to life. Jesus has already raised Jairus' daughter from the dead long before he arrives at Lazarus' house. Yet only one return from death to life is considered "resurrection" -- and that is the one that happens on Easter Sunday.
The widow's son, Tabitha, Jairus' daughter, and Lazarus are all returned to the life they had. If that life is different after this extraordinary experience, it will be up to them to make it so. On Easter Sunday, however, Jesus, who has died, returns as a new being -- the resurrected Christ. God has acted not simply to extend the life of his Son but to transform it as well -- and in the transformation of that life we all receive the power and the possibility of resurrectional transformation.
The task before the preacher this week is to show how all this plays out for twenty-first-century Christians not just at the end of their lives, but in the midst of them as well.
THE WORLD
Lybia, Egypt, Syria: the old is slipping away but the new is not yet. The world waits and watches. Will there be resurrection to new life or just reanimation of the old? Will the results of the demonstrations and revolutions be freedom and democratic government, tolerance and acceptance -- or will the old form of oppression just be replaced by a new form of oppression? Will we see resurrection from old life to new or will we see reanimation of the old life?
Japan: even as the leaders of this wounded nation try to deal with the immediate devastation of the earthquake and tsunami, there is talk of rebuilding and recovery. But what kind of recovery will it be? Will the hunger for cheap energy continue to ignore the risks associated with nuclear power or will the search for safe, clean alternative forms of energy be redoubled? Resurrection to new life, or reanimation of the old?
The American housing industry has, in the past two weeks, entered a second slump even lower than the first of two years ago. Economists and those who should know tell us that it will be two years before the housing industry recovers, and the job market with it.
The recovery of the American economy is taking longer than anyone hoped it would. Economists tell us that the recession ended long ago, but those whose unemployment compensation has run out don't see it. They understand what the children of Israel meant when they told Ezekiel, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely" (Ezekiel 37:11). When the recovery finally comes, when those bones come together and walk, what will it look like? Will it be resurrection to new life or just reanimation of the same old patterns that brought us to recession in the first place?
Politicians, celebrities, and athletes rise to power, fame, and glory... and then fall. An unguarded rant, a bout with substance abuse, an arrest and conviction sends them to the B- or even C-list. They do their time or their community service, or they enter the private sector, or maybe they go into rehab... and a few months or years later they reappear and want our cheers, our adulation, our admiration, even our vote.
Are they resurrected, as they claim? Or are they simply reanimated, delivered back to their old habits, vices, and excesses? And how can we know?
THE WORD
Death is final. It is the period at the end of our lives. If ever there was something that was hopeless, outside of human ability to reverse or undo, it is death. It is the perfect metaphor for hopelessness.
The children of Israel are being held in captivity "by the rivers of Babylon." They are not allowed to leave. They have been told to thrive or die in a land that is not their own. The temple, the seat of both their religious faith and their government, has been destroyed. Their king has been blinded and thrown into prison after being forced to watch his family being murdered.
All that is in their hearts to do is to weep and remember Zion. When the prophet Ezekiel tries to preach words of encouragement to them, they reply: "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely." We are as dead as the dried-up bones you see in the desert. There is no life in us, and there is no way to put life back into us. Our situation is hopeless.
Ezekiel responds by describing a vision he has had. In it God shows him a valley filled with dry bones into which God breaths the spirit of new life. The dry, dead bones receive the breath of God and with it not just reanimation but resurrection.
Death, Ezekiel says, may be hopeless for us, beyond our ability to undo -- but it isn't for God. God stands outside the boundaries of life and death, of being and non-being -- and those who stand with God stand outside those boundaries too.
The story of Lazarus in John 11 is like a "greatest hits" album of New Testament quotes. It is filled with axioms and pithy sayings, any of which could be fodder for good preaching: "Jesus wept." "Let's go to Judea again." "Let's all go and die with him." "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." "Your brother will rise again." "Lazarus come forth." "Unbind him and let him go."
