November 5, 2006
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November 5, 2006 Text: John 11: 32-44 See the Glory of God A French theologian has said: God is visiting us all the time, but usually he doesn’t find us at home." That is something to meditate on for a little bit. Once we were making scrambled eggs at home, one of the eggs appeared having two yolks. It would have become twin chickens if the egg had been left to develop. Then a fantasy story occured to me about two chickens together in an egg. The one said: "Imagine, I have heard that there might be a world outside of the eggshell." "Rubbish," the other replied, " I have never seen anything that gives me a reason to believe that." " So you only believe in what you have seen?" the first one asked. What this invented story conveys, is how differently people think about life. There is a lot of rationalism in our way of thinking. Some persons refuse to believe in things that can not be seen, or proven, or measured in pounds or yards or being explained in logical terms. In the Gospel for today, Jesus said to the mourning Martha in Bethany: Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? In Norwegian we have this expression: "It depends on the eyes that see." Martha and Mary, the two sisters in Bethany, they had eyes. They saw. But the only thing they saw, was darkness. Only sorrow. Not to surprisingly, for their family just had been hit by a tragedy. Lazarus, their brother, had just passed away. He was not an old man. I think, probably in his thirties, like the Master himself. Mary came to Jesus and said: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. In other words: "Why were you absent, Jesus? Just when I needed you at the most, you were not here. Now it is too late." She accused him. So do we also, sometimes, when things go wrong in our lives. "Where were you, God?" we then ask. "Why did you let him or her get ill? Was this necessary, God?" We don’t understand. And many people say: If there is a god, he is not a good one! Well, it depends on the eyes. Do you have eyes that can see the glory of God? Let us do an experiment in our mind. Imagine that you grab the remote to watch a TV-program, but the screen is empty. Do you then think by yourself: Probably there is no program.. No, you will check the connection, both the electricity and the antenna, or a fuse malfunction. In other words, you find out if there is anything wrong on the receiver’s side. Shouldn’t we think in the same way about our faith, and if we feel lunk and careless in our relationship to God? In other words: Is there something wrong with myself? Have I misunderstood anything, or failed to find it out? Or is there something about the way I live, that has brought me away from the faith? Is there anything wrong with my senses? Or do I simply not have sense for what is the most important? To believe, is to open up to God, and what he wants to show us. A God that always is online. A Jesus that is Lord over the power of death. He that raised Lazarus from the grave, He who himself rose on Easter morning. "On the last day", as Martin Luther says in the Small Cathecism: "he will wake up me and all the dead, and give me and every believer in Christ an eternal life. That is most certainly true." The Lazarus incident is a hint about this. An omen about that Jesus on the last day will call on all the dead: Come out! Either if they perished at sea, and were never found, or if they died and were cremated, and the ashes gathered in an urn, or their bodies were buried in a cemetery. Come out, out of the sea, out of the ashes, out of the grave! But Jesus takes his time. He himself decides about the time table. Like he did in Bethany, too. He knew that Lazarus was ill, and that he died. But he hesitated. Since he waited for many days before he came, the sisters felt helpless and full of sorrow. Despair raged in their minds. Before Jesus came and showed them the glory of God. He went into the darkness of the grieving. Into their protest: "You should have come before, Jesus!" Today, on All Saints Sunday it is common in the whole Christian world that we commemorate our dead beloved ones. Those who are no longer amongst us. Some of us think: "You should have come on that day, Jesus, and prevented their death!" We know the answer: he is to come. One day he will fix everything. All the things that we felt were difficult or hopeless. But he decides when. This story from the Gospel according to John can show us that God's schedule is not always in accordance with our own. But while we are waiting, let us look for glimpses of the glory of God. In beautiful fall colors. In a face smiling at us. In a child growing and all the time learning new skills. In the song of praise when Christians are gathered. In the friendship and fellowship at the table when we can enjoy a good meal! In the Bible's word about Jesus. Luther says in the Preface to the Large Catechism: "Time and paper would fail me if I were to recount all the blessings that flow from God’s word." The glory of God is in all the things I have mentioned, and thousands of other examples. If you believe, you will see, Jesus says. Let us check whether our "antenna" is connected, so we can see, see His glory. It is possible to be so disconnected from our antenna and from our imagination as was the chicken in the egg. In his narrow world he could believe only the things he had seen. And that was not too much! Some of the worst enemies of our faith are obviousness and ingratitude. With the right attitude, and if The Holy Spirit opened our minds to what God will show us, every day can be an exciting exploring expedition, where we in different ways will see glimpses of the glory of God in different ways. We can also reflect back in time, and see that Jesus was there, even in situations when we didn't feel his presence there and then. Mary's words need an adjustment, when we get a wider perspective on things: Lord, you were there. And you are here! In the bread and the wine that we will share, we know for sure, he is here. He merges with us.. And perhaps we should turn the question upside down, and ask: Am I myself here? In other words, am I present in my own life? As God visits us all the time. But usually he doesn’t find us at home. Perhaps we should turn down our speed a bit, and be more at home in our own lives. As here, in our daily life, God wants to meet us, and show us his glory. Even if it is just a glimpse at the time. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it always was, now is and shall ever be. Amen |
The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church · 924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 · (612)874-0716 |