Extra-Terrestrial

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall Texas on Sunday November 25, 2012, the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time. This is also Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday.

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Psalm 132:1-12

Revelation 1:4b-8

John 18:33-37

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen.

This month on facebook, many of my pastor friends have participated in something called “Thirty Days of Thankfulness.” Some of your friends may have been doing this too. Beginning on Reformation Day and continuing throughout November, people have been sharing what they are thankful for.

People are thankful for family and friends. People are thankful for the roof over their heads. People are thankful for the jobs that help provide the roof over their family’s heads. People are thankful for sun and snow. People are thankful for first responders and the Red Cross because nobody is thankful for Superstorm Sandy. Many of my friends are of course thankful for the one who makes all of this, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I have thought about this constantly. I have decided I am thankful for words. I love the written word. I love a good novel. I love good magazine articles. I love getting letters and cards, especially with notes written inside. I love messages sent and received on facebook and Twitter. I love sharing through email. I even love composing and sending the pastoral letter every month, though some months are better than others. I love the Word of God. Above all, I am thankful for the word of God. I love the word who was God. I love the word who was with God. I love God who is the Alpha and the Omega. The one who was, is, and is to come.

There are some words that end up changing. It has to do with the way words are used than it has to do with the words themselves. Slang has a lot to do with that. So does emerging technology.

There’s a word that is almost missing completely from our vocabulary, King. All royal terms are now almost missing from our vocabulary. Unless you read a British scandal rag or an American tabloid there’s no reason for us to even consider the words and titles or royalty anymore.

Those of you who are around my age may remember this: In 1972, a man named David McCall noticed that his sons could remember the lyrics to songs on the radio, but could not remember their multiplication tables. So he wrote a song about multiplying by threes called “Three Is a Magic Number.” It tested well with kids and ended up on a children’s album. At the same time, a man named Tom Yohe heard the song and began making doodles that fit the music.[1] This is how Multiplication Rock! began. With the addition of Grammar Rock! in 1974 they evolved into Schoolhouse Rock! In 1975 America Rock! was born with the coming of the American Bicentennial celebration.

One of the songs from America Rock! is called “No More Kings.”  It’s a ditty about American Independence from the English Monarchy.  In three minutes it chronicled American history from the pilgrim landing of 1620 through the Boston Tea Party of 1773.  It portrayed King George first as a benevolent protector of the colonies and later as an uncaring, oppressive tyrant.  The clarion call of the song was found in its final verses:

They wanted no more Mother England.
They knew the time had come
For them to take command.

It's very clear you're being unfair, King,
No matter what you say, we won't obey.
Gonna hold a revolution now, King,

And we're gonna run it all our way
With no more kings...

We're gonna elect a president! (No more kings)
He's gonna do what the people want! (No more kings)
We're gonna run things our way! (No more kings)
Nobody's gonna tell us what to do![2]

No more kings has been our clarion call for nearly 240 years. No more kings! We are very serious about this, and we should be. We don’t want a government that doesn’t respond to the people. As the song says, “[The President]'s gonna do what the people want!” With nearly 240 years without a king, monarchy is little more than a weak concept to us. This doesn’t upset me, but it doesn’t leave us with much context for what a king or kingdom is. And that is important in today’s gospel reading. It is important on this, Christ the King Sunday.

Today we enter the drama between Pilate and Jesus. It begins as the Sanhedrin, the temple leadership, has finally been able to bring Jesus before the Roman Governor Pilate. The Scribes and the Pharisees accuse Jesus of calling himself a King. In the Roman Empire this is a treasonous offence; because there is no other King aside from Caesar. Debate raged between the leaders of the temple and the governor of the state. “Why do you bring him to me?” Pilate asks.  “Because he’s guilty!” they answer. Realizing that the temple leaders would see Jesus killed, Pilate goes to Jesus himself and asks “Are you the King of the Jews?” 

Pilate asks Jesus a political question, “Are you the King of the Jews? Are you their King,” It is the question Pilate needs answered if he is going to execute Jesus. If Jesus is a rival king, then he is guilty of treason and subject to execution by the hand of the empire he rebels against. It’s the law of the land. If Jesus is of no earthly political threat, there is no reason that he should be held by Rome. If he is a threat to the temple, that is a matter for the Sanhedrin, not Pilate. Oh and how I imagine Pilate hoped this would be their matter instead of his. 

