Something stinks. Can
you smell it? Something stinks, and it’s
all around. Sometimes we don’t even have
to smell it, like Martha said at the tomb, “Don’t go in there there, Lord!” We
know it’s there, the stink.
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| 6th century mosaic |
DEATH stinks. The
deaths of our loved ones. It sucks. It stinks.
There’s no other way to put it.
How we long to have our friends, our lovers, our parents, our children
back in our arms…just once again. To
hear their laughter, or ignore their advice, or feel their touch. But we can’t have that. Death stinks.
And that stench of death isn’t just about our dearly
departed: It’s about our culture, our traditions, our memories. Sometimes it can seem as though everything we
hold dear is going away. Maybe someone’s
taking it away, or maybe…it’s just dying.
And we find ourselves, like Mary, Lazarus’ grieving sister,
crying out, “If only, Lord!” – If only!
If only my grandma hadn’t died!
If only I had more money! If only
we had more space! If only we had a
better pastor!
If only Lord…then this never would have happened!
Sometimes we can get so bound up with our wishful thoughts
and hopes and dreams, with our constant “if only’s” that it’s almost as if we’ve climbed into the tomb and sealed
the door.
What was that mirror in Harry Potter? The Mirror of Erised? Harry discovers this Mirror of Erised (desire spelled backwards) that shows
whoever looks in it their heart’s deepest desire. Pretty cool.
Harry can see his parents who he never knew; Ron can see himself as the
greatest athlete…
“But beware,” warns wise Dumbledore, “for many have wasted
away sitting in front of the mirror of dreams, forgetting to live.”
The tomb in this story, the bound up, dead body – how we,
even in our lifetimes can become so bound up with our “if only’s” that we can’t
even see the light of day.
And Christ weeps at our deaths, at our idle longings. See how much he loves us? Christ doesn’t just quick fix our
issues. We have a God who mourns our
deaths, and our inabilities to break away from our desires. That’s significant…before we move on to what
happens next. The tears of Christ are
precisely what bring us to the mountain (described in Isaiah) where weeping and
sorrow shall be no more. The compassion
of our God is what drives this resuscitation!
Not just merely power (like a father who just quickly buys his son
whatever he wants). This is not just
power, but it’s love, compassion, justice, the peace that passes all human
understanding.
Christ approaches our tombs too. Orders the stone to be rolled away, and says
in a loud voice: “Mark, come out! Lois, come out! Helen, come out!...”
This day isn’t just about our dearly departed. It’s ALL Saints Day…and that means you
too. God has raised them, praise Jesus,
but God has raised us too! Already! God calls you by name, and out you come. Maybe you even stink a little bit – know what
I mean? Maybe you’ve done things you
regret, said things you wish you could take back, acted carelessly, judged
unfairly, under prepared...You’re mine, even if you stink, Jesus says today,
and that’s all about to change! Because
now you’re free, bound by nothing, to live the life that God has created you to
live.
So, how then shall we live outside the cave of death, away
from the mirror of dreams? Where will
God send us next? What does got have in
store for you, stinky as you once might have been; for me, stinky as I once
might have been. God sends us now into
the world to love and serve both friends and enemies. What will that look like for you, for us as a
congregation? It’s a little scary to
come back to life. Can you imagine how Lazarus
felt? “What am I supposed to do now?”
And it’s not a gentle invitation to live anew. “Uh, Margaret, if it’s not too much trouble,
would you mind joining me out here with the living?” It’s a command, albeit dripping with love
divine, it’s a command! “Come out!” It’s a declarative statement. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: and
because you are joined to me through water and word and wheat and wine, then
you are alive in me…right now, not just after you die.” You are saints of Jesus Christ, friends. (Introduce yourself to the person next to you
as St. [name]. Go ahead, come out and
say it!)
Because Christ lives, we too live anew, with all the saints. Thanks and praise be to God, this day and
into eternity! AMEN.
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