Sermon on John 11:32-44

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

There are times this past year and a half that have felt like a tomb.

We went from being able to move about freely in the world to being encouraged to stay at home, remain 6 feet away from other people, cover our faces, and dwell in the uncertainty of a world affected by a pandemic.

What we thought would last two weeks has lasted a year and a half and more. Though the situation has changed over time, the end is not in sight.

We have lost loved ones, jobs, freedoms, opportunities for travel and celebrations with special people, and so much more.

Raise your hand if you know of anyone personally who has died of COVID.

Raise your hand if you know of anyone who has died in the last two years.

Raise your hand if your job or finances have been affected by COVID.

Raise your hand if a wedding, graduation, vacation, or other event you were looking forward to was canceled or moved online because of COVID.

We’ve all been affected one way or another by COVID. We’re pretty much all grieving something. Some of us are grieving the death of loved ones. Some of us are grieving the loss of jobs or hopes or security or our understanding of the world.

All of that hurts.

There are times this past year and a half that have felt like a tomb.

And on this All Saints Sunday, we specifically remember the saints who have died before us. Some people we have missed for days or weeks; some for decades. Your grief may feel like a gaping wound or a gentle ache or a roller coaster of emotions with no way to stop and take a breath.

This Gospel story is full of emotions, too.

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Jesus was good friends with the siblings Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.

When Lazarus became sick, Mary and Martha sent the news to Jesus. And Jesus made the conscious choice to wait two days before traveling to Bethany to see him. Jesus’ disciples were worried, because Jesus’ life was in danger in Bethany, but Jesus insisted, and they agreed.

When they finally arrived, they were too late. Lazarus was already dead.

Martha goes out to greet Jesus, while Mary stays at home.

To me, it sounds like Martha is just barely containing herself as she confronts Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Jesus replies, “Your brother will rise again.” And Martha quickly backpedals, saying, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” She doesn’t know what’s coming, and she rushes to find a polite explanation—to cover up any anger she feels.

I wonder, though, if there were times when she felt like she was the one in a tomb instead of her brother.

When Jesus asks to see Mary, she tells him the exact same thing as Martha had: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

To me, this time those words sound different. I imagine her refusing to go with Martha to see Jesus. When Jesus asks to see her, she rushes out to meet him, and I imagine her boiling over with rage. Then, she utters the same words as her sister, but I imagine it as an accusation. And then she bursts into tears.

I wonder if Mary felt like she was in a tomb.

It must have been so hard for both Mary and Martha to see their brother get sick, to get their hopes up that their friend Jesus would come—Jesus, who had healed so many!—and then to wait, and wait, and wait, while their brother’s condition worsened, and no sign of Jesus. And then finally that last breath left Lazarus’s body. And Jesus still hadn’t come.

And then, days later, he finally showed up. What were they supposed to say to him? Jesus, who had healed so many, but wasn’t there when they needed him.

Maybe even their friendship felt like a tomb.

And what did Jesus do, when Mary was weeping at his feet?

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Jesus wept.

It’s famous for being the shortest verse in the Bible.

When confronted with Mary’s grief and anger, Jesus didn’t try to excuse his lateness or try to get her to stop crying.

He cried with her. With all of them—everyone who was grieving Lazarus’s death.

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And Jesus weeps with us, too.

Jesus weeps with us over every grief we experience.

We are never alone in our grief, no matter how much it feels that way.

Jesus weeps alongside us when we feel like we are in a tomb.

But he doesn’t leave us there.

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After Jesus weeps with Mary, he goes to the tomb and summons Lazarus out of it.

Now, of course, this is hard, because, for most of us, our loved ones don’t get brought back to life as we know it.

Some people experience miraculous healings and near-death experiences, but for most of us, we won’t see our loved ones again on this side of death.

So, it’s all well and good for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, because Jesus brings Lazarus back to life.

But what about us? What about our loved ones? It would be easier to celebrate All Saints Day if our loved ones weren’t the ones being remembered.

We, like Martha, who told Jesus, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day,” know that in Jesus, our loved ones will have life after death. But that’s not the same as having our loved ones with us now. We miss them now.

And Jesus is with us in that grief, weeping as we weep, aching as we ache.

_______

But when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it wasn’t just about Lazarus or Mary or Martha.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus does 7 signs that point to the Reign of God. They’re not just miracles; they’re acts of power that point to something bigger. They give us glimpses of who God is and what the Reign of God will be like.

For example, in the signs of Jesus turning water into wine and feeding 5,000 people, we see God’s abundance and the celebration and joy that will be in the Reign of God.

And in signs of healing, we see that in God there is life and in the Reign of God we have life now and forever.