But the point of the passage is that Lazarus is dead. To paraphrase Monty Python: He has passed on. He has passed away. He has crossed over. He has stepped into the void. He is no longer with us. He is the brother formerly known as "alive." He has breathed his last. He has gone to his great reward. It's hopeless. Forget it. You are too late, Jesus. He... is... dead!
Oops, make that "He WAS dead."
But is Lazarus resurrected or is he just reanimated? Is he still breathing the fetid, moldy, dust-filled air of the tomb? Or is he breathing the life-giving, life-affirming, life-filling, fresh, cool breath (Spirit) of God? John leaves that question unanswered, and in doing so the question goes from historical to existential. It goes from being a question about Lazarus to a question about us.
Ezekiel closes his story by quoting Yahweh to the people and to us: "I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, Yahweh, have spoken and will act."
CRAFTING THE SERMON
We all crave resurrection. But we settle for reanimation.
A perceptive preacher might begin with a trip down the Via Dolorosa of everyday life. We fail, we suffer rejection, we fall down, we receive ridicule, and we are hurt or betrayed by those we love. We suffer earthquakes, tsunamis, economic recessions, and lost jobs. We die. And where death is concerned -- literal or figurative -- we feel as though the situation is hopeless... as hopeless as the bones lying bleached and shrunken in the desert sand. We feel completely cut off from God, from each other, from all creation, even from ourselves.
The promise of the gospel, however, is Easter. Death -- literal or figurative -- is not the last word. The promise of the gospel is resurrection -- but resurrection is more than reanimation.
Reanimation is a return to the same old, same old. It is back to life as it was. The breathing returns, but it is not new. The body is still bound, the air is still fetid, the old habits are still in place, and the old prejudices and perceptions still reign within.
Resurrection is new life made new by the Spirit/breath of God. The resurrected life is life abundant, transformed, and authentic... not as it has been, but as it can be. ("You shall live.") The resurrected life is filled with the perception and discernment that comes from a true and close, personal relationship with the Lord of history. ("You shall know that I have spoken and will act.")
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Ezekiel 37:1-14; John 11:1-45
As we approach Palm Sunday and Easter, our readings this week give us a foretaste of Easter as we travel with Ezekiel to the valley of the dry bones and with Jesus to the tomb of his beloved friend Lazarus.
"Can these bones live?" God asks Ezekiel. "O Lord God, you know," Ezekiel answers. There seems to be a word missing in the NRSV translation, and the gap is intriguing. Should it be "God, only you know" or "God, you already know"?
"Can these bones live?" is a question that recurs in politics, entertainment, sports, and our own lives.
In the world of politics, the semi-continuous race for president is gathering steam, looking ahead to the 2012 elections. Past and future candidates may well be asking themselves, "Can these bones live?" Can the bones of campaigns past rise again? Can the candidates resurrect advisory and fund-raising teams again? Is it possible to get past gaffes and mis-statements? Will voters forgive adultery, whining, and seeming racial prejudice?
In politics, certain iconic moments often stand in for substance, and we extract a portrait of a candidate from a single encounter or sound bite instead of the fullness of their record and positions on the issues. Hillary Clinton with tears in her eyes, or Howard Dean and the scream, or Sarah Palin stumbling in an interview with Katie Couric changed the trajectories of their campaigns. Can these bones live after voters see a glimpse of the candidate, unpackaged and unprotected by their team?
In sports, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick had an excellent year with the team, contributing to his rehabilitation in the public eye. If the Eagles hadn't done as well, could we see him as favorably as we do now?
In entertainment, sitcom star and perennial bad boy Charlie Sheen's resilience translated (until recently) into millions of dollars per episode of his television series Two and a Half Men. In spite of numerous episodes of violence against the women in his life, the bones of his comic talents guaranteed resurrection in show business. Not until he insulted another white man -- the show's creator, Chuck Lorre -- did his starring role end. His current solo act, now on tour, raises the question of whether he can resurrect his career yet again.
