All Saints' Day
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VII, Cycle B
Theme For The Day
All those in Christ have new life beyond the grave and a comfort and presence for our lives in the meantime.
Old Testament Lesson
Isaiah 25:6-9
Godly Remnant
This is a song of praise, which the faithful through the "tribulation" will sing. On Mount Zion they will have a festival celebrating faithfulness toward them during their suffering. There will be good wine and food. There will be victory over death (v. 7) granted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:54. Tears will be wiped away. So the Godly remnant will celebrate their being saved. The analogy of death as a sheet or shroud, which was used to cover the dead body, is a good one. This will be destroyed and comfort will be given to those for whom death meant separation and pain.
New Testament Lesson
Revelation 21:1-6a
Alpha And Omega
The writer has a vision of a new creation where things are so much better for God's family. A new heaven and a new earth comes into being and their fear of the sea needs no longer be. The new Jerusalem comes personified as a marriage bride ready for the Christ (see 19:7-9). So here is where the saved will live. And God will live there with them (v. 3). Suffering is over and even death is removed. Then comes that precious promise about God's comfort. God will wipe away their tears (v. 7:17). This also connects with Israel's promise today in verse 25:8, which is our Old Testament Reading. Verses 5-6a reiterate the promise to make all things new and assure us we can count on God, who is trustworthy. God then assures us that God is the beginning and the end of all things, as claimed also in 1:8, by using the first and last letters for the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega.
The Gospel
John 11:32-44
The Raising Of Lazarus
This must have taken place shortly after the giving of his sight to blind Bartimaeus along Jericho's road. Now, after Jesus' death and resurrection, we could re-write Mary's words in verse 32: "Lord, because you have been here, my brother will not die but have eternal life with you."
These days, scholars are more and more guessing that Jesus' "beloved disciple" was this Lazarus. In verses 3, 5, and 36 we find this love of his disciples even more emphasized. So this story gives us Lazarus, who represents all us disciples who love Jesus and whom Jesus loves and will raise up to be with him.
The name Lazarus comes from "Eleazar," which means "God helps" and was a common Jewish name. While many reject the idea, I like the speculation that the author selected the name Lazarus from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), which is a story about life after death. While Luke doesn't mention a brother Lazarus, he does tell of Jesus' friendship with Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42).
What an odd contrast we find in verse 37! "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" These skeptics and critics seem to be right there on the spot wherever Jesus goes at this time. They still hang around today.
Preaching Possibilities
It's All Saints' Sunday and whatever we do, it needs to give comfort and encouragement to those who have lost loved ones over the last year. In most congregations, they are remembered on this day by some liturgical act, like reading the names of the deceased and ringing the church bell for each one. All three readings have been selected to do just that today. Each will stand on its own, like: Isaiah 25:6-9 -- God cares for us in our suffering; there is victory over death (v. 7); God wipes away our tears of grief; and death will be destroyed. The Revelation passage assures us of a good state of being after death; our tears are wiped away; all things will be made new; and God is with us at the beginning and end of our lives. The Gospel gives us the promise that for those who love Jesus, Jesus will bring them out of the grave and will also comfort their loved ones.
We can title our sermon on all three, "Great promises we count on at death." After writing all of this, I'll go with the graphic and lovely story told in the Gospel.
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
A. First retell the story of Jesus returning to Bethany and finding he was too late; his friend Lazarus had been dead for four days.
B. Second, move to looking at a number of the verses in John's account showing how we might interpret them in a couple of different ways.
1. Verse 32 -- Criticizing Jesus for her situation of having a dead brother and Jesus taking too long to get there. Or, even though she had lost her brother, she still expresses the deep faith that Jesus could have saved him.
2. Verse 35 -- He wept because he had let down his friends and was feeling guilty for not coming sooner. Or, he had just lost his best friend and it hurt.
3. Verse 37 -- A criticism for Jesus not doing for Lazarus what he did for the blind man. Or, an expression of confidence that he could have cured him from this illness.
4. Verse 43 -- A command for Lazarus to exit the cave grave that imprisoned him (what caves imprison us?). Or, a command to come out of death into life again.
C. Now move to the main things we learn from the miracle story:
1. We have a God who knows what it's like to grieve and lose a loved one to death.
2. There are many things that can entomb us yet in our day and Jesus would call us out, too: drug addiction, wealth addiction, jealousy, self-centeredness, and you add to the list with your life experience. "Come out!" Jesus says.
D. Now finish with the assurance that our loved ones we remember on All Saints' are safe in Jesus' care just like Lazarus was at Bethany.
