Tag Archives: All Saints Sunday

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A Time for Everything

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“A Time for Everything”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11 (3:1, 11) – November 2, 2025

Time has a funny way of getting away from us, doesn’t it? Time can be rushing by while you and I are sitting, watching, on a treadmill or a big hamster wheel. Time is elastic, sometimes stretching out, tedious while we are waiting, other times jam-packed with events and decisions and happenings all on top of each other!

Our reading from Ecclesiastes 3 tells us a lot about time. This reading tells us about different facets of life, too. There is a time for everything. Everything under the sun.

This book of Ecclesiastes is traditionally thought to be written by the older King Solomon. We are pretty clear about Solomon’s birth and death dates. Scholars place this book about 935 or so, BCE. Again, this was late in Solomon’s life. As you and I consider this chapter 3, I invite you to consider the older Solomon. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, for sure. One of the favored sons of King David, he had it all! Money, property, women, power. The country of Israel was at peace, too! So, as he wrote this book, he was writing from a reflective, almost contemplative point of view.

I want us to zero in on Ecclesiastes chapter 3. One of my favorite commentators is Carolyn Brown, now retired Director of Children’s Ministry at a PC/USA church. She wrote a comprehensive collection of readings for each of the weeks of the 3-year Revised Common Lectionary cycle. I have often quoted her insights, as I will today.

            In this reading, our preacher lists 14 pairs of opposites. These opposites come from all areas of life, and some of these opposites are stark, and some are especially illuminating. In verse 2, as we see in a large part of the world, there are the changes of the seasons. All you and I need to do is to look outside and view the glory of the changing seasons in the colorful display of the leaves on the trees! We cannot plant seeds outside right now. It is not the time of year for that.  We can’t plant seeds in the winter, or harvest them in the spring.

            Verse 6 reminds us there are times we need to save things carefully – like putting aside clothes to wear again, or wear at a different season. There are other times when we need to let things go – like giving away old clothes or toys or other stuff we have outgrown. And, in verse 7, we see there is a time to be silent, and conversely, definitely a time to speak out! Sometimes, it is hard to know which time it is. [1] Hard, even soul-searching, indeed!

            As I considered this reading in depth, and in particular for my sermon preparation, my thoughts return again and again to verses 1 and 2. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die.” Both birth and death are  part of God’s plan for our lives. Both birth and death are part of the cycle or circle of life.

            My online friend Michelle van Loon had this penetrating reflection. “King David’s last recorded message to his people includes words that foreshadow the message of the book of Ecclesiastes, which was written long after David’s death: David said, “We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.” (1 Chron 29:15 NLT)” [2]

            These times today are uncertain times. As workplaces are restructured, businesses merge or close, or other structures in our lives are disrupted, many people lose their livelihoods. People across the country, even across the world, are in a place of not knowing, not understanding what is going on. Moreover, during the past week here in Chicago there is the uncertainty, even the trauma for our children, young people and seniors of watching masked, armed men pull people out of cars and off of sidewalks. Disappearing them, as unnamed troops habitually do in other countries with strong-arm governments. What kinds of long-term, traumatic reactions and effects are being sown in countless lives, hearts and brains here and now?

I have now been studying trauma and its effects on people observing traumatic events for almost two years, for my doctoral studies. This devastating activity in my own hometown and suburbs is completely beyond my understanding, given what I know about the founding of this country, and its welcome to immigrants from Germany, Poland, and an orthodox Jewish family – who I count as my ancestors. Which brings us full circle to All Saints Sunday, and lifting up the saints from this church, and from other churches and places and spaces throughout the world.

            Verse 4 from Ecclesiastes chapter 3 tells us, “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” There are times when life is sad and we cry, for good reason. There are other times when life is so happy that we laugh a lot. We may prefer the happy, laughing times. But, God is with us in both happy and sad times. [3]  

            What is dawning on my mind and heart from this Scripture reading is that God has indeed set times and places in all of our lives. Yes, there are appointed times, and seasons for things and events to happen. Yes, there even is a time for churches to be planted, just as there is for churches to close. God indeed has the last word. God can make a way through. God opens a window in the skies, in the everlasting, sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy day Solomon paints for us. God does indeed make everything beautiful in its time! Everything is in God’s time.

            I remind myself that I can be reassured, and comforted by these thoughts. We need to remember that God holds everything and all of us through it all, in all of our times. We can have certainty of God’s unending love. After all, it is because of my surety in God’s amazing and unending love that I have allowance and ability to explore, to even wonder about these important questions about time and the different facets of life, as highlighted by Ecclesiastes 3. As we pass from one season of time into another, I invite us all to ask: what comes to mind as we reflect on what has been, and as we begin to think about and articulate our hopes for what will be? [4]

We can reflect upon the saints who were in this place, and in other places we remember. “It is a ‘yes’ to God’s life moving through all things, calling us forward to changed lives and changed communities.” [5] And, we can look forward to the time that God has for all of us that lies ahead of each one of us.  