In the case of public figures, it's hard to tell what's new and genuinely improved, and what is the gift of skilled public relations help. We hope that public figures have learned and grown and returned as better people, but we fear it is hype and mirrors.
In our own lives, we might ask the same question. After a layoff, a divorce, a battle with addiction, can the bones of our old lives yield something new? After the ravages of cancer treatment, an abusive relationship, a failed business, or a suicide attempt, can we find a new way to live? After a child leaves for the military or college, can the bones of a familiar partnership grow into something that fits this stage of life? Can these bones live?
The bones of the old often become the foundation of the new, but the form may be a surprise. As Dean Feldmeyer notes above, resurrection is much more than breathing new life into the old body.
Resurrection is new life, plus change. Even Jesus comes back changed, still marked by death. We carry the old bones into the new life. The death of the former things in our own lives may make room for new graces that surprise us -- not just new versions of what we had before, but whole new lives, relationships, careers, and outlooks on the world. Can these bones live? In God's grace, of course they can -- but the way they come alive may surprise us, or even frighten us. We may miss the resurrection, if we're just looking for the old way to come back. If we will only accept the past, reanimated, then we may miss the real resurrection.
If we watch for the old bones to live in some new way, then God is there in the desert, ready to amaze us. The shape of it is a mystery, but the truth of it is certain. Does only God know, or does God already know? The answer to both questions is "yes" -- and yes to new life.
ILLUSTRATIONS
It would be difficult to come up with a more apt example of new life being breathed into a valley of dry bones than the life story of the acclaimed actor Charles S. Dutton. Dutton had a tough upbringing in inner-city Baltimore; he was a dropout, and at 17 was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to several years in prison. During his imprisonment he found himself in solitary confinement, where he had no privileges except being able to read one book. The book he read was an anthology of plays by black playwrights -- and it made such an impression on him that when he was released from solitary confinement, he petitioned the warden to start up a prison drama group. Dutton went on to receive his GED, and upon his release from prison he enrolled in a drama program at Towson State University -- and began a professional journey that took him to the Yale School of Drama, and success as an actor on stage, film, and television. From the dry bones of the Baltimore streets and finding himself in "the hole" of solitary confinement to the bright lights of professional acclaim and stardom, Dutton's remarkable life gives us an example that there is hope for a better, changed life in even the seemingly bleakest of circumstances.
* * *
If you walk through the doors of the chapel at New College at Oxford University in England, you cannot miss the life-sized statue standing at the center of the narthex. The renowned sculptor Jacob Epstein created this powerful piece, in which a stone figure of Lazarus is bound from head to foot. The grave clothes are still wrapped around his body. Jesus, with tears running down his face, yelled into the tomb: "Unbind him and let him go." There is no more appropriate sculpture to be placed at the entrance of every church. Our task is to unbind those bound with many things, and let them go. Isn't this also the task of the sermon -- to help people become unbound from the many things that cripple and hold them back?
* * *
There is an old Celtic prayer to help us unclutter our lives:
Lord, help me now to unclutter my life,
To organize myself in the direction of simplicity.
Lord, teach me to listen to my heart;
Teach me to welcome change, instead of fearing it.
Lord, I give You these stirrings inside me.
I give you my discontent.
I give you my restlessness.
I give you my doubt.
I give you my despair.
I give you all the longing I hold inside.
Help me to listen to these signs of change, of growth;
To listen seriously and follow where they lead
Through the breathtaking empty space of the open door.
* * *
In Gail Godwin's novel The Good Husband, there is a conversation between the main character Magda, who is dying of cancer, and a woman named Alice. Magda says to Alice, "One does know, eventually. I am beginning to know."
Alice then asks, "Know what, Magda?"
"What matters and what's... garbage. Lots of garbage," answers Magda.
"And what does matter?" pursues Alice.
"Things you've loved. People... some you never met. Ideas. You love certain ideas. What finally matters is... ordering your loves."
"Ordering?" responds Alice.
"Not like you order someone around," says Magda. "The other kind... putting in order." Then Magda's yellowed hand reaches out and claims Alice's hand -- and then she whispers, "But mark my word, it will be the big question on the final exam."