But people still weren’t getting it.

So, Jesus does this seventh sign to drive it home. In bringing Lazarus back from the dead, Jesus shows us that he is life for us now and forever.

In bringing Lazarus back from the dead, Jesus points to his own death and resurrection—his own ultimate sacrifice and triumph over death itself.

In Jesus, death has no ultimate power over us.

Because Jesus is life itself.

We grieve the deaths of our loved ones, because we miss their presence in our lives—of course! And Jesus grieves with us.

And we also know that death does not have the last word.

Whether we feel like we are in a tomb or our bodies actually are in a tomb, Jesus calls our name and draws us out of the tomb into living life in the Reign of God.

Jesus is life for us now and on the other side of death. Jesus is life in the Reign of God.

So, beloved child of God, when you feel like you’re in a tomb, know that Jesus is there with you and will never leave you.

And Jesus calls your name, inviting you into the Reign of God, where he is life for you in both this life and the next.

And all the saints who have gone before us—the great cloud of witnesses—are cheering you on.

Beloved child of God, even as you grieve what needs to be grieved, Jesus is life for you: live in him.

Let us pray:

Jesus, you are life for us now and forever. Wrap your loving arms around those of us who grieve. Wrap your loving arms around those we love and miss. Hold us in our grief and draw us more and more into life in you. Thank you for all the saints who have mentored, inspired, and loved us. Help us to feel them cheering us on until we are reunited with them in the fulfillment of your Reign. Thank you for defeating death and filling us with life. Amen.

First Lutheran Church

October 31, 2021 – Reformation Sunday

Psalm 46 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, and though the mountains shake in the depths of the sea; though its waters rage and foam, and though the mountains tremble with its tumult. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be shaken; God shall help it at the break of day. The nations rage, and the kingdoms shake; God speaks, and the earth melts away. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Come now, regard the works of the Lord, what desolations God has brought upon the earth; behold the one who makes war to cease in all the world; who breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, and burns the shields with fire. “Be still, then, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth. ”The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. 

“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”

Martin Luther

A mighty fortress is our God, a sword and shield victorious;

He breaks the cruel oppressor's rod and wins salvation glorious.

The old satanic foe has sworn to work us woe!

With craft and dreadful might he arms himself to fight.

On earth he has no equal. 

No strength of ours can match his might! We would be lost, rejected.

But now a champion comes to fight, whom God himself elected.

You ask who this may be? The Lord of hosts is he!

Christ Jesus, mighty Lord, God's only Son, adored.

He holds the field victorious. 

Though hordes of devils fill the land all threat'ning to devour us,

We tremble not, unmoved we stand; they cannot overpow'r us.

Let this world's tyrant rage; in battle we'll engage!

His might is doomed to fail; God's judgment must prevail!

One little word subdues him. 

God's Word forever shall abide, no thanks to foes, who fear it;

For God himself fights by our side with weapons of the Spirit.

Were they to take our house, goods, honor, child, or spouse,

Though life be wrenched away, they cannot win the day.

The kingdom's ours forever!

Sermon

“A Mighty Fortress is Our God”

Pastor Greg Ronning

Today we celebrate “Reformation Sunday.”  A special day in the life of the Lutheran Church.  So special that we break out the “red paraments” signifying the work of the Holy Spirit.  Many of you are wearing Red for the occasion.  And of course, we began our service with the singing of the traditional Reformation Hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” We even added the Trumpet to make if more festive. 

Many people think of the hymn “A Mighty Fortress” as the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation. ”However, “A Mighty Fortress” was not written for this occasion, it was not written to celebrate the Reformation!   It became the traditional Reformation hymn sometime around 1648 when churches in Germany first began to celebrate this day.  Scholars believe that Martin Luther wrote the hymn in the year 1527, ten years after he nailed the Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, and for a completely different occasion.  So, to fully understand the meaning and significance of this wonderful hymn we need to go back to the years surrounding 1527 to see what was going on in the life of Luther, the original context for the hymn.

Luther scholars describe the years surround 1527 as some of the bleakest years in his life.  In April of that year, a dizzy spell forced Luther to do doing something that was unconceivable, he stopped preaching in the middle of his sermon.  In July of that year Luther felt an intense buzzing in his ear, became cold, clammy, thirsty, and was convinced he would not survive the night.  After ten years of political and theological struggles, ten years of living under death threats, and recent battles with the other reformers over the nature of the Lord’s Supper; Luther was deeply disturbed, angry, depressed, and severely ill. Luther wrote to his colleague and friend Philip Melanchthon, “I spent more than a week in death and hell. My entire body was in pain, and I still tremble.”  And if all that was not enough, in August of that year a plague broke out in the city of Wittenberg where Luther lived.  Out of fear many of the townspeople fled the city but Luther considered it his duty to remain and care for the sick. Even though his wife was pregnant, Luther’s house was transformed into a hospital. He watched many of his friends die. His son also became ill. Not until late November of that year did the epidemic abate and the ill begin to recover.