         As the litany we will share later in this service tells us, “Now, as we journey from this house into the future, we give you thanks O God. Be with us in thanksgiving as we move into other communities that will allow us to share the story, break the bread and live abundantly with God.  Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2013/11/new-years-day-years-b-c.html

[2] A reflection post from Facebook, from Michelle Van Loon on October 23, 2025.

[3] https://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2013/11/new-years-day-years-b-c.html

[4] http://words.dancingwiththeword.com/2013/12/a-new-years-reflection.html

[5] https://www.patheos.com/resources/additional-resources/2010/12/happy-sacred-new-year-bruce-epperly

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Who Does Jesus Love?

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“Who Does Jesus Love?”

John 11:32-44 – Sunday, November 3, 2024

            Today is All Saints Sunday. A lot of people think of “saints” as super-holy people. Like St. Francis of Assisi, or Mother Teresa, or St. Ignatius of Loyola. These people and many other titled saints are super-stars (or, super-saints) of the faith! What kinds of things do you think about when you consider these super-holy people? Do they pray all the time? Do they do good works for God all the time? Or, what exactly do they do all day long? And when they get to heaven, do they play harps all the time?

            When we consider the people of the Bible, many of them are considered saints. Yet, if we read more closely, almost every person recorded in the Bible – either in the Hebrew Scriptures or the New Testament – displays very human characteristics! They show very human emotions, grieve, cry, get mad, say or do stupid things, and sometimes even worse.  

            Listen to Mary of Bethany as she pours out her agonized heart to her friend the Rabbi Jesus, and the following, very human exchange: “Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, “Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

 When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, “Where did you put him?”“Master, come and see,” they said. Now Jesus wept.”

            Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary has several definitions for “saint,” including “one of the spirits of the departed in heaven” and “one of God’s chosen and usually Christian people.” [1] This definition is more broad than what people often think of, when they think about saints. If we take this broader definition to heart, we can think of all Christians as being saints, and all of the people in the Hebrew Scripture as being saints, too.  

            Our Scripture reading today from the Gospel of John is often read during Lent, during the period right before Easter. However, this reading is also read on All Saints Sunday, as a witness to the power of our Lord Jesus over death. This reading is also lifted up in the African American tradition in a service of healing, for those suffering emotional distress, grief, divorce, and physical ailments. This healing also “speaks to a range of human issues and concerns. Suffering often drives individuals to petition for God’s healing.” [2]

            Whether we come to the Gospel of John expecting healing, or in preparation for Easter, or to commemorate all the saints, this reading remains one of the most hopeful, one of the most triumphant proclamations in the Bible. Our Lord Jesus has power over the living and the dead.

            Yet, here we are, on All Saints Sunday. Consider our Lord Jesus – or, the Rabbi Jesus, as He was considered then. His reaction to the death of Lazarus brings the reality of death close to us all. Jesus wept! He wept over his friend Lazarus. As our commentator Karoline Lewis says, “death is inevitable, and its pain, its loss, its cause for anger is all true and real.” She is speaking to preachers, like me. We are working professionals, who bear the hard part of death, being in the business of tending its consequences to those we professionally care for, yet so often do not take the time for our own personal sadness and grief. [3]

            How often do we tell ourselves that we will grieve “later on,” after we finish this necessary paperwork, or after we make these phone calls, or after we do these needed errands, putting off the grieving, the pain, the loss of our loved ones.

            The message we receive from the Gospel of John today tells us in detail about the raising of Lazarus. But before that happens, his sisters are devastated! Who wouldn’t be? A loved one’s death is devastating, even if death is a blessed release or a welcome and final end of pain.

I know, in my life, it is difficult for me to get up and get going when I feel devastated. It’s so hard to continue doing the normal, everyday things that need to get done in my life.  Have you ever experienced this kind of an invisible wall? Or, has someone close to you ever come up against something like this? These kinds of deep feelings happen with sad regularity among people who have just lost a loved one, a dear relative.

So many people let us down, here in this world. Either on purpose, or accidentally. Even unconsciously, sometimes. I know, it still happens. We get let down, time and again. It feels like a punch in the gut, sometimes! It hurts!

Here is where this Scripture reading comes in. It works on our hearts, draws each of us closer. We see the grief Jesus clearly felt, being disturbed at death and at the brokenness of this world, as we see Him approach the tomb. The wonder of Lazarus stepping out and the command to unbind him is a certain and sure symbol and promise of the freedom we will all know one day! And surely, this points to God’s Power, God’s Grace and God’s Gifts, for all of us. [4]

            We gather together here, in this place, to remember our friends and relatives each of us has lost, whether in this past year or in years past. Yes, we grieve and mourn. It is fitting and right that we do so. We are reminded that Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus.

There is a tension we hold – holding many complicated emotions, holding grief and mourning, and at the same time joy and gratitude as we sit with the stark fact of missing our friends, our relatives who have died. And yes, we can rejoice as we consider “the promise and hope of the Resurrection and that even as Lazarus and his beloved family are privileged to live into that promise in this life even now, so are we [for the resurrection life to come]. So are we. Thank God, so are we.” [5]

Our Scripture reading today asks us to reflect that Jesus is, indeed, the Resurrection and the Life, not just for the crisis moment of death, but for all moments in life. Jesus announces that the world is definitively under God’s care and power. And, John chapter 11 offers all of us the promise about how each of us can live our lives today, not just about how our days will end. [6]

Is there someone you particularly remember, or especially miss? Someone who has crossed that river Jordan to join our Lord Jesus in the heavenly places? We have candles here. I invite anyone who wishes to come, to light candles for those loved ones. Light them in your hearts as well, as we come together in gentle comfort and encouragement of each other.