* * *
Yuri Milner, 49, the founder of Digital Sky Technologies, purchased a 25,500-square-foot mansion in Silicon Valley for $100 million. This is the most ever paid for a single-family home in the United States. But at 25,500 square feet, does it lack the intimacy of a home and instead is it just a house, a dwelling? Jesus wept outside the burial tomb of his best friend Lazarus, for there was an intimate relationship between the two. This could be found as Jesus sat on a rock a few paces from the briar of one he loved. This is something that would be absent in a house that sits on 18 acres in the hills overlooking San Francisco Bay.
* * *
A "Letter to the Editor" was printed in our small city newspaper that I am sure is reflective of all similar publications. The gentleman wrote: "The idea of having to go to page three to find any national or international news, and having only regional events on the front page seems small-minded to me." Ezekiel was to prophesize, and in so doing the people would be summoned to life. The dry bones would rise up and address the inequities of society. But how many prefer remaining isolated and small-minded, more concerned about the local volunteer fire department's chicken-bog fund-raiser than the tsunami in Japan?
* * *
Best-selling author Mitch Albom recently wrote an intriguing newspaper column in which he griped about the growing popularity of webcasting funerals. While acknowledging that the technology is useful for those who are unable to travel, Albom wonders if it just makes it that much easier for us to become further disconnected from one another -- especially at a time when grieving family and friends most need the touch and support of human connection. As Albom pithily puts it: "If I was worth a visit while I was here, I'm worth one when I'm gone. Just as I don't consider an email a dinner conversation, I don't consider clicking on as paying your respects. You want to say good-bye, please, come say it. But no texting."
It makes one wonder -- when Jesus received the news about Lazarus, what might have happened if instead of interrupting his busy schedule and traveling to be with Mary and Martha he had just caught the webcast of Lazarus' funeral instead?
* * *
In Homer's great epic poem The Odyssey, the hero, Odysseus, journeys back home from Troy to Ithaca in a long sea voyage. Along the way, Odysseus and his crew encounter many obstacles that string their journey out from months into years. One of their most difficult obstacles is in the land of the Lotus-Eaters. In that land there is a certain flowering plant that has narcotic properties. Some of Odysseus' crew eat of the lotus plants and immediately become so filled with pleasure that they forget all thought of the homes and families they've been longing for. The thing they most desire is no longer important to them. These drug-addicted sailors literally have to be dragged back to the ship.
With all his talk about sleep and awakening, Jesus is talking about so much more than simply raising his friend Lazarus from death. He's also teaching about sin, and about the slow spiritual death that results from it. The most dangerous sins are the ones that put us blissfully to sleep, so we're not even aware we're committing them. It's as a wise, old shepherd once said when someone asked him how sheep manage to get lost and separate themselves from the flock. "Sheep don't just get lost," the shepherd replied. "They nibble themselves lost." The sheep, in other words, never look up to see where they're going or how far they've wandered from the flock. All they can see is the next succulent patch of grass... and the next, and the next. The grass is a good thing, and essential to life -- but they follow it so single-mindedly that it leads them ultimately in the direction of death.
Sin is deceptive that way. It lulls us into thinking that we are masters of our lives and of our destinies -- when in reality we're more like the broken-down alcoholic who sips from his bottle of rotgut in a brown paper bag, all the while proclaiming, "I can stop at any time."
* * *
Romans 8:6-11 talks about life and death. One man in Texas left a peculiar request just before he died -- he wanted to be buried in his Cadillac. So after his death his family scrambled around, trying to figure out how to meet their father's wish. It wasn't easy, but finally they found a cemetery that made room for the Cadillac and its owner. At the graveside service a crane slowly lifted up the Cadillac with the dead man inside. As they were lowering the body and the car into the huge grave, someone was heard to say: "Man, that's livin'." Sometimes in our society, as in Paul's, we get life and death mixed up.
