Resurrection and Life 1

But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is
life because of righteousness. Romans 8:10
Do you believe this?

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for
the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who
watch for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there
is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. Psalm 130:5-7
Do you believe this?

3
He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord God,
you know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to
them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to
these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay
sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with
skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am
the Lord." 7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I
prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came
together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and
flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no
breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy,
mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four
winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.I
prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and
they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. Ezekiel 37:3-10
Do you believe this?

Jesus said to her,"I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in
me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in
me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26
 Resurrection and Life 2

The process of becoming an ordained minister is, for me, the

examination of my faith in the light of close reading of scripture, study, and
consultation with area clergy. It is also a building of Biblical and theological
understanding to develop context -- a framework for understanding. It is
easy to imagine myself being asked to respond to each of the above
scriptures: Do I understand what they mean? Do I believe what they say?
Can I break them down so that others can better understand them? If I do
understand and believe them, how does that color my interactions with
congregants? With members of the public? With unbelievers? Before I
embarked on this journey, I could not have imagined being asked to answer
these questions, so Jesus asking Martha if she believed his words took me
by surprise. After all, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were clearly friends of
Jesus and believers. Martha was dealing with the death of her brother and
the knowledge that Jesus could have prevented that death if he had arrived
sooner. It seems a bit harsh, so why did Jesus do it?
Jesus initial response to word of Lazarus illness was, "This illness
does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God
may be glorified through it." He later tells the disciples,"15For your sake I am
glad I was not there, so that you may believe. This too seems harsh. Is
Jesus so cold-hearted that he would let his friend die just to create a
teachable moment? One thing for us to remember is that this, in Johns
gospel, is the event that sets the movement to have Jesus killed into high
gear. Jesus knows that he is running short on time. He says, "Are there
not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not
stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at
night stumble, because the light is not in them." In the Roman empire
during Jesus time, the time between dawn and dusk was divided into 12
equal units, so hours were longer or shorter depending on the time of year.
 Resurrection and Life 3

When it got dark, there was no way to keep working. Jesus is explaining
that we need to make hay while the sun shines, or our unfinished work
will remain unfinished. The fact that Jesus ministry only lasted 3 years did
not mean that he would accomplish less, but that he had to make the most
of his time. Although Lazarus will be raised from the dead, it will be a
resuscitation, not a true resurrection; Lazarus will need to use the time that
he has been given wisely.
This is the lesson that we are to learn from Jesus and from Lazarus.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. The promise of eternal life is not an
excuse to waste the time that we have been given here on earth. The fact
that Jesus has promised salvation does not mean that we are not called to
minister to our neighbors and spread the good news. Imagine how different
our lives would be if we not only answered yes, I believe that life comes
from the Holy Spirit, that our hope is in the Lord, that God has filled us with
the breath of life, and that belief in Jesus means both life eternal and
earthly life spent glorifying God, but that our daily lives reflected that belief.
How will people know what we believe if we dont share it? How will they let
the Holy Spirit in if we dont lead them to scripture? Imagine a world where
Christians truly lived like Christians. AMEN