As we lean on relationship with each other in this life, even when faced with death itself, we see with eyes of hope that new life can spring up, through faith in Jesus Christ.  Yes, there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul, to make the wounded whole, and His name is Jesus. Alleluia, amen!  

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saint

[2] http://www.theafricanamericanlectionary.org/PopupLectionaryReading.asp?LRID=64

[3] https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/for-all-the-saints-2

[4] http://dancingwiththeword.com/these-precious-gifts-of-all-saints-day/

[5] Ibid.

[6] O’Day, Gail R., Gospel of John, New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9 (Abington Press, 1996) 695.

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Wipe Away Every Tear

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“Wipe Away Every Tear”

Revelation 7:9-17 (7:17) – November 5, 2023

            Memory is a precious thing. People remember lots of things: birthdays of loved ones, victories of sports teams, anniversaries of weddings or graduations or even the dates of those who have died. Many, many people remember Pearl Harbor, or the day John F. Kennedy was shot, or that terrible day of September 11, 2001.

            Our Scripture reading today comes from the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Revelation has much that is foreshadowing, and much that is cloudy. This book also has passages that are incredibly scary and sad, and some that are hope-filled and even absolutely awe-inspiring.

            This reading today is certainly a joy-filled reading that gives hope and promise to even the saddest and most despondent follower of Christ. The Revelation was written late in the 1st century by the elderly apostle John, in exile. He wanted to give some comfort and encouragement to his fellow believers, it is true! This reading today does exactly that – in the midst of great sadness and tribulation.

            Let us pause, and think about this day. This is a special Sunday, when we remember. That is why I want us to think hard about memory and remembering today, of all days. All Saints Sunday is the day when we not only remember those our church has lost in this past year, but all of our loved ones who are no longer here on this side of the River Jordan. We also remember that great cloud of witnesses, all the saints who are in the presence of the Lord.

In the many-part vision that John saw, he wrote this: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

            Many churches practice the tradition of honoring the members of congregations and families who have died during the past year on All Saints Sunday, each year. Many churches also remember all of their loved ones who have passed on throughout many years, that great cloud of witnesses, and truly have a corporate memorial time in the service.

            As the United Methodist minister Rev. Dr. Derek Weber says, “This observance is worth taking the time in worship to give thanks and honor the saints of the church. The founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley, loved All Saints Day. So, we suggest you take this day and let it stand alone as a celebration of the church that was, the church that is, and the church that will be.” [1] In all its diversity, with different looks, languages, cultures, and customs.

            I know from my end-of-life work with families and their loved ones in the hospital, in skilled nursing facilities, and in homes throughout Chicago, that many people grieve even before their loved one has died. So many factors, so many features of life slip away while we are journeying with loved ones. We see a stopping of familiar activities, decrease in mobility, downsized living space, and any one of many other poignant, heart-tugging losses. The person or the family can grieve each loss as it comes, and sometimes several at once.

            At the same time, there can be quiet contentment, sharpening awareness, or gentle expectation wrapped up in this journey alongside, on the prayerful way through aging or end-of-life. You and I can see our families, our loved ones who have passed on as part of this heavenly congregation that the apostle John talks about in Revelation.

            “Yes, there is grief in the recognition of death, but there is also joy in the promise of eternity and the gratitude for the legacy that remains. On this day, we proclaim that we are who we are because of those who have gone before. But we also give thanks for the saints who are still with us.” [2] Today, All Saints Sunday, is not only a memorial time for those in the great cloud of witnesses surrounding us here, but also a celebration of the life and ministry of the church today, here and now. As the apostle Paul tells us, we are all saints! Each one of us is, for real.

            As we reflect on this Scripture reading set in the heavens, the apostle John tells us “he who sits on the throne will shelter [the saints] with his presence. 16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.” Yes, we might see the “saints” as those dressed in white, in the heavens, gathered into the church triumphant. But since you and I are also called saints, couldn’t we also be considered present, before the Lamb who sits on the throne?

            To all of those who are struggling to find hope or healing, or to find the strength to continue being a caregiver, or to go to that difficult job for one more day: Jesus Christ’s promise to “wipe away every tear” is a word that all of us may appreciate hearing, today! [3]
            I encourage each of us to reflect on an everyday saint, someone you know or who you remember as being an everyday person, yet a special child of God. How was that person special? What did they do or say that makes you think of them as a saint? Today is not only a memorial and remembrance, but also a celebration. What is your favorite memory of that everyday saint? How can you best honor that person?  I encourage all of us to think of those everyday saints, our loved ones, family or friends. Think of how we can honor them best, and then do that.