* * *
Eugene Laubach said one time: "Two men were discussing a third. 'Yep,' said one, 'if Joe had lived for six more months he would have been dead for 65 years!' " What an epitaph.
* * *
I remember a pretty funny cartoon in The New Yorker. A young father, kneeling on the muddy shoulder of a busy highway, was attempting to repair a flat tire in a driving rainstorm. From inside the car his two children, noses pressed to the windows, were staring at him in disbelief. "Don't you understand," he yelled at them. "This is life, this is what is happening. We can't switch to another channel."
* * *
This paragraph comes from a reader of the New York Times:
Years ago a little boy was attending a game at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. The Giants were playing, and this was the boy's first big sports event with his father. He was brimming with questions: "Daddy, which one is Phil Simms?"; "Is this real grass?"; "Where is Lawrence Taylor?" After several moments, as the players took the field following the Cornell Big Red Marching Band, the little boy looked up at his father and asked: "Daddy, is this live?"
Good question for us all.
* * *
It is easy to understand how much "control" a baseball pitcher has -- just look at the statistics of balls and strikes. But coaches today also want to know how much "command" a pitcher has, which is much more difficult to determine. The term "command" means how close the thrown ball comes to the catcher's glove. Ryan Zandler, the general manager for Sportsvision, has devised three-camera filming to answer just such a question. The major league average is 12.9 inches, with Roy Halladay leading the list at 9.6 inches.
When Paul tells us to set our minds on the Spirit, he is implying we are to have both control and command of our thoughts, words, and actions.
* * *
Newsweek magazine did a study on the last word spoken by the men and women executed in Texas from 1976, when the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, to the year 2009. The word "love" measured the highest at 630. A distant second was "thanks," spoken 243 times. The word "afraid" came in last, having only been spoken once. Perhaps unknowingly these men and women understood the teaching of Paul, that by uttering "love" they realized in the last moment of life that "to set the mind on the flesh is death; but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."
* * *
Ninety-four years ago this past week, President Woodrow Wilson stood before Congress and asked for a declaration of war on Germany, saying, "The world must be made safe for democracy." Nearly a century later, the world is still not safe for democracy. With the turmoil in the Middle East, the question still remains if democracy will emerge, and if so, if it will be sustained. Military operations in Afghanistan, the United States' longest war, still show no signs for peace or democracy. The Psalmist said, "My soul waits..." How long must we wait until world leaders understand the message of peace?
* * *
The eight-part TV miniseries The Kennedys is causing a great deal of consternation because of its historical inaccuracies. The program was dropped by The History Channel, which originally funded the production, only for it to be picked up by the Reelz channel. The director, Joel Surnow, said, "There are a certain people who are still invested in the image of Camelot." His desire is to demythologize the Kennedys and show them "as people." Yet, as a director, he considers himself "an agnostic filmmaker." One must ask: if a director has no sense of values, can he adequately portray any individual or event in history? Ezekiel was to prophesize the truth, and in order to do so he had to have a belief system. As an "agnostic filmmaker," can Surnow say the same about his historic film?
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Out of the depths of our lives, let us cry to God.
People: O God, hear our prayer!
Leader: If God should mark our iniquities, who could stand?
People: But with our God is forgiveness!
Leader: Let us wait on God with hope.
People: Our hope is in God, who is filled with steadfast love.
OR
Leader: Come, let us prepare for the resurrection!
People: We are anxious for God to restore us.
Leader: God has more than bringing back the past.
People: We were happy with our past.
Leader: God desires something new, something better.
