Text: John 11:1-45
43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Death is nothing new. It seems all too common. It invades your life and your family. As a pastor it invades my life too … even if at times it is not a loved one.
Last Monday I did a funeral. Not for a friend, a family member, or a church member here at Peace … but for one who died. The call came in Saturday as I prepared for service. “Hi pastor Russ; it’s Michaela at Elton Black. Are you available to do a funeral this Monday at 10 am?” It was for the family of a man who had been sick and had now died.
Michaela is the daughter of my dear friend Brian and works as a funeral director in the area. The man who had died, Glen Rowden and his family were raised Lutheran and connected to the faith and wanted a Lutheran pastor. I told them I was available.
Jesus got a call too.
11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
Lazarus, the one Jesus loved was ill. In fact he too like Glen Rowden would die, though Jesus says: “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Christ in this life and death will be glorified.
Glen Rowden was a kind man. His niece said, “He was the sweetest and kindest person I ever knew.” Glen’s niece and nephew spoke about their great Uncle and it was evident they loved Uncle Glen, who had never married and had no children of his own. His nephew Chad said, “People say I remind them of him, he never said a bad word in his life about anybody. If I could be half the man he was …” The tears flowed.
11 [Jesus] said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.
Uncle Glen worked for GM from 1958 to 1997. He gave them 40 years of service, Loved cars, boats, the marina and the lake, bringing bagels and donuts every morning and hanging out and though he has no children of his own … he had many friends and a loving family.
Lazarus had a loving family too; Martha and Mary but also Jesus … who was a dear friend and part of his extended family.
17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 … and many of [their friends] the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them … Martha heard that Jesus was coming [too, so] she went and met him …
Uncle Glen as he got older couldn’t take care of himself so for the last 8 years the family made their home his home. There was a picture on the board of memories from last Thanksgiving showing the three great nieces and nephew Chad sitting on a couch looking at their smart phones … there was Uncle Glen, sitting there too with a phone someone had given him for a posed picture, pretending to be doing the same thing.
Death is real though … and at the funeral home Uncle Glen is not pretending to sleep. Lazarus wasn’t pretending either.
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
The eulogies from the family were finished it was now my time to bring peace. Peace that only comes from Jesus. I spoke of the joy of a wonderful loving relationship they all shared together in this life and a life well lived for them and Uncle Glen. I also spoke of the Parable of the Good Samaritan which I taught on this past Sunday morning during Bible Study … inadvertently stepping over Jay Squanda … forgetting he had been scheduled to teach last Sunday … and now realizing why.
Speaking about, “loving thy neighbor as thyself” and the question asked by the Lawyer and teacher of the law to Jesus asking … who is my neighbor?”
The care that was given to one in need who was beaten and left for dead on a road, cared for and bound up by a Good Samaritan and the extended family that cared for Uncle Glen over the last 8 years of trial and trying times look very similar.
Love is good but death still came for Lazarus and Uncle Glen.
24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
As the tears flowed for Uncle Glen I too spoke of the resurrection and the life and the blessed comfort for those in Christ who will also rise and be with the Lord forever. But, not only that … we too who believe in Christ Jesus will also spend eternity in heaven with those we love, like Uncle Glen, who also were baptized and marked by Christ as his redeemed child!
Tears are real.
33 When Jesus saw [Martha] weeping, and the [the friends] who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
I never met Uncle Glen but I too felt loss.
Uncle Glen according to those who knew him was a gem of a man, who didn’t have a bad word to say about anybody his entire life. He loved his extended family and showered them and all those he met with that love. He died though, like Lazarus … as a result of sin … because the wages of sin is death.
Jesus wept for Lazarus, but so too for Uncle Glen and for you and me as well as we struggle with sin in our lives - day in and day out.
No matter how good Uncle Glen was or we are we all still need Jesus and his purifying life, death and resurrection. Without Jesus Uncle Glen and all those good memories would be all they have and like Lazarus would remain dead too.
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”
Uncle Glen’s tomb is in Royal Oak at Oak view Cemetery, on Main Street. His stone is not rolled away but will be placed soon to mark the spot where Uncle Glen and a life well lived rests.
I began my sermon by saying how sad I was to be the only person in the room who didn’t know Uncle Glen but also how thankful I was to be able to be here and to hear about his wonderful life and the love that he shared with so many and I was so blessed to serve at his memorial.
I said, I like to summarize Uncle Glen’s life with these four words:
“Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet.”
But, I also want to summarize his eternal life with one word … Jesus.
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”
Lazarus came out and so too will Uncle Glen because Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
You and I and all who trust in Jesus will also rise.
Tears are real.
33 When Jesus saw [Martha] weeping, and the [the friends] who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
I never met Uncle Glen but I too felt loss.
Uncle Glen according to those who knew him was a gem of a man, who didn’t have a bad word to say about anybody his entire life. He loved his extended family and showered them and all those he met with that love. He died though, like Lazarus … as a result of sin … because the wages of sin is death.
Jesus wept for Lazarus, but so too for Uncle Glen and for you and me as well as we struggle with sin in our lives - day in and day out.
No matter how good Uncle Glen was or we are we all still need Jesus and his purifying life, death and resurrection. Without Jesus Uncle Glen and all those good memories would be all they have and like Lazarus would remain dead too.
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”
Uncle Glen’s tomb is in Royal Oak at Oak view Cemetery, on Main Street. His stone is not rolled away but will be placed soon to mark the spot where Uncle Glen and a life well lived rests.
I began my sermon by saying how sad I was to be the only person in the room who didn’t know Uncle Glen but also how thankful I was to be able to be here and to hear about his wonderful life and the love that he shared with so many and I was so blessed to serve at his memorial.
I said, I like to summarize Uncle Glen’s life with these four words:
“Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet.”
But, I also want to summarize his eternal life with one word … Jesus.
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”
Lazarus came out and so too will Uncle Glen because Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
You and I and all who trust in Jesus will also rise.
We have been given this promise. Lazarus was raised but also eventually died and waits like Uncle Glen and all - for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great god and savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13
The grave clothes will give way as we rise as they did for Lazarus.
53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 1 Cor. 15:53
Bound in sin Christ calls you … Come out!
Death has been swallowed up in victory!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
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