Remember, the apostle John “is describing a vision: there are countless people from all over the world with different looks, languages, cultures, and customs. And they’re all worshiping God! These are the ones who have gone home to God.” [4]  We know that God was with those saints, every step of the way, just as God is with us – and we are God’s saints, too.  

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/from-every-tribe/all-saints-sunday-year-a-lectionary-planning-notes

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.davidlose.net/2014/10/all-saints-a/

[4] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/from-every-tribe/all-saints-sunday-year-a-lectionary-planning-notes/all-saints-sunday-year-a-youth-lessons

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We Will Be Like Him

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1 John 3:1-3    November 2, 2014   (St. Luke’s Church, Morton Grove)

(I was ill this weekend, and did not preach a sermon today. This is my All Saints Sunday sermon from November 2014.)

“We Will Be Like Him”

            Going on vacation. Who remembers vacations? I remember long car trips with smaller children. We did not have all the latest devices, the video games, Game Boys, small DVD players. No, those were simpler times. A number of years ago. And the children would ask, “Are we there yet?”  The trip would seem like it took forever! We would be on the road. Not quite there. Not quite yet. Still on the way. Still waiting.

            Of course, an extended car trip only seemed like it took forever! Here, in the first letter of John, the aged disciple is telling his friends something similar. But—I’m getting ahead of myself! We ought to go back to the beginning of this short passage. Just a little chunk, really, of what John says in this whole letter. 

            Let’s start with an overview. This letter was written to a group of dispersed believers. Similar to several other New Testament letters. The Apostle John was older by this time—late in the first century. He wanted to straighten out some misunderstandings. And, he wanted to get several main points across.  I’m not going to test you on these, but for people who were just wondering. Number one, God is light. Number two, God is love. Number three, Jesus Christ was a real human being, not just a spirit. Those main points were to combat some disagreements and squabbles that had already come about. Even though Christianity was only fifty or so years old.   

            I’ve given you all an overview, a bird’s eye view. Now, let’s dive in with a magnifying glass, and look at two verses in Chapter three.

I’ll remind us all of verse one of chapter three: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” This statement of John’s is significant! Why? Because this verse tells us such an important fact. We are called children of God. That’s incontrovertible. Why? Not just because you and I say so. No! But because God says so, that’s why!

I am not sure, but I suspect that John’s friends, the people he’s writing the letter to, have a similar problem as the disciples did. I’ve mentioned this problem before, when Jesus was here on this earth. A couple of decades before the writing of this letter. I don’t think the other believers “got it.” I don’t think they fully understood where John was coming from. That’s why he tells them in several different ways and several different places in this letter that God is love, and God gives love.  

The starting point, where John starts from at this point in the letter, is that God has named us all God’s children. Bam! Named! [ hand forward ]  Done! [ ref signal ]

We have a problem, though. The problem is the world. As the first chapter of the Gospel of John verse 10 tells us, Jesus “was in the world, and the world came into being through Him; yet the world did not know Him.” The world has a huge blind spot. The world is not in sync with God. The world is hostile to God, even though God made the world. And the solar system. And the whole universe. It doesn’t matter—the world is reeling under the effects of sin, and is therefore hostile to God.

What can we do about this negative state of affairs? Check out verse two. John says it again! “Beloved (or, friends), we are God’s children now.” John wants to make certain that we have got it!

We all—each of us—are called God’s children. Who is the oldest member of our congregation? And who is the youngest member of our congregation? All God’s children. Each of you is, and me, too! Each of us is God’s beloved child!

Yes, the hostile world gets in the way of living life God’s way. Nobody ever said the Christian walk and the Christian life was going to be a piece of cake. Ask the Apostle Paul. Ask the other apostles, including John.

But let’s move on. My favorite part of this passage is coming up! Remember how I started this sermon, a few minutes ago?  I started with the mention of vacations. Who remembers vacations? I remember long car trips with smaller children. A number of years ago. And the children would ask, “Are we there yet?”  The trip would seem like it took forever! We would be on the road. Not quite there. Not quite yet. Still on the way. Still waiting.  

I’m suggesting the concept of being on a very, very long trip. Not arriving yet, still being on the way. We are still in transit. We are children of God now, but not yet, too! We have a seeming paradox of both/and. Now, and not yet! That’s what I compare with this statement of John’s. Listen to verse two: “What we will be has not yet been revealed.”

Did you hear what John told us? That is why I say we are still in transit. Nobody knows for sure what we will be. And the best part of all, in my opinion, is this last sentence of verse two: “What we do know is this: when Jesus is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.” Did you hear? “We will see Him as He is.”

Did you all know we all are wearing veils? Invisible veils, that keep us from fully understanding the words of Scripture. We hear in Exodus that Moses talked face to face with the Lord. As a man talks to his friend. And whenever Moses talked like that, face to face with God, his face actually shone. The glory of the Lord made his face shine supernaturally! Did you know that the people of Israel were so scared of Moses after he talked with the Lord—and his face got all shiny—that they begged Moses to wear a veil? They wanted a separation between them and the glory, the power, the presence of God.   