Pilate asks, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 

As with most tests, Jesus does not answer directly. He answers by asking, “Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?” Pilate confirms that no Roman authority delivers Jesus to Roman law; it is his own nation and the chief priests. Then Pilate asks the question of all questions: “What is it that you have done?”

What have you done? What have you done to deserve this fate? What have you done to cause such an uproar? What have you done that the chief priests of your own people will bring you to me to be executed?

So Jesus answers, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

A word that gets a lot of attention is “extra.” It has many different nuances, but in general it means “more.” This is how Taco Bell gives us the XXL Steak Nachos; extra, extra large. This is how teachers came up with “extra credit” to give more points to students for more work.

Sometimes though, it means “beyond.” We’re all familiar with the old movie “ET: The Extraterrestrial.” It’s a film about a little guy from outer space. Extraterrestrial means “beyond our world.” To us, we can say that Jesus’ kingdom is extraterrestrial; from beyond our world, from another place. Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

Marie recently gave me a copy of Mitch Albom’s new book, “The Time Keeper.”[3] One of the main characters is the first man who measured time. Measured time was such a novel concept that it took the people from pagan religions where gods of dark and light fought over the skies to the Timex, Swatch, and Rolex. Measuring time moved us from a broad concept of seasons to a concrete understanding of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Albom’s understanding of time, which is nothing new, allows us say that the kingdom of God is now and forever, now and not yet, and yesterday, today, and tomorrow. This view of time, both ethereal and concrete, helps us see another way that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. Christ’s kingdom not only exists beyond this world, it exists both inside and outside of time. That’s a kingdom Pilate could never have considered.

So we have a king, a great king whose kingdom exists outside of anything we have ever experienced; not really of this world, not really of this time. In that way, this king’s reign doesn’t threaten us because of how it exists and how it doesn’t exist. This is a time when we run into our American mindset. Again from Bicentennial Rock!

We're gonna elect a president! (No more kings)
He's gonna do what the people want! (No more kings)
We're gonna run things our way! (No more kings)
Nobody's gonna tell us what to do![4]

I believe that Americans, as a people, have no concept of kings, kingship, and kingdoms. In the Old Testament, it represented the national or civil monarchy.[5] The books of Kings and Chronicles show the varying success of these earthly kingdoms. The word is also used for the Redeemer King.[6] These are the kings of the Psalms. To the Greeks, the king was the lawful and usually priestly ruler of the people, in a good sense[7] (whatever that means). While this king points to the civil kings, it is also the fertile soil of the Messiah to come. This is the king we speak of when we speak of Christ the King.

As Americans, democracy, the voice of the people, and self governance are ingrained upon us. This kingship is foreign to us, and a little frightening. Kings call us to give up control of our and that doesn’t always set well. Giving up our right to control our own lives is positively undemocratic. Yet, that is how we are to live in the Reign of Christ under his kingship.

We know the slogan “God is my co-pilot.” While this keeps our personal sense of control in order, it is a poor substitute for the kingdom to come. It affirms self control and denies the Kingship of Christ. Honestly, if God is not our pilot we are going the wrong way. God is sovereign, God is in control, and this is the way of the kingdom to come.

Our call, our vocation is not to live in the turmoil of our daily lives, but in the reign of Christ. On this Christ the King Sunday we are called to remember this: Our lives are different, but not so different. There are now and have always been kings and governments and commitments that have made a play for our attention, our devotion, our honor. Our call; here and beyond, now and forever, is to be citizens in Christ’s kingdom.

So for me, I am thankful for words. I am thankful for words, like love, and peace, and grace, and hope. I am thankful for the Reign of Christ that makes these words more than words. I am thankful for the Reign of Christ that makes these words more than just words; yesterday, today and tomorrow; now and forever and always; on earth as it is in heaven.

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[1] Schoolhouse Rock, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock

[2] Ahern, Lynn, “No More Kings.”  Lyrics found at http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/No.html

[3] Albom, Mitch, “The Time Keeper.” New York: Hyperion, 2012.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. I, page 565.

[6] Ibid. page 566.

[7] Ibid. page 564.

Two Lessons: One Obvious, One Not

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday November 11, 2012, the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. This is also Stewardship Sunday.

Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17

Psalm 127

Hebrews 9:24-28

Mark 12:38-44

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen

One of Stanley Kubrick’s last movies was 1987’s “Full Metal Jacket.” The film follows a squad of Marines through basic training at Parris Island and the experiences of two of these men in Vietnam; including the Tet Offensive and the Battle of Huế. What I find interesting about Kubrick’s treatment is the way he connected two such disjointed stories. The movement from basic to combat isn’t earth shattering, but the shift from South Carolina and Southeast Asia in one pivotal scene doesn’t move the story from one phase to the next, it takes it from one world to another.

In a way, we have the same thing with our reading from the Gospel, “The Warning About the Scribes” and “The Widow’s Offering”[1] The people in both stories are largely the same, we are in the same place, and even in the same time, but there is a disconnect between them which show us different worlds.

 “Watch out for the teachers of the law,” Jesus said. “They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.” This sounds like an indictment against all of the scribes, but just a few verses earlier Jesus tells one scribe that he is not far from the Kingdom of God.[2] A better expression of this passage would be, “Beware the scribes, particularly the ones who like to walk around in long robes…” and so on.

The good news in this statement is that Jesus does not indict all of the scribes as greedy and evil.  He specifically separates the ones who walk around like they are someone more special than we are and more important than they are. They are the ones who like to eat the upper crust,[3] especially when someone else is buying dinner. Beware of the scribes who are attracted to the things they do not deserve.

Beware them because they will take you for all you are worth. Sure, they’ll do what they are supposed to do; they’ll recite their prayers and even recite them in public. After all, it’s impossible to attract attention for doing good works if they are done in private. Beware the Scribes who eat well, because they eat like a plague of locusts. “They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.”

This part of today’s reading could not be more straight forward. Jesus is speaking plainly.  Jesus shows us how revoltingly the greedy Scribes behave, pointing out their absurdity. To see one of these Scribes walking around the marketplace in long robes would be exactly like seeing me walking around the square in my robe and stole. How presumptuous.

In the introduction to one of my favorite books from one of my favorite authors, this story shows us another way to see these scribes:

In a recent class discussion, a student mentioned a workshop she had attended in which an “image consultant” spoke to the gathered ministers (or church professionals as they referred to themselves). The consultant pointed up to the need for clergy to project a positive professional image. She told them that, because they are made in the image of God, they should buy only the best clothes, jewelry and accessories, and should make every effort to look as chic and smart as possible. After the student related her (all too true) story, I paused for a very long time. I was frankly appalled and, momentarily at a loss for words.

The students sat as the silence hung heavy around us. Finally, I said: “I guess what I’m trying to picture in my mind is this: how should we look if we are supposed to reflect the image of the God who has revealed himself to us in the tormented shape of a Jewish man named Jesus, crucified on a city dump and discarded by the powers of his world?”[4]

I am sure that this image consultant had the best interests of church professionals in mind when she gave this advice to those who paid good money to hear it. Unfortunately, one way to interpret her advice is that church professionals are to look like the Scribes; wearing $2,000.00 suits, walking around the Wal-Mart, and being greeted with adoration by the little people.

We do not leave the temple without another story, the tale of the widow’s offering. The first story was offered at the temple for all who were there with ears to hear, this one is told specifically and directly to his disciples.

Jesus watched many rich people putting large sums of money into the temple treasury. The way the collection was set up there were large horn shaped funnels that led to metal boxes where the worshipper placed their offering. When someone put a large offering into the horn, it caused a great racket.

To our ears it would sound more like a slot machine paying off a jackpot at a Shreveport casino than the offering. With a flourish, everyone within earshot would be reminded who the rich folks are, and how extravagant their gift is. So when the widow placed two small copper coins, mites, in the treasury, hardly anyone took notice at all. Jesus, Jesus took notice.

She did not give much; she was not able to give much. Scripture tells us that she gave all she had to live on though. Another way to translate this passage is to say “She gave her whole life.”  She gave her whole being and all of her existence, not just all of her cash. She gave her whole life.

So in this part of our reading there’s one very obvious lesson, and it’s found in verse 40, the men, the teachers who take advantage of their positions will be punished more severely. “More severely” than what is unsaid, but it’s easy to say that if we seek to avoid punishment we surely seek to avoid more severe punishment.

The other story, the story of the widow’s offering, has more nuance. Was Jesus praising her for her faith or was Jesus condemning a system which demanded every last thing from the poorest, weakest members of the community? Was he doing some odd combination of both? This bothered me all week.

It would be consistent with the first half of the reading for Jesus to condemn the system.  Jesus lambastes the Scribes for being holier than thou. He warns the people about how some of them flaunt their roles in society taking advantage of their status for personal gain. Then Jesus praises the widow who gave her whole life. Anti-scribe, anti-system, pro-widow; this is the battle I fought all week, until Thursday.

On Thursday during Lectio Divina, I expressed this conundrum. Then Al piped up, “Pastor, I think in both stories Jesus was being anti-hypocrite.” Well that stopped me in my tracks. I was stopped for two very good reasons. First, this had never crossed my mind. Second, Al was absolutely right!

In both stories Jesus upheld those whose response to God and the church was righteous. These scribes, they traded on their status. They used their office for the best seats, the best food; living off of other people and repaying life with empty words. They devour widows praying another one will be coming along soon. Jesus stands against these hypocrites warning everyone within earshot that these scribes will be punished most severely.

The rich dumped the surplus of their riches into the treasury, making a racket so everyone would know how rich they were. What did the congregation know? They knew these folks gave a lot and they knew they were still rich. The people didn’t know what they gave, but it was a great show so it must have been a lot. The woman gave her whole life. Jesus doesn’t honor the people who pretend to be generous. Jesus honors those who are generous. Jesus teaches this lesson to his disciples alone.

There’s one more lesson that is important for the Presbyterian Church (USA). Jesus commends the woman for giving her life to the treasury. He commended her for giving to the synagogue and the temple. He commended her for giving to a bunch of leaders he knew were corrupt, hypocritical, fearful men. He commended her for giving her life for a church that would soon murder him.

Jesus doesn’t want us to give to the church because of what we make it. Jesus wants us to give to the church because of what he has made it. Jesus wants us to give to the church because of what he continues to make it.

Many congregations and many individuals have reduced or quit giving altogether because of what the church has done or what they imagine the church will do. People are displeased, that’s the nature of people. In the lesson of the widow’s mite, we know Jesus is displeased with the temple elite, that’s obvious. Despite the sinful nature of people and the things people build, Jesus commends the widow’s gift.

He will fought and died for the redemption of the church and the reconciliation of all creation. He will left his Spirit so that we may be counseled and consoled. He leaves his Spirit so that we may learn the lessons of his life, his death, and his resurrection.

By now, I’m sure you’ve remembered it’s Stewardship Sunday. This is the Sunday every year when I stand here and commend those who give like the widow (and may I never devour a widow) while asking those who give like the rich to consider giving more than just the surplus. You have also heard me say that God wants not just our treasure but also our time and talent.

This autumn, several members of the congregation participated in a study called “Committed to Christ, Six Steps to a Generous Life.”[5] This program taught us that there is more to stewardship than just writing a check. According to author Bob Crossman, our life of good stewardship must begin with the basics.

The first two are the most basic things we are called to do as Christians; we are called to pray and read scripture daily. This is where we start. When we are in scripture, we see who God is and what God has done through the expanse of history. In scripture we are able to see both good and bad examples. In scripture we see how God has loved all creation.

In prayer we come with our joys and concerns, this is true. We should also come in repentance, knowing that we have sinned. We also need to come giving glory to the Triune God who made and continues to make us, working to reconcile all creation not to Eden, but to the New Eden. What is even more amazing, we are called to not just spend time talking to God, we are called to listen for God. By scripture and prayer, we come to know God.

We are called to worship. We are called to come and join together in the name and in the presence of the Lord. We are called to share the sacraments. We are called to share fellowship. We are called to join with the saints of yesterday and today. We are called to come together and rejoice.

As we called to come together and share the word of God we are called to serve God’s people and creation. We are called to hands-on service in Jesus’ name. With our hands, we are called to share God’s word with the world.

Then comes the difficult one, “The ‘E’ Word,” evangelism. We are called to share our faith with the world. We are called to share not just with our hands but with an open hand of invitation. This scares most people to death. What’s joyful is Jesus doesn’t want us to share the Book of Order with the world; he wants us to share the joy of our relationship with God in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Spirit. He wants us to share our relationship with God who is right here, up-close and personal. He wants us to share our relationship with God who loves the world so much he gave his only begotten son.

