“Our Inheritance”
March 26, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
There’s a reason I chose the last couple hymns we’ve sung this morning: over the past twenty years that I’ve been involved in ministry, they’ve commonly been chosen as songs either to be sung or played at funerals. One of the reasons I’ll admit I’ve always looked forward to officiating funerals is that they are opportunities to proclaim, with absolute certainty, the promise of the resurrection. We gather to remember and celebrate a life, but more importantly, we remember, and praise God, for the eternal life the person now enjoys. We can retell and hear the true Gospel, which is God’s mighty love shown to us by Jesus’ victory over death by His own death and resurrection. And funerals, even though they are rightly times of mourning and sadness, can also be times of encouragement – reminders that in this life, we are not alone. God is still with us, and is bringing us through all of our problems and troubles to our ultimate destiny – our home with Him. Funerals are occasions for us to be reminded of God’s greatest victory – the power of the resurrection. And, while we are still in this life, faithfully following where God leads. Which is what we hear about in both today’s First Reading and Gospel, God raising the dead, demonstrating His victory over death, and showing what we are headed for.
In today’s reading from Ezekiel, the prophet sees a vision of a valley of dry bones. These are the people of Israel, whose homeland has been destroyed, and who have been sent into exile, Seemingly, their life is hopeless, and they have no direction except to live where they are and die. Sometimes we may feel the same way, especially when we’re struggling with an illness or other crisis: that all we are destined for is to suffer in this life, and die. But by bringing the bones back together, and restoring His people, God reminds them that they still have a purpose: to be His people, and once more live in the land He promised them. He is restoring them for what they are meant for. Then, in today’s Gospel reading, in one of the most beloved miracle stories, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. But before He does so, He weeps because He is sad at the death of His friend. While He was here on earth, Jesus experienced everything we experience, including sadness – which also means He understands and has compassion for us, He suffers with us, whenever we are sad. Especially when we are mourning the loss of a family member or friend, Jesus understands, and is there to comfort us. But then He gives Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters, a bold promise: that not only will Lazarus rise again on the appointed day for all the dead to be raised, but He will be raised right now – because Jesus is the God who has power over life and death. He also says that He is the resurrection and the life, and that everyone who believes in Him will never die, but will live forever. There is also no other way to be saved, and to have the promise of this eternal life, than through faith in Jesus. It is only by believing Jesus that we can be sure that we will live in Heaven.
One thing to point from the Ezekiel story is that the way God brings the bones together and gives them new flesh and life is by the power of wind. Unfortunately, as we experienced yesterday, a mighty powerful wind can cause a lot of damage, like it did to several trees around here, the power system, and, of course, our roof. But in the Bible, whenever a great windstorm happens, it is something God causes to happen to create movement. When God wants to propel things forward, He causes a mighty wind to happen. When the world was first created, God sent a mighty wind over the waters to separate them to cause dry land to appear. When God helped His people escape from pursuing Egyptians, He sent wind to part the Red Sea. And, most of all, when He sent the Holy Spirit on the believers at Pentecost, He did so in a mighty rushing wind. So whenever wind appears, the power of the Holy Spirit is active, to send things in the direction God wants them to go.
And, brothers and sisters, never doubt that the power of the Holy Spirit is still alive and active today. The same Holy Spirit which helped to create the world by the power of wind, which knit all the bones back together to give life to people again, which raised Lazarus from the dead, and which raised Jesus from the dead, is still alive and powerful today. The power of the Spirit still has the power to move things forward. Which is where God wants us to keep going – forward. To leave the past and all its hurts, disappointments, regrets, and everything else which tore us apart, behind. To, as Paul says in today’s Second Reading from Romans, leave the life we used to live, and move forward into the future where we have hope, joy, contentment, and peace, because we know God is in control, and He has us in hand. Just as He did for His people in Ezekiel’s time, God has great plans for us: He wants to give us new life again, and restore everything we’ve lost – and now it’s time for us to say yes to what He’s going to do. It’s time for us for us to say, yes Lord, we invite you, we welcome you, we want you to do what you’ve promised, and make us who we are meant to be again. Yes, we need you to move us into the great future you’ve already laid out for us. You’ve promised us an inheritance – of your power to make us strong and bold again. Now, by the power of your Name, we claim that inheritance again. We cry, Abba, Father! Come among us and make us your family, your Church, again. Renew us, and give us new energy, new enthusiasm, new hope, new creativity, new imagination, new perspectives, and new friends for us to meet and reach. Revive us, and put us where we need to be again.