Isn’t it similar with us, sometimes? The straight-up glory of God is too much for most of us to handle. We are still in transit. Still on the road, on this very long trip to heaven. Both/and. Now, and not yet.

Again, verse two: “What we do know is this: when Jesus is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.” Today, when we commemorate All Saints Day, is that time of year when we remember again and again the ‘now’ and ‘not yet’ of God’s kingdom. Yes, we are God’s children! Yes! A thousand times yes! We have the best guarantee in the world for this, too. God says so.

But what about the ‘not yet’ part? How can we reconcile that? Let me tell you my take on that: I do not know.  NOW but NOT YET. We are not quite sure. We don’t know the fullness of what that means. But I’ll tell you who does know. The saints in glory, our fellow believers who have gone before us, have received that fullness. They know. With unveiled faces, they see Jesus, glorified in heaven.

As for us? As we are here, in transit? Now, and not yet? We wait in this world, expectant. We live in hope, thankfulness, and gratitude as we gather around this table. As we gather for this meal, joined with the church of every time and place – with all the saints.

Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

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See How Jesus Loves!

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“See How Jesus Loves!”

John 11:32-44 (11:36) – November 7, 2021

            What happens when you and I get discouraged? Disheartened? Anxious, upset, and grieving? I know, in my life, it is difficult for me to get up and get going when I feel this way. It’s so hard to continue doing the normal, everyday things that need to get done in my life.

            Have you ever experienced this kind of an invisible wall? Or, has someone close to you ever come up against something like this? These kinds of deep feelings happen with sad regularity among people who have just lost a loved one, a dear relative.

            We take a close look, up close and personal, on an encounter our Lord Jesus had with some dear friends. His friends Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus often extended their hospitality to Jesus when He came through Bethany. Lazarus has become very ill. His sisters are very much concerned for their brother! Plus, they all know that their good friend Rabbi Jesus is not far away. Can’t they send a message to the nearby town? Where is Jesus? Can’t He come?

            So many people let us down, here in this world. Either on purpose, or accidentally. Even unconsciously, sometimes. I know, it still happens. We get let down, time and again. It feels like a punch in the gut, sometimes! It hurts! Oh, the disappointment, the discouragement, even the despair, as good friends have a family member in intensive care. Or, a relative gets a serious diagnosis. Or, another close loved one is involved in an accident. Whatever happens, it is not good! Where is Jesus? Can’t He be here, right next to us?

`           “We are invited to find our own story within these pages of Scripture, for who has not become personally acquainted with sickness and despair or known of someone who has. The hard facts are laid out in earlier verses of this chapter.” [1] Martha and Mary send a message – an SOS, distress call! – to their good friend the Rabbi Jesus, in a town nearby. “Lord, the one You love is sick.” Jesus’s response? “This sickness will not end in death.” As the messenger dashes back to Bethany to relay the response, can you hear the collective sigh of relief? “Ahh! Jesus knows that Lazarus will not die. Even though he is very sick, at least we have the assurance from our friend that Lazarus will stay here with us.”

            We all know what ends up happening. Sadly, Lazarus does die. Oh, the despair and devastation of Mary and Martha! Didn’t Jesus promise us that Lazarus wouldn’t die? Where, oh, where is Jesus just when Mary, Martha and especially Lazarus need Him most?

            Can you remember sitting through the darkest part of the night, with darkness and despair closing in around your heart? A vigil in a hospital, or in a care center. Or with a loved one at home, next to the bed. Crying until you don’t have any tears left to cry. Where is Jesus?

            That is how it was with Martha and Mary. Except, their brother died. They buried him, several days before. And now, days too late, the Rabbi Jesus finally arrives.

            We read Martha’s resounding testimony of belief in Jesus, just before the reading Eileen did for us today.. Martha met Jesus on the road near their house, and she confirmed what may people of that time were thinking. When Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again,” she responded “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.“

            Amen! Martha, you’ve got it exactly right! Yes, we all shall rise at that last day! That is our blessed hope. That is consistent with what is preached in the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. Plus, Jesus is not done with this conversation. Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will never die.” And, Jesus presses His point! He asks Martha a follow-up question, “Do you believe this?”

            What a roller coaster of strong emotions and deep feelings Martha and Mary have been riding, for the past week! What can they possibly be experiencing right now? We know Martha makes the ringing statement to Jesus: “Yes, Lord. I believe You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” Oh, glory be! What a testimony, Martha!

            And then, wonder of wonders! We see Jesus openly weep. Weeping, letting deeply held feelings out is something that anyone, that all of us can do. It’s okay! It is permissible to weep, we realize – because – our Lord Jesus did. Even though Jesus knew the rest of the story.

            Where is Jesus? Ah, the gateway to hope! Jesus takes charge, and commands Lazarus to come out of the tomb. Just as the risen and ascended Jesus Christ will call every person to rise on that last day, from all four corners of the earth and under the sea, so Jesus did with authority and power. “Lazarus, come forth!” And, wonder of wonders, Lazarus does exactly that! This miracle is a preview, promo, coming attraction of what the returning Jesus will do at the end of all time.