Prayer For The Day
We rejoice on this All Saints' Sunday that you have promised us eternal life when we die and a comfort and encouragement for life yet while we live it out here on earth. Teach us how to comfort each other and share with others the help we have to come out of the tombs that imprison us. In Jesus the Christ's name. Amen.
Possible Metaphors And Stories
At a banquet to recognize retiring missionaries, Karen Anderson from Chile told of pulling dead bodies out of the river at night in her parish. The Pinochet regime had murdered them. The congregation helped her bury them, sometimes recognizing one of their missing own and many times having no idea of their identity. Nevertheless, they got a decent Christian burial. The living saints were instruments of care for all the saints.
In China, they celebrate in spring the Chung Yan Festival. People go to wash the graves of their ancestors and set off fireworks and have a picnic there. We can celebrate in a similar way this All Saints' Day. Our worship can praise God like Chinese fireworks and we can picnic with our ancestors as we take the bread and wine.
In the Batak culture of Sumatra, Indonesia, there is a strong custom of tugu. After ten years the family must build an elaborate tomb and move the dead bones of their ancestors to it. The ceremony is expensive and costly to the families of the poor. To apply our resurrection theology to this custom, Christian families gather at the tugu on Easter eve, stay all night, and then gather in their churches early Easter morning to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Somehow their actions say that a tomb, no matter how elaborate, will not do it. It's the promise of Easter which takes us through. Bataks also have a saying: Ndang marimba tano hamatean. Translated this means: "Any burial place in the world is acceptable." Our dwelling place shall be in heaven. The tugu is empty.
From my study window I can see the orange reflection of the sun in the morning in the windows of an insurance building long before it actually comes over the horizon to be seen. Easter is like seeing in Jesus' resurrection our own security long before we can view the physical proof of God's infinite care at our death or the death of our loved ones.
Preparation
The son-in-law preacher at the funeral of Carol Evenson on August 26, 2001, said, "You have told us you prepare a place for us. Now help us prepare for that place."
Living Sacrifice
Roman Catholic Priest Michael Judd, the New York Fire Department Chaplain, was killed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. He was giving last rites to a fireman. They carried his body to a nearby church and laid it on the chancel, placing a sheet over it with his hat and badge on the sheet. Paul speaks of "... a living sacrifice."
Alpha and Omega
According to Peter Jennings on ABC News, September 18, 2001, at St. Claire Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan, they baptized a two-month-old son at his firefighter father's funeral. Talk about Alpha and Omega!
All those in Christ have new life beyond the grave and a comfort and presence for our lives in the meantime.
Old Testament Lesson
Isaiah 25:6-9
Godly Remnant
This is a song of praise, which the faithful through the "tribulation" will sing. On Mount Zion they will have a festival celebrating faithfulness toward them during their suffering. There will be good wine and food. There will be victory over death (v. 7) granted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:54. Tears will be wiped away. So the Godly remnant will celebrate their being saved. The analogy of death as a sheet or shroud, which was used to cover the dead body, is a good one. This will be destroyed and comfort will be given to those for whom death meant separation and pain.
New Testament Lesson
Revelation 21:1-6a
Alpha And Omega
The writer has a vision of a new creation where things are so much better for God's family. A new heaven and a new earth comes into being and their fear of the sea needs no longer be. The new Jerusalem comes personified as a marriage bride ready for the Christ (see 19:7-9). So here is where the saved will live. And God will live there with them (v. 3). Suffering is over and even death is removed. Then comes that precious promise about God's comfort. God will wipe away their tears (v. 7:17). This also connects with Israel's promise today in verse 25:8, which is our Old Testament Reading. Verses 5-6a reiterate the promise to make all things new and assure us we can count on God, who is trustworthy. God then assures us that God is the beginning and the end of all things, as claimed also in 1:8, by using the first and last letters for the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega.
The Gospel
John 11:32-44
The Raising Of Lazarus
This must have taken place shortly after the giving of his sight to blind Bartimaeus along Jericho's road. Now, after Jesus' death and resurrection, we could re-write Mary's words in verse 32: "Lord, because you have been here, my brother will not die but have eternal life with you."
These days, scholars are more and more guessing that Jesus' "beloved disciple" was this Lazarus. In verses 3, 5, and 36 we find this love of his disciples even more emphasized. So this story gives us Lazarus, who represents all us disciples who love Jesus and whom Jesus loves and will raise up to be with him.
The name Lazarus comes from "Eleazar," which means "God helps" and was a common Jewish name. While many reject the idea, I like the speculation that the author selected the name Lazarus from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), which is a story about life after death. While Luke doesn't mention a brother Lazarus, he does tell of Jesus' friendship with Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42).
What an odd contrast we find in verse 37! "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" These skeptics and critics seem to be right there on the spot wherever Jesus goes at this time. They still hang around today.
Preaching Possibilities
It's All Saints' Sunday and whatever we do, it needs to give comfort and encouragement to those who have lost loved ones over the last year. In most congregations, they are remembered on this day by some liturgical act, like reading the names of the deceased and ringing the church bell for each one. All three readings have been selected to do just that today. Each will stand on its own, like: Isaiah 25:6-9 -- God cares for us in our suffering; there is victory over death (v. 7); God wipes away our tears of grief; and death will be destroyed. The Revelation passage assures us of a good state of being after death; our tears are wiped away; all things will be made new; and God is with us at the beginning and end of our lives. The Gospel gives us the promise that for those who love Jesus, Jesus will bring them out of the grave and will also comfort their loved ones.
We can title our sermon on all three, "Great promises we count on at death." After writing all of this, I'll go with the graphic and lovely story told in the Gospel.
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
A. First retell the story of Jesus returning to Bethany and finding he was too late; his friend Lazarus had been dead for four days.
B. Second, move to looking at a number of the verses in John's account showing how we might interpret them in a couple of different ways.
1. Verse 32 -- Criticizing Jesus for her situation of having a dead brother and Jesus taking too long to get there. Or, even though she had lost her brother, she still expresses the deep faith that Jesus could have saved him.
2. Verse 35 -- He wept because he had let down his friends and was feeling guilty for not coming sooner. Or, he had just lost his best friend and it hurt.
3. Verse 37 -- A criticism for Jesus not doing for Lazarus what he did for the blind man. Or, an expression of confidence that he could have cured him from this illness.
4. Verse 43 -- A command for Lazarus to exit the cave grave that imprisoned him (what caves imprison us?). Or, a command to come out of death into life again.
C. Now move to the main things we learn from the miracle story:
1. We have a God who knows what it's like to grieve and lose a loved one to death.
2. There are many things that can entomb us yet in our day and Jesus would call us out, too: drug addiction, wealth addiction, jealousy, self-centeredness, and you add to the list with your life experience. "Come out!" Jesus says.
D. Now finish with the assurance that our loved ones we remember on All Saints' are safe in Jesus' care just like Lazarus was at Bethany.
Prayer For The Day
We rejoice on this All Saints' Sunday that you have promised us eternal life when we die and a comfort and encouragement for life yet while we live it out here on earth. Teach us how to comfort each other and share with others the help we have to come out of the tombs that imprison us. In Jesus the Christ's name. Amen.
Possible Metaphors And Stories
At a banquet to recognize retiring missionaries, Karen Anderson from Chile told of pulling dead bodies out of the river at night in her parish. The Pinochet regime had murdered them. The congregation helped her bury them, sometimes recognizing one of their missing own and many times having no idea of their identity. Nevertheless, they got a decent Christian burial. The living saints were instruments of care for all the saints.
In China, they celebrate in spring the Chung Yan Festival. People go to wash the graves of their ancestors and set off fireworks and have a picnic there. We can celebrate in a similar way this All Saints' Day. Our worship can praise God like Chinese fireworks and we can picnic with our ancestors as we take the bread and wine.
In the Batak culture of Sumatra, Indonesia, there is a strong custom of tugu. After ten years the family must build an elaborate tomb and move the dead bones of their ancestors to it. The ceremony is expensive and costly to the families of the poor. To apply our resurrection theology to this custom, Christian families gather at the tugu on Easter eve, stay all night, and then gather in their churches early Easter morning to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Somehow their actions say that a tomb, no matter how elaborate, will not do it. It's the promise of Easter which takes us through. Bataks also have a saying: Ndang marimba tano hamatean. Translated this means: "Any burial place in the world is acceptable." Our dwelling place shall be in heaven. The tugu is empty.
From my study window I can see the orange reflection of the sun in the morning in the windows of an insurance building long before it actually comes over the horizon to be seen. Easter is like seeing in Jesus' resurrection our own security long before we can view the physical proof of God's infinite care at our death or the death of our loved ones.
Preparation
The son-in-law preacher at the funeral of Carol Evenson on August 26, 2001, said, "You have told us you prepare a place for us. Now help us prepare for that place."
Living Sacrifice
Roman Catholic Priest Michael Judd, the New York Fire Department Chaplain, was killed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. He was giving last rites to a fireman. They carried his body to a nearby church and laid it on the chancel, placing a sheet over it with his hat and badge on the sheet. Paul speaks of "... a living sacrifice."
Alpha and Omega
According to Peter Jennings on ABC News, September 18, 2001, at St. Claire Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan, they baptized a two-month-old son at his firefighter father's funeral. Talk about Alpha and Omega!