There is no doubt we are in need of a revival today. The pandemic not only hurt church attendance, but it caused people to move away from church and to other priorities. But now we need God to move us back to Him, and back to His church, again. Notice that when God raised His people and Lazarus back to life, He did so not just to give them life again – He gave them a new life, with a renewed purpose, to be His followers and believe in Him again. We need a movement, and we need a true forward movement to bring people out of the troubled times we’re all living in. We don’t just need people to be interested in Christianity as a religion again – we need people who are solidly committed, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to living as children of God, and who are eager to demonstrate the inheritance, and the reality, of God’s power and eternal life. We need people who are committed to making God the first priority, and who are willing, and not afraid, to stand up as a mighty army, and tell what God has done.
And, such a revival starts with us. It begins with us, first of all, recognizing that we are children of God and co-heirs with Christ. We are destined for something greater than just to live and die – God has created us for a reason. Yes, we’ve been broken, our lives have been torn apart. And, like the dry bones, we may feel like we’re permanently stuck, with no prospects, no promise, and no hope. But God is faithful, and nothing will keep Him from doing what He’s planned for us all along – no obstacle or situation will prevent Him from accomplishing what He wants for us. Now it’s time to hear the command of Jesus to come out of where we are, and where we’ve been, and be alive for Him again! It’s time for us to come out of the tombs which have held us down, and held us back, for far too long – doubt, despair, frustration, hatred, anger. We’ve let ourselves be hopeless and frustrated for too long – now it’s time to shake those off. We’ve been wrapped up in them for a long time, but now, just as the bandages were unwrapped from Lazarus, it’s time for us to be unwrapped from everything which has been suffocating us. We haven’t been able to breathe, and we haven’t been able to move, because we’ve been so wrapped up in thinking the worst that we haven’t been able to imagine what God can do, and see what He’s already doing. We’ve lived in fear because the world has changed so quickly in the last few years. But now, it’s time for us no longer to be slaves of fear, but remember that we are children of God. Even though we too may want to say, “Our hope is gone; we are cut off,” nothing could be farther from the truth. God is still alive, and alive in power in our hearts, homes, communities, churches, and nation today. He is restoring what was lost – especially our confidence, morale, and ability to trust Him. He is also restoring He is restoring faith – our faith, courage, and boldness to believe and follow Him. And He is making us into a vast army – an army of people equipped to go into the world, without any hesitation or hindrance, to bring people to believe in Him and receive eternal life, seek out the lost, help all in need, rescue the captive, befriend the lonely, bring hope to hopeless, love to the unloved, forgiveness to the sinner, acceptance to those feeling unaccepted. So it’s also time for us to reclaim our true purpose, and be that army, not going out to destroy, but to build up, heal, and encourage on God’s behalf. We are also called to proclaim believing in Jesus as being the only way to be saved, and to bring everyone, here and all over the world, to saving faith in Him.
Today Jesus asks us, and challenges us, “Do you believe this?” Is everything we’ve been hearing just another sermon you’ve been so accustomed to hearing every week, or do you really hear Jesus speaking to you today? If you do believe it, then I invite you to pray along with me: Jesus, today we come before you in need of all kinds of things. We need healing, comfort, and assurance. But most of all, we need to be free, and we need you to free us. We are long overdue for freedom, because we’ve been afraid for so long, and it’s held us captive, and held us back. We confess our holding ourselves back, and not trusting you. So Jesus, today we ask you, we invite you, to come into our hearts again. Heal our broken hearts, and give us hearts which love you, each other, and all people again. Help us to stand up, and not be hesitant or afraid any longer, because you are leading us, and we trust that where you lead us is good. So move us, Jesus – move us to where you want us, and move us to the great future you have planned for us. Help us to put you first, and make us a mighty army committed to following you, and bringing people to faith in you. By the power of your Name, the holy Name of Jesus, help us to claim what you promise us, because in your Name we pray, Amen.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