             In today’s sin-sick world of anxiety, grieving and despair, we need more than feel-good remedies and cheery “spirituality-lite” can offer. In the end, these surface remedies are no substitute for deep believing faith and relationship with God. God’s wellness “can come to help us to participate in God’s healing agenda in the word. In our poverty, a gracious hand is working out even the smallest details of our lives.” [2]

            As we depend on our relationship and faith in God, we find that much in this world is redeemed. As we lean on relationship with each other in this life, even when faced with death itself, we see with eyes of hope that new life can spring up, through faith in Jesus Christ.

Yes, there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul, to make the wounded whole, and His name is Jesus. Amen, alleluia!  

(Thank you to Kenyatta R. Gilbert and her commentary on John 11L28-44. I took several expanded ideas from this excellent commentary for this sermon.)

[1] http://www.theafricanamericanlectionary.org/PopupLectionaryReading.asp?LRID=64

Commentary, John 11:28-44, Kenyatta R. Gilbert, The African American Lectionary, 2009.  

[2] Ibid.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

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Becoming—Like Christ

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“Becoming—Like Christ” – November 1, 2020

1 John 3:1-3 – All Saints Sunday

            Simple words go straight to the heart. Words can echo and re-echo deep within. Have you experienced that? The elderly apostle John uses simple, straightforward words to communicate deep, eternal truths. Like, right here, in our Scripture reading today.

In today’s reading, John urges the Christian community to hold fast to what we have been taught, persevere in leading a moral life, and love one another.

You do know that you are God’s beloved child? Yes! Each of us has been chosen by God. We are the Saints of God! Not only in the eyes of this church on this corner, but in the eyes of all churches that observe All Saints Day or All Saints Sunday.

Today is All Saints Day. It is a special day in the life of the Church. A day to remember those who were persecuted, and those who died to keep the faith. And, a day to celebrate the living saints: you and me.

Sometimes, you and I may not feel especially saint-like. Yes, the age-old problem of sin does creep into our lives, and cause some disruption. Sin can make us feel far away from God, and like everything is turning topsy-turvy.

            Can other things happen in our lives, other kinds of disruptions make us feel like we are unworthy of God? Absolutely. All kinds of circumstances, trouble, losses of various kinds, calamities, and all manner of tumult can strain our nerves, our bodies and our souls to the very breaking point.

            The pandemic is also a perfect opportunity for Satan to turn our lives topsy-turvy. Churches closing, isolation from our communities; with fear and anxiety, we become afraid of the stranger. We end up not setting aside time for regular worship and prayer.

            Perhaps the apostle John did not have a pandemic to worry about. However, John would have seen the passing of many believers. John wrote this letter of encouragement because Dissenters wanted to lead astray the community of faith. Maybe these troublemakers were even trying to convince John’s followers to forsake Jesus Christ and throw their lot in with someone or something else. He was witness to many people leaving the faith, because their own beliefs had changed.

As believers in Christ, we know who we can depend on. The Lord has called us children of God. We can always turn to our heavenly Parent – or, heavenly Father, as John says.

Yet—today is All Saints Day, a day for us to remember our loved ones, who we miss and mourn. Yes, the Lord is our heavenly Parent. But, everything here on this earth seems to be turned upside down.

The Rev Janet Hunt reflects on her church’s traditions of All Saints Day. At her church, this has long been a day for gathering together. This is a day “which begins with the resounding strains of ‘For All the Saints’ and ends with the dancing percussion of ‘When the Saints Go Marching In…’  And in the middle, we read the names, sound the bells, light the candles one by one by countless one until the whole place is alight with palpable memory and almost tangible hope. And it, along with so many precious rituals which help to tie us to all who we have been and all we will one day be, will simply not be ours this year. At least not here where the COVID-19 numbers are rising.” [1]

             Do as John tells you: turn to our trustworthy God. What marvelous love our God has extended to us! John reminds us that God has already called us children! We have already been adopted into God’s family, [2] We can be hesitant, or disbelieving, or fearful. The Lord still loves us, and has already called us God’s children, without any pleading or whining, without special offerings or mystical midnight services on our part. This gift is already ours. John affirms so, right here.

            This is the extravagant welcome that God provides. God so loves the world. Period.

            We all have places where we fall short, where we sin in thought, word and deed. Places where we are not Christ-like—yet.

            John says, “What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him.” Each of us should strive to become more and more Christ-like. Do not surrender to the evil world of the pandemic. Seek help if you are struggling. God is here. I am here. Call, write, e-mail, pray.

            What a glorious gift. What a marvelous hope. We may not see our Lord Jesus now, but that glorious day that is quickly coming. We shall see Jesus in glory – just as our loved ones, saints in Christ who have died, are seeing Him right now. And, that is a promise that is faithful and true. Alleluia, amen!

[1] https://dancingwiththeword.com/all-saints-day-2020-blessed-are-those-w-ho-mourn/

[2] https://wordpress.com/posts/pastorpreacherprayer.wordpress.com 

Commentary, 1 John 3:1-7, Nijay Gupta, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2015. 

