Isaiah 25: 6-9; Revelation 21:
1-6a; John 11: 32-44
Today,
we recognize that death is part of life. We also remember that death is not the
last word in our life. So, instead of the black of Good Friday and death, we wear
the white of Easter and new life.
Isaiah is writing with hope about
the future. The days look grim in ancient Israel. Babylon has been threatening,
and the army is now advancing. The royal family and leaders are being
transported to Babylon, a walk of 1,000 miles. Many have already died, many
would die along the way. The city and beautiful temple would be destroyed.
Their world is ending. The people are grieving.
In
the midst of this despair, Isaiah offers these words of hope: we will once
again feast on this mountain, in this place. The shame of being conquered will
be lifted, and the conquering army will itself be defeated. God will wipe away
every tear that we are crying today.
There
are times when we cry as individuals and as families; there are times when we
as a congregation weep; and there are times when we as a nation weep in
despair. We weep because we feel loss. We weep because we are afraid. We weep
because everything has changed.
We
also feel angry. Jesus and Lazarus and Lazarus’ sisters were good friends. We
have the sense that he was a frequent guest in their home. When Lazarus was
ill, the sisters sent word to Jesus to come quickly. But, Jesus tarried; he
intentionally waited until Lazarus was dead before he returned to Bethany.
One
at a time, Martha and Mary confront Jesus. They are angry and sad and
frustrated. This story is so human, it’s one of my favorites. They believe that
Jesus can heal Lazarus when he is ill. But, they don’t imagine that Jesus can
restore him to life once he is dead.
Jesus
prays aloud so the gathered crowd can hear that it is with God’s power that he
does what he is about to do. He calls, “Lazarus, come out!” and Lazarus comes
walking out, still wrapped in the shroud and face cover of burial. The sisters
run to welcome him back and to unbind the burial clothes. Jesus has certainly
turned the tears of grief into the laughter of joy.
About
60 years later, the folks who believe in Jesus in what was then called Asia
Minor were being persecuted for their faith. In some regions, the persecution
was negligible; in other regions, it was intense. Persecutions affected many
aspects of their lives, in the meat they purchased, the coins they used, their
spying neighbors. Believers were forced
to worship the emperor, or suffer in prison, even die in the arena.
In
the face of such persecutions, such sadness and fear, John of Patmos wrote to
the people in the churches about remaining faithful to Jesus despite the risk. Eventually,
he wrote, the earthly power of the emperor and other earthly rulers would end.
He wrote of the ultimate victory of Jesus over the evil one.
John
of Patmos wrote of the joy the believers would find in knowing Jesus and his
love for them. He wrote of the way that Jesus’ love would wipe away all their
tears.
As
Jesus’ hands on earth, it is our job to wipe away the tears of those who weep.
And so we give to Hope, so we can wipe away tears right here in Citrus County.
We give to the ELCA, we give to Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran Disaster
Relief to wipe away the tears of those suffering from poverty, drought,
earthquakes, and hurricanes.
Sometimes, the best thing we can
do is pray. There’s a story in a recent issue of The Lutheran about a woman who prays. Diane began to pray for
seminary students after reading an article about them. She sent little knit
“prayer squares” in cards to the students, so they could hold onto them when
things were difficult – when they were shedding tears. The prayer squares helped
wipe away the tears.
In Belvidere, Illinois, a little
girl was crying. She was tired of being poor. Her mother cried too. Then they
heard the ice cream truck, recognizable blocks away because of the music it
played. The only money in the house was in the daughter’s coin purse. The
mother took it and followed the girl outside to the street where the ice cream
truck played its merry tune.
The
mother was delighted when they were told that Christ Lutheran Church was paying
for ice cream for the neighborhood. The church members wanted to find simple
ways to reach the neighborhood. It turns out they found a great way to wipe
away the tears from some neighbors’ eyes.
In
July, ELCA youth, including 4 from Hope, went to Detroit. Each youth and leader
spent some time wiping away the tears from the eyes of Detroit residents. They
cleaned up parks and empty lots, to make them usable again. They repaired or
boarded up houses and homeless shelters. They covered graffiti with mosaics,
and stacked diapers for delivery to families in need.
We often think of saints as the
holy ones who have died, who had great faith, who did miracles. People like
Peter and James and Paul and the martyrs who died in Ephesus and Rome 2,000
years ago. We think of saints as those whom we love who died in the past year –
Lee and Ted and Ruth and Clayton and those we name in our hearts. These, we
remember and shed tears for today. We call them all saints.
But
the Greek word we translate into English as saints is hagioi – which means
simply believers. Since we gathered here are believers, we also are the saints,
called to wipe away the tears of those in our community who weep. It seems, at
times, like there are too many who weep, and we are insignificant against all
the tears. But, with the help of Jesus, we can do amazing things, wiping the
tears of children and parents and seminary students and city-dwellers who have
almost given up hope. This week, be on the lookout for someone who weeps. Is
there a way to wipe away their tears?
Please
pray with me. God of compassion, we need you today as we remember those who
have died. Yes, we know they are with you. But we still miss them here, and ask
you to wipe away our tears. Fill us with hope, grant us the sure knowledge that
good things wait for us after our earthly death. And, in the meantime, send us
out to wipe away the tears of those who suffer in any way today. Amen