People: God is good! We welcome God's future for us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"God Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens"
found in:
UMH: 150
H82: 580
PH: 268
NCH: 556
CH: 651
LBW: 463
"All Things Bright and Beautiful"
found in:
UMH: 147
H82: 405
PH: 207
NCH: 31
CH: 61
"This Is a Day of New Beginnings"
found in:
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
"Because He Lives"
found in:
UMH: 364
AAHH: 281
NNBH: 120
CH: 562
"Amazing Grace"
found in:
UMH: 378
H82: 671
PH: 280
AAHH: 271, 272
NNBH: 161, 162
NCH: 547, 548
CH: 546
LBW: 448
"Have Thine Own Way, Lord"
found in:
UMH: 382
AAHH: 449
NNBH: 206
CH: 588
"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling"
found in:
UMH: 384
H82: 657
PH: 376
AAHH: 440
NNBH: 65
NCH: 43
CH: 517
LBW: 315
"Take My Life and Let It Be"
found in:
UMH: 399
H82: 707
PH: 391
NNBH: 213
NCH: 448
CH: 604
LBW: 406
"Something Beautiful"
found in:
UMH: 394
CCB: 84
"Change My Heart, O God"
found in:
CCB: 56
Renew: 143
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who has created and is ever creating anew: Grant us the grace to be part of your bringing creation to a new life far beyond what we have ever imagined; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship you, O God, and to open our lives to your ever-resurrecting Spirit that makes us and all creation into that which is ever new. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways in which we are so easily satisfied with the reanimation of our old lives rather than the new life God offers us.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. In your power and love you have offered us new life that is beyond all our hopes and dreams. Yet we are happy with just reclaiming our old lives. We think more of restoring the past than of finding a new future. Forgive our short-sightedness, and by the power of your Spirit restore the vision of your reign and realm within us. Amen.
Leader: God is the ever-creating One. God has a wondrous future in mind for all creation, including us. God forgives us and renews us whenever we are ready to receive God's grace.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We have come to worship and praise your Name, O God. Your creation continues to unfold into the future vision you hold for it.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. In your power and love you have offered us new life that is beyond all our hopes and dreams. Yet we are happy with just reclaiming our old lives. We think more of restoring the past than of finding a new future. Forgive our short-sightedness, and by the power of your Spirit restore the vision of your reign and realm within us.
We give thanks for all the wonders of this creation and for all the blessings that await us. You have been gracious to us, O God, and you are constantly at work to bring forth in us and all your creation the goodness your Spirit inspired in all at the beginning.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
In union with your care and love for all creation, we offer to you those who are on our hearts. We offer our prayers and loving spirits to join with your loving Spirit in reaching out to those in need of your resurrecting, renewing power.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
Possibly pictures of Lazarus being raised, an empty tomb, and a cycle of trash being transformed into usable goods.
Children's Sermon Starter
It is time to break out that old magic trick you have tucked away, or go out and get one. It should be one that appears to change one object into another. There are all kinds of tricks where you put an object like a penny in a box and when you close it and open it, you have a quarter instead. Do the trick for the children, and then talk about how anyone can learn to do a trick that makes it appear that something has changed -- but God really does change people. God can make bones become an army or raise Lazarus from the dead. God can take ordinary people and make them disciples. He can take us and make us disciples of Jesus.
CHILDREN'S SERMON Resurrection
John 11:1-45
Object: an obituary section from a newspaper
Good morning, boys and girls! I don't suppose many of you read the newspaper regularly, but every day in the paper they print a section like this one. (show the clipping) This is called an obituary section. It's a list of all the people in our town who have died recently. It tells about the person's age and family and a lot of other stuff about their life.
In the time of Jesus, they didn't have newspapers. But if they did have one, there would have been a really interesting obituary for a guy named Lazarus. It would have told about Lazarus, who had two sisters. He died and was buried in a tomb. But then, they would have said that after he was dead and buried he was brought back to life by Jesus! He came out of the tomb and rejoined his family. Wouldn't that have been an exciting obituary? (let the children answer)
Well, none of the people listed here have been brought back to life by Jesus -- yet! But every one of these people who have recently died will be brought back to life by Jesus -- if they believed in him when they died. Jesus tells us, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live." Jesus has promised to bring everyone back from the dead if they believe in him. Do all of you believe in Jesus? (let them answer) Good! Then you do not have to worry about death. Jesus will give all of you eternal life with him in heaven. Let's thank him for that.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you so much for giving us eternal life so that we never have to worry about death. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, April 10, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