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2020: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

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Have Hope in God

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“Have Hope in God”

1 John 3-2 like Him, stars

1 John 3:1-3 – November 3, 2019

Some days are everyday days. Ordinary, run-of-the-mill days, days where nothing particularly special happens. Some days are like that. We all are familiar with those kinds of days. But, today is a special day in the life of the Church. Not only in the life of this church on this corner, but in the lives of all churches that observe All Saints Day or All Saints Sunday.

The day for the commemoration of All Saints started only a few hundred years after the beginning of the Church on Pentecost, to remember all the saints who were persecuted as well as the martyrs who had died for their faith. “All Saints Day was established as an opportunity to honor all the saints, known and unknown.” [1]

But, what does that have to do with you and me, right here and right now? What about people who are still mourning, and grieving the loss of loved ones who have died? What can this day of remembering and commemoration possibly do for those who mourn and love and long for their loved one who has died?

I lost a dear brother last December, my brother Mike. His photo is on the table with the others, near the altar. Yes, this All Saints Day remembrance is personal for me, today. I think there might be some others here who have a very personal connection, and might even be struggling with their memories. That is the whole reason why we have gathered her today—to remember together, and to lift up these loved ones, along with all of the other friends in Christ who have died. Not only recently, but all throughout the years, throughout the centuries.

Instead of going with one of the primary Bible readings for All Saints Sunday, I felt drawn to an alternate reading, the second reading that Eileen read today. It is just a little, short reading, but it means a great deal to me. I will zero in on one particular verse, 1 John 3:2, where the elderly apostle John says “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”  

The elderly John has been traveling around for years—as best as he could—and preaching the Good News of his Master, Jesus Christ. He knows life has been tough for these scattered believers in Christ. So, he encourages them again and again in this letter.

How many people here have gotten discouraged? Perhaps you have been all alone, working at some thankless task. Or, perhaps no one is noticing you, and you feel left out, out in the cold? Or maybe even someone has been bugging you, pestering you for your faith, for standing up for what you believe in? Whatever sad or awkward situation you find yourself in, believe me, the apostles were familiar with a similar situation.

The apostle John was writing to some friends who had been dealing with some very difficult things, including the loss of some of their own congregation, their loved ones and friends. John specifically wants to lighten the hearts of his friends with these words.

Have you ever been down, and had someone blithely give you a super-sweet saying and just walk away without even seeing how you reacted to it? Perhaps even a verse of Scripture? I have. I had someone—thirty years ago, now—just breeze up to me and blurt out a verse of Scripture, and toddle away, oblivious that I was really hurting. I was devastated, and he did not notice me at all. He did not notice the true me, standing right there in front of him.

But, the apostle John is not that way at all. John hears the emotions of his friends, and he encourages them. John is honest and up front. He freely admits what he does not know. John does not know how Jesus will appear or what Jesus will be like when He returns. However, what John does know is that when Jesus does return, “we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

I don’t know about you, but this verse gives me comfort. All of it. From John’s honesty in his not knowing, to his assurance that we shall see Jesus in that day, when Jesus returns. I do not know whether God will give us special insight, or whether our eyes will be changed to brand-new heavenly eyes. Regardless, John’s words reach down deep inside of me. John’s words comfort me in my mourning and grieving, and penetrate through my suffering and pain. John’s words encourage my heart, and give me heavenly assurance and hope.

As we remember all the saints, we might think of the “big” saints, like Mother Teresa, or St. Francis of Assisi, or St. John, St. Luke or St. Paul, the apostles. However, I want to remind everyone that Paul in several of his letters refers to all believers as saints. We all are saints, every one of us. Young, old, big, small, believers of every race and kind and way of being.

For the closing hymn today, we will sing a lovely hymn. “A children’s hymn, popular in Great Britain, “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God” suggests that ordinary people, going about their business, can be saints, that is, revealers of God’s grace whose faithfulness changes the world.” [2]  I suspect that the apostle John would wholeheartedly agree with these words.

I love the letters of John, written in the New Testament. Simple words, simply written, but oh, such profound thoughts! Listen again to verse 2: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

I close with some gentle words from the Rev. Janet Hunt, a Lutheran pastor in DeKalb. She writes for this special day:

May the promise and hope of this All Saints Sunday lift you.

May the music carry you.

May the familiar words hold you, filling you with comfort and confidence.

May the flickering candles remind you of the light Christ is and ever shall be: a light which we, in turn, hold and carry and pass along.

Oh, may the mystery of promise and hope and grace surround you and fill you.

And may you have at least a moment when you can simply stand still and receive all that God has for you. [3]

Alleluia, amen.

[1] https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/worship/christianyear/all-saints-day/

[2] https://www.patheos.com/resources/additional-resources/2010/10/remembering-all-saints

Remembering All Saints, Bruce Epperly, Patheos, 2010.