During this troubling year in his life, it is believed that Luther penned “A Mighty Fortress.”  A heading from one of the original publications of the song dated 1529 reads, “A Mighty Fortress – A Hymn of Comfort.”  Rather than a “battle hymn,” or a “festival hymn,” Luther intended this hymn, based on Psalm 46 to be a hymn of comfort.  A hymn written for a people in the midst of a plague, a hymn to give them comfort and hope, a hymn reminding the author himself that God had not abandoned God’s people.

So it is that this hymn might take on some new significance for us today, so it is that this hymn is more than a relic from the past, so it is that on Reformation Day 2021, as we continue to battle a world-wide pandemic, as we endure intense and violent political division, as we experience devastating new weather patterns; as we endure some “bleak” and “troubling” years; this hymn suddenly becomes “very contemporary,” offering us the same hope and comfort it gave the people of Wittenberg in 1527.  It’s true, on October 31, 2021, we don’t need a “battle hymn,” we need a “Hymn of Comfort.”

Today we are invited to gather around the promise of Psalm 46, the promise of “A Mighty Fortress,” the Gospel promise that God is with us, - “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ”Though the earth be moved, the mountains shake, and the waters rage, - God is with us.  Though nations rage, and kingdoms shake, - God is with us.  Though hordes of devils fill the land, - God is with us.  Even though life may be wrenched away, - God is with us. Though the pandemic continues, - God is with us.  Though our politics seek to divide us, - God is with us.  Though fires burn out of control, though floods swell, though the temperature rises, - God is with us. 1527 and 2021, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Yes, God is with us!  I truly believe it.  I believe that God is present, that God is with us in these trying times. Yet I must admit I am not always sure how, how God is present, and how that presence makes a difference.  As I pondered this question, as I wondered how I would finish this sermon, as I mused how I might answer my own theological question; I noticed something in Luther’s hymn that caught my attention.  The good news of God’s presence in our life, especially in these difficult and trying times, is found in the grammar of the hymn, - God is present in the plural!

Notice the language found in “A Mighty Fortress.”  “A mighty fortress is our God, …” “No strength of ours …” “We would be lost, ...”  “threat'ning to devour us,…” “We tremble not, unmoved we stand; they cannot overpow'rus.”“In battle we'll engage!”  And finally, ultimately, not “the kingdom is mine,” but rather, “The kingdom's ours forever!”

God is present in the plural!  Luther reminds us that the life of faith, the life of the church, the life of God’s beloved children is lived in -with – and through “community.”  In Christ we are not isolated individuals, but individuals forever united as the family of God.  And it is in this community of faith that the promises of God abide, that the promises of God are held, that the promises of God are experienced. “A Mighty Fortress ”was written to be sung in church, in the assembly, in the midst of the faithful - gathered.  And the comfort and hope it proclaims is experienced in the church, in the place where Christ is fleshed out and dwells among us.  Luther lived faithfully, confidently in faith, during those “bleak and troubling” years, despite suffering from depression, anxiety, illness and plague, - because he was not alone.  Christ was with him in the life of the church, in the life of the faith community, in a community united in song and prayer, in a community serving those in need, - surrounded by faithful people doing faithful things.  Because of this Luther is finally able to declare in the last line of his hymn of comfort, “The kingdom's ours forever!”

Alone we are doomed to live in fear, together we are inspired to live in the confidence of God’s grace and love.  That’s what makes the difference!

The church is a different kind of community.  In a just a few minutes we will sing another great hymn, “The Church’s One Foundation.”  The second verse describes the church as a community made up of different people from all over the world, yet united as one, “Her charter of salvation one Lord, one faith, one birth.”  We are all members of many communities, different kinds of groups and organization, yet the only one that ultimately matters, the only one that makes a difference, is the church, the very Body of Christ.  Once again, the church, the true church, the Body of Christ is a different kind of community.  It does not look or act like a political party, it does not look or act like a fraternal organization, it does not look or act like a city, a state or a nation; it is radically different, amazingly diverse, and filled with grace and love; - united only in the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Christ.  And this church, this mighty fortress, will hold us together through plagues and pandemics, religious and political strife, even though the mountains shake and the seas rise up.  Hold fast to the church, hold fast to grace, hold fast to love, - hold fast to these things and they will hold fast to you! Together in Christ we have all these things, “The Kingdom’s ours forever!” