Come Out!
Sermon
THE NEEDLE'S EYE
Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost II
Years ago I had the rare privilege of hearing a lecture in which the question was posed, "Did the angels actually sing to the shepherds on Jesus' birthnight?" Instead of tackling this directly and trying to prove an historical fact, the lecturer asked a secondary question, "Have angels quit singing?" Many testimonies give evidence they have not, he claimed. People still receive guidance from "voices" they call "my angel." People listen to heavenly harmony and find their lives set in peaceful channels. God's messengers travel the earth bringing his assurance and direction still today. The lecturer concluded: "Since angels still sing, what basis do we have to doubt that they sang, yes, and in special glory, that night of nights."
What I propose for this sermon is to take the story of Lazarus and put it alongside this lecture. "Did Jesus really raise Lazarus from the dead?" Instead of tackling this question head on, I suggest a secondary one, "Has Jesus quit calling people from the dead?" Has he quit instructing his disciples to unbind those who are in graveclothes and let their hands, feet, and faces be free? Testimonies abound of people saved from death's door, called back with a loud "Come out!" either by surgery, medicine, or unaccountable forces. The doctor stands by the family and says, "I cannot account for her being alive. Let's just call it a miracle." And, people who love God still hear the call to unbind the hands, and feet, and faces of those who are encased in various forms of decay and dying. The conclusion: since Jesus still works, restoring people to life, and his disciples still, in his name, unbind hands and feet, and unwrap faces, what reason do we have to doubt that in the time of his presence Jesus called forth Lazarus and instructed those around to serve his needs.
1. Unbind the hands. An American Indian, Stanley Hill, worked in iron construction for thirty-three years. His son, Jim, was killed in an automobile accident. Stanley already had a drinking problem. At the death of his son it went from bad to worse. At last he knew he had to take control of his life. He picked the object at hand, a knife, which he knew how to use, and began carving from bone and horn. At fifty-one he became an artist.
I'll tell you what I've found out over the years. Between the brain and the hand there is no limit to what a man can do…. I'm just doing something I like to do, something that seems to fit me. Sure I believe in myself, my ability, but I have always been willing to work hand in hand with the Creator.
Tony Ventresca, "Carving a Life from Death,"
feature article in The Saratogian Newspaper
Tuesday, March 22, 1988, Section C.
Stanley's hands were unbound from the force of death in alcohol and despair. He discovered that when his hands were hand-in-hand with the Creator, there was no limit to the exchanges between his brain and his hands, because there was no limit to the exchange between them and God. His ability to do was set free. "The Lord has no hands but our hands to do his work today."
2. Unbind the feet. Stanley not only had his hands unbound, thereby creating art works, but he had to sell them in order to live. He left home and traveled to his first art show. Not knowing what to do and having no display booth, he borrowed two saw horses and a piece of plywood to make do. To his amazement, he won first prize! Traveling became part of his work, and in time he traveled as far as the Smithsonian Institute. Along with creating hands, his feet walked along with the Creator. "I walked today where Jesus walked."
3. Unwrap the face. Stanley began to see. "One of the things I learned when I lost Jim was that there must be more to life than just making a living. I'm trying very hard to find it. I think I'm on the right track." For years he had worn blinders, thinking that the only thing a man does to prove he is a man is to make a living. Not that making a living is unimportant, but it is not the single most important ingredient of a person's life. Face-to-face with the Creator, Stanley began to see. Once again, he discovered that there is no limit to what a person can see when eye-to-eye with God. Then the hands and feet are working harmoniously with the vision. "I would see Jesus."
What is true about Stanley is true of every one of us. Between the brain and the hands, the brain and the feet, the brain and the eyes, there is no limit to what people can do, where they can go, and what they can see when they work hand-in-hand, go feet-with-feet, and see eye-to-eye with the Creator. Creating thus along with God, we work as co-creators.
I have a piece of calligraphy on my wall, done by a friend, Raymond Andrews. Lines from it are, "Remove the shroud of the world's false gospel; teach death inside me how to walk again." (Anonymous) In line with our sermon text: teach me not only to walk again, but to do again, and to see again. Life comes forth, in ever-widening dimensions. Behind these awakenings is the call of Christ: "Come out!"
This is the work of the Gospel of God, the good news present in Jesus Christ, the true Gospel, not the false gospel of the world. The big question then for each of us to ask is, "What about me?" I ask this for my own sake, and you have to ask "What about me?" for your own sake. "Once unbound what can my hands, feet, and face do?" This question is impossible to answer, for I have no way of computing the marvel of creativity lying within the capacity of me or any member of this congregation when the brain, the hands, the feet, and the eyes work with the Creator. The answers are limitless as creativity is limitless.
An easier question to address is this, "When bound, what is happening to my hands? my feet? my face?"
When bound, what do my hands do? They grasp tightly; they hold on; they set limits to what they will hold; they reject experimentation. Anything other than what they hold securely is suspect and not welcome. A little death resides inside the hand, holding on for dear life -- frightened, a form of rigor mortis. Here is the world's false gospel that has taught me to hold on to my self-interests before anything else. A voice from within whispers, "If you don't do for yourself who will do for you?" We hold on tighter.
When bound, what do my feet do? They keep safe. The way they know how to keep safe is to keep going as suits the fancy. They do not branch out; they walk in tighter circles, ever more protective of the self. Like a cartoon, I discover at last that I have painted myself into a corner. A little death in me had gotten hold of me and curves me in on myself. The world's false gospel has gotten into my feet, whispering "Cover your tracks; cover your tracks."
When bound, what does my face do? It looks within. Where else can it look? Looking within, it sees only what it has seen before, always busy justifying what I have seen and what I feel about it. There is no search to my life, no possibility to anything that is "news," good news, that is; because the little death inside me has hold of me and prevents me from looking and seeing anything other than what I know already. There are no growth questions for me, no new outlooking. The world's false gospel has wrapped up my face and alerted me to see only what it wants me to see. I easily turn this into what I am convinced I want to see. A voice whispers "If it's true for me, it's true." What need to explore? The truth is guaranteed by this horrible little sentence that blocks change, growth, and ultimately prevents me from having a vision of the Creator.
The voice of Jesus still comes to me and to you. Come out! He calls us into life, good news. Once life stirs inside the shroud that has held us captive to a false gospel, the thrill of genuinely good news begins to claim us. Then Jesus calls to our friends, family, clergy, workers, and caring professionals, "Unbind the hands; unbind the feet; unwrap the face." Then it is that the hands that have been bound pick up the first object we see of meaning before us and begin to do good works, creating a link-up between the brain and the Creator. The feet begin to walk according to his urgings. The eyes, no longer fixed upon the self, begin to see with his eyes, a vision of possibilities laden with good news.
The good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is at work in me!
The conclusion: Jesus still calls you and me, "Come out!" And, he calls others to unbind our hands, our feet, and unwrap our faces. We are no longer alone in this world, as we were when wrapped up in ourselves. Others work his work, do his good in our bodies, our brains, and our visions.
What of the initial question. "Did Jesus really raise Lazarus from the dead?" Since he still calls you and me from the death at work in us, the shroud of the world's false gospel, we have no reason to doubt that he called Lazarus, "Come Out!" And, he also instructed those around him to be about doing his work -- unbinding hands, feet, and faces still wrapped in graveclothes.
"God has no hands but our hands to do his work today."
"I would walk today where Jesus walked."
"I would look so carefully and closely that I would see Jesus."
What I propose for this sermon is to take the story of Lazarus and put it alongside this lecture. "Did Jesus really raise Lazarus from the dead?" Instead of tackling this question head on, I suggest a secondary one, "Has Jesus quit calling people from the dead?" Has he quit instructing his disciples to unbind those who are in graveclothes and let their hands, feet, and faces be free? Testimonies abound of people saved from death's door, called back with a loud "Come out!" either by surgery, medicine, or unaccountable forces. The doctor stands by the family and says, "I cannot account for her being alive. Let's just call it a miracle." And, people who love God still hear the call to unbind the hands, and feet, and faces of those who are encased in various forms of decay and dying. The conclusion: since Jesus still works, restoring people to life, and his disciples still, in his name, unbind hands and feet, and unwrap faces, what reason do we have to doubt that in the time of his presence Jesus called forth Lazarus and instructed those around to serve his needs.
1. Unbind the hands. An American Indian, Stanley Hill, worked in iron construction for thirty-three years. His son, Jim, was killed in an automobile accident. Stanley already had a drinking problem. At the death of his son it went from bad to worse. At last he knew he had to take control of his life. He picked the object at hand, a knife, which he knew how to use, and began carving from bone and horn. At fifty-one he became an artist.
I'll tell you what I've found out over the years. Between the brain and the hand there is no limit to what a man can do…. I'm just doing something I like to do, something that seems to fit me. Sure I believe in myself, my ability, but I have always been willing to work hand in hand with the Creator.
Tony Ventresca, "Carving a Life from Death,"
feature article in The Saratogian Newspaper
Tuesday, March 22, 1988, Section C.
Stanley's hands were unbound from the force of death in alcohol and despair. He discovered that when his hands were hand-in-hand with the Creator, there was no limit to the exchanges between his brain and his hands, because there was no limit to the exchange between them and God. His ability to do was set free. "The Lord has no hands but our hands to do his work today."
2. Unbind the feet. Stanley not only had his hands unbound, thereby creating art works, but he had to sell them in order to live. He left home and traveled to his first art show. Not knowing what to do and having no display booth, he borrowed two saw horses and a piece of plywood to make do. To his amazement, he won first prize! Traveling became part of his work, and in time he traveled as far as the Smithsonian Institute. Along with creating hands, his feet walked along with the Creator. "I walked today where Jesus walked."
3. Unwrap the face. Stanley began to see. "One of the things I learned when I lost Jim was that there must be more to life than just making a living. I'm trying very hard to find it. I think I'm on the right track." For years he had worn blinders, thinking that the only thing a man does to prove he is a man is to make a living. Not that making a living is unimportant, but it is not the single most important ingredient of a person's life. Face-to-face with the Creator, Stanley began to see. Once again, he discovered that there is no limit to what a person can see when eye-to-eye with God. Then the hands and feet are working harmoniously with the vision. "I would see Jesus."
What is true about Stanley is true of every one of us. Between the brain and the hands, the brain and the feet, the brain and the eyes, there is no limit to what people can do, where they can go, and what they can see when they work hand-in-hand, go feet-with-feet, and see eye-to-eye with the Creator. Creating thus along with God, we work as co-creators.
I have a piece of calligraphy on my wall, done by a friend, Raymond Andrews. Lines from it are, "Remove the shroud of the world's false gospel; teach death inside me how to walk again." (Anonymous) In line with our sermon text: teach me not only to walk again, but to do again, and to see again. Life comes forth, in ever-widening dimensions. Behind these awakenings is the call of Christ: "Come out!"
This is the work of the Gospel of God, the good news present in Jesus Christ, the true Gospel, not the false gospel of the world. The big question then for each of us to ask is, "What about me?" I ask this for my own sake, and you have to ask "What about me?" for your own sake. "Once unbound what can my hands, feet, and face do?" This question is impossible to answer, for I have no way of computing the marvel of creativity lying within the capacity of me or any member of this congregation when the brain, the hands, the feet, and the eyes work with the Creator. The answers are limitless as creativity is limitless.
An easier question to address is this, "When bound, what is happening to my hands? my feet? my face?"
When bound, what do my hands do? They grasp tightly; they hold on; they set limits to what they will hold; they reject experimentation. Anything other than what they hold securely is suspect and not welcome. A little death resides inside the hand, holding on for dear life -- frightened, a form of rigor mortis. Here is the world's false gospel that has taught me to hold on to my self-interests before anything else. A voice from within whispers, "If you don't do for yourself who will do for you?" We hold on tighter.
When bound, what do my feet do? They keep safe. The way they know how to keep safe is to keep going as suits the fancy. They do not branch out; they walk in tighter circles, ever more protective of the self. Like a cartoon, I discover at last that I have painted myself into a corner. A little death in me had gotten hold of me and curves me in on myself. The world's false gospel has gotten into my feet, whispering "Cover your tracks; cover your tracks."
When bound, what does my face do? It looks within. Where else can it look? Looking within, it sees only what it has seen before, always busy justifying what I have seen and what I feel about it. There is no search to my life, no possibility to anything that is "news," good news, that is; because the little death inside me has hold of me and prevents me from looking and seeing anything other than what I know already. There are no growth questions for me, no new outlooking. The world's false gospel has wrapped up my face and alerted me to see only what it wants me to see. I easily turn this into what I am convinced I want to see. A voice whispers "If it's true for me, it's true." What need to explore? The truth is guaranteed by this horrible little sentence that blocks change, growth, and ultimately prevents me from having a vision of the Creator.
The voice of Jesus still comes to me and to you. Come out! He calls us into life, good news. Once life stirs inside the shroud that has held us captive to a false gospel, the thrill of genuinely good news begins to claim us. Then Jesus calls to our friends, family, clergy, workers, and caring professionals, "Unbind the hands; unbind the feet; unwrap the face." Then it is that the hands that have been bound pick up the first object we see of meaning before us and begin to do good works, creating a link-up between the brain and the Creator. The feet begin to walk according to his urgings. The eyes, no longer fixed upon the self, begin to see with his eyes, a vision of possibilities laden with good news.
The good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is at work in me!
The conclusion: Jesus still calls you and me, "Come out!" And, he calls others to unbind our hands, our feet, and unwrap our faces. We are no longer alone in this world, as we were when wrapped up in ourselves. Others work his work, do his good in our bodies, our brains, and our visions.
What of the initial question. "Did Jesus really raise Lazarus from the dead?" Since he still calls you and me from the death at work in us, the shroud of the world's false gospel, we have no reason to doubt that he called Lazarus, "Come Out!" And, he also instructed those around him to be about doing his work -- unbinding hands, feet, and faces still wrapped in graveclothes.
"God has no hands but our hands to do his work today."
"I would walk today where Jesus walked."
"I would look so carefully and closely that I would see Jesus."