[3] http://dancingwiththeword.com/all-saints-sunday-standing-still-in-the-mystery/ 

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2019: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

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All the Saints

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“All the Saints”

Rev 7 multitude white-robes

Revelation 9:7-28 (9:7) – November 5, 2017

Today, we commemorate All Saints Sunday. The first Sunday of November, that day we remember all the saints who are now in heaven, worshiping God in that great cloud of witnesses. We also remember familiar people, relatives and friends known to us, dear to us, who died since last All Saints Day last year. What is it about these formal occasions of remembrance? Often, we remember those who have sacrificed much, displayed tremendous bravery, or were persecuted—even died—at tremendous risk to themselves.

What is it that causes you and me to be listed in among a great multitude of saints like these? Or, aren’t we even to be worthy to be listed on the same page as these rarefied superstar saints? These women and men who followed after God, no matter what?

One of our Scripture readings today comes from the book of Revelation, starting at verse 9: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

We break into the narrative as the elderly John has another vision, this time a scene of heaven. And, instead of seeing a predominance of Jews and only a sprinkling of other tribes and people groups, John sees a great multitude of all colors, all ethnicities, all languages and dialects, from every place on the globe.

I am blown away by that vision, the more I think about it. I am in awe, because the great multitude is of every possible description, every possible people group under the sun. Not just me and my family, not just me and the people from the neighborhood where I grew up. Not just people from one region, or one country, or one ethnicity. But, people from everywhere.       These people of the vision are called “saints,” and many people today have only one specific idea of what a “saint” is. St. Francis of Assisi, or St. John of the Cross, or St. Martha—the patron saint of our neighbor Catholic church, or the newly beatified saint, Mother Teresa.

Robert Louis Stevenson, writer of Kidnapped and Treasure Island, has a different definition of “saints.” “The saints are the sinners who keep on going.” And, both apostles Paul and Peter call their friends “saints” in the greetings, to all of the people who receive their letters.

But, we know very well that life often does not go smoothly. Not for us, not for our friends and families, and certainly not for the multitudes who lived in centuries past. Interesting, that “because we sinners are made holy by God’s grace, and not by our own actions, we are able to keep on going as Stevenson says.  Our keeping on in life often involves suffering.” [1] And, if we know anything about history, we know that believers in Christ often had to deal with grief, pain, suffering, and even persecution.

When John received this grand series of visions that he wrote down in the book of Revelation, he was often puzzled. He had to ask the people or elders or angels around him what it was he was seeing. As is the case here: “Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”

Leading question, you may say! John persuades the elder to answer the question himself. ““they are before the throne of God and serve God day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. 16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat.”

It sounds like to me that these people in heaven, who are identified as “saints” in other places in the book, no longer have to go through that valley of the shadow here on the earth, where God walks right by their side as they are in difficulty. They no longer need to face challenges of health reversals or job loss or crushing poverty or horrible accidents, or various calamities of one sort or another. They are at God’s side in heaven, and never have to experience those trials, losses, hunger and anguish any more.

But we are still left on this side of the veil. On this side, on a troubled world where suffering and loss and fear and anxiety rear their heads all too often. Especially grief, where we mourn the loss of loved ones, friends and relatives who left us too soon.

Rev. Janet Hunt talks about a sad situation like this: “And yet, for all of those for whom I light a candle and remember each All Saints Sunday, there is still really just the one I carry closest of all. One whose dying has me yearning most deeply for the promises of this day.

“It came to me again last week when a beloved cousin came to visit. He had stopped to see his folks the night before he flew out and as he sat with them he told his dad he was going to see Kathleen. “You remember Kathleen, don’t you dad? She was Tommy’s wife.” (Kathleen is my mother.)

“Now in these recent years my dad’s brother does not remember as he once did. For a moment last week, though, there was clarity as he remembered his only brother and as he registered all over again the fact that he had died and with that remembering, his face fell along with his tears. And mine did, too, to hear of his remembering.” [2]

Grief, sorrow and loss are like that, sometimes. We can be fine, content, living our lives. Then, out of nowhere it seems, the thought of that special loved one, that dear friend who is no longer with us in this world, comes to mind.

And then, Janet Hunt reminds us, “nothing makes us more grateful than the gift of that time and place so vividly described in today’s words from Revelation. A time and place:

  • where the whole world will gather and join together in song and where we will be washed clean,
  • where hunger and thirst will no longer hold sway,
  • where there will be shelter from all that would harm,
  • where the very water of life will sustain us,
  • and where God Himself will bend low to wipe away our tears.” [3]

Is such a place even possible? In those times when you or I are grieving anew, remembering with sorrow or longing in our hearts, the apostle John assures us that “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And, ““Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

In plainer words, from his first letter to the scattered believers in Christ, John gives us further assurance: “2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

Today, we have a foretaste of heaven from both Scripture readings. Revelation tells us of the wonderful worship service in heaven, where everyone is praising God. And 1 John lets us know that when our Lord Jesus appears to each of us, we shall be like Him in glory.

“So with all of you, I will light the candles this All Saints Day. In memory and in powerful hope we will light the candles. Standing confident in the very promises of God we will light them.” [4]

Amen. May it be so. Amen.

[1] https://preachingtip.com/archives-year-a/pentecost-year-a/all-saints-day-all-saints-sunday/

[2] http://dancingwiththeword.com/all-saints-day-in-memory-and-in-hope/

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2017: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!)