When it comes to sharing; don’t share religion, share faith. Don’t share polity, share love. Don’t even share me, share Jesus. That’s the lesson of the widow and of the Lord’s Supper, the righteous share everything.

Finally, very importantly, yes, we are called to share what God has given us financially too. We are called to be generous, giving to the church what God gave us in the first place. So, if you want to hear a financial report, I can share that too, maybe after worship. Right now we have one more fish to fry.

What’s the lesson of these two lessons? In the end they’re not as different as I thought. God loves a cheerful giver. God loves those who willingly give their whole life, not just the part they want to give. God will punish those who misuse their place. God honors the righteous. God will smite the hypocrite.

On a final note, I have heard the pastor shouldn’t know what the people give. I have heard that the offering should be between the believer and the Lord. All I can say to that is, “You’re right, it is, and that is obvious.”

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[1] Heading titles in the New Interpreter’s Study Bible, Mark 12:38-40 and 12:41-44 respectively.

[2] Mark 12:34

[3] The first draft said “high on the hog,” but even living in the “Home of the Razorbacks” that just wasn’t kosher.

[4] Jinkins, Michael, Transformational Ministry, Church Leadership and the Way of the Cross.  Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2002, page xi.

[5] Crossman, Bob, “Committed to Christ, Six Steps to a Generous Life.” Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2012.

The Final Word

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday November 4, 2012, the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Audio for "The Final Word" was corrupted so will not be available. Sorry about that friends.

Isaiah 25:6-9

Psalm 24

Revelation 21:1-6a

John 11:32-44

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen

Hurricane Sandy was born on October 22^nd. It was birthed in the warm waters of the Caribbean where it quickly amplified from low pressure system to tropical depression to tropical storm. Two days later it became a hurricane as it plowed into Jamaica. We don’t hear much about the tropical days of Sandy anymore. In the southern parts of the continent Sandy took 70 lives in Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. There are still 21 Haitians missing too.[1]

From there, I don’t have to tell you much about the path of the storm. It pretty much paralleled the Atlantic coast until taking a sharp left into southern New Jersey. Every bit of Sandy brought its share of terror to the East Coast just before Halloween. Only a category one Hurricane, Sandy’s sheer size was perhaps the most devastating part of what is now called a Super Storm. In total, 24 states bore Sandy’s wrath. From Florida to Maine and west to Wisconsin, Sandy’s trod across our country. By the time the storm left the US and entered Canada, an additional 110 people were killed in the path and the wrath of the storm.

Among those 110 souls, some were related to the storm’s aftermath. Some were injured and killed by fire and electrocution that followed.

One especially devastated community, the Belle Harbor neighborhood in Queens, New York City faced its third major travesty of the century. This neighborhood is the home of many of New York’s Bravest, the Fire Department of New York. Many firefighters from this neighborhood perished in the World Trade Center collapse in 2001. This is also the site of the crash of American Airlines flight 587 on November 12, 2001. This brought the loss of all 260 aboard and five more on the ground. Just two months after 9/11, this community was devastated again. Eleven years later, it faced its third in Sandy.

It’s not difficult to add up the losses of life for a mathematician. On an old time adding machine counting the dead is as easy as pulling a crank. On a spreadsheet, it’s as easy as a little data entry and setting the SUM command properly. I don’t want to count. I don’t want to know. Numbers don’t lie, but numbers don’t bleed, and there’s too much blood right now. Terror, error,[2] tempest; there’s too much blood and not enough time to reflect on the lives of the saints lost in any of these tragedies.

When we think of “the saints,” we think about people like these people, those who are among the “Church Triumphant.” That’s true as far as it goes, but there’s more.

The good news is that Jesus knows our tragedies. He knows our tragedies because he has shared our tragedies. The eleventh chapter of John is a glorious story. Mary and Martha sent a messenger to Jesus saying, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” Jesus sends the messenger back with a word, “This sickness will not end in death.” Technically speaking, this is true. Jesus continues, “No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” So he decides they would spend a couple extra days where they were before heading to Bethany.

You know what happens; Jesus tells the disciples that Lazarus sleeps. They think that’s a good thing because he needs his rest. I imagine the head-slap or face-palm when Jesus tells them, “No, Lazarus is dead.”

They reach Bethany where Mary meets them in mourning. Jesus was moved and troubled by what he saw. He saw the souls Lazarus touched walking with Mary. He wept along side her.

Alongside Mary, Jesus wept.

Alongside all who were there, Jesus wept.

Jesus commands the men to move the stone from in front of the tomb. Martha at the tomb warns that there will be a bad odor since their brother is four days dead. Jesus reminds them that if they believe they will see the glory of God. Calling to the Father, he declares what comes next will happen so that all those with ears to hear will know that the Father called the Son to this place and time.

With that, Lazarus comes from the grave and Jesus tells the people to take off his grave clothes and let him go.

Hear the promises of the Lord heard from the lips of the prophet Isaiah:

Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces,

and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the LORD has spoken.

It will be said on that day,

Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.

This is the LORD for whom we have waited;

let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

This is what we are promised in the words of John the Revelator. 

And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals.

He will dwell with them as their God;

they will be his peoples,

and God himself will be with them;

he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more;

mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

for the first things have passed away.”

And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.”

These foresights were made by the Spirit through the lips of the prophets. We hear the Lord will wipe the tears from his disgraced people. We hear that the Lord will come so that we may rejoice and be glad in his salvation. In John’s gospel, we receive this example of how God has worked in the lives of the people. Christ lives through the Word. Christ is the living Word. Christ lives in the lives of the Saints. Christ lives in those who have passed, and those who will come in the future.

So what is the final word? The final word is that we are all reconciled through Christ to God. Through Christ, families are reconciled. Through Jesus, people are protected from a society that would allow them to be victims. Through the power of the Father, announced by the voice of Son, the Lord brings life where there was death. Through Jesus, our grave clothes are removed and more. We are loosed from the ties that bind, from death that wraps us in its mitts. We see this through the family of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.

So what’s the final word? The final word is that the fully divine Lord our God, the Lord of lords, knew what was needed. He knew what he needed to do so that the people would know the Father hears the Son. This work was so that the people would see the glory of God. The final word is shared so that they would know it was the Father who sent the Son. This is the Lord’s cry at the tomb.

The final word is that the fully human God incarnate, Immanuel, God with us, mourned the loss of his friend’s life. Christ’s final word is that since he was as we are, he knows our pain, our loss, and our disappointment. He knows our trouble not because he sees it from afar, but because he shares it alongside us. Christ’s final word is that the fully human Jesus of Nazareth weeps in the face of the pain and sorrow of the human condition—a condition he shares. A condition he restores to its proper place. We see this as Jesus wept. We see this as Lazarus rises from the tomb.

So what’s the final word? Christ’s final word is that he is concerned with us every day. Christ’s final word is that neither the little deaths we face everyday nor the death from which both Lazarus and our Lord experienced and arose will defeat him. Christ’s final word is not just that he removes our death clothes, but he unbinds us from our shrouds continuously. As Jesus unbinds Lazarus, he shows us how he will free us.

Earlier I said that when we think of “the saints” we think about those who are among the Church Triumphant. I also said that’s true as far as it goes. As we celebrate All Saints’ Day, not only do we celebrate the lives of the saints of this congregation who have gone to meet Jesus, we celebrate all of the saints, living and dead; yes, living and dead.

In our tradition, we know that we have sinned. At the same time we believe that by grace through faith we have been made saints. Like I have said before, this is one of the “now and not yet” moments of our faith. We are saints who still sin. There’s something that can only be reconciled by the Lord.

Jesus shares the joy of relationship with the Father with us. Christ’s final word is that life eternal begins now. It neither ends nor begins with our passing into the unearthly communion of the saints.

God’s final word is that the Christ is the Alpha and the Omega. God is the first word of the good creation and the last word reconciling the fallen creation. God’s final word is that all this is comes from the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit.

We live in a world with great pain, yes we do. But, we also live in a world where the Lord is our God and Jesus is the Christ. Celebrating All Saints’ Day, we are called to mourn those who have passed. As the saints, we are called to celebrate the joy of what we all share in, by and through the Lord our God.

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[1] Hurricane Sandy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Sandy, retrieved November 3, 2012.

[2] The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the disaster to the first officer's overuse of rudder controls in response to wake turbulence released by a Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400. from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_587, retrieved November 3, 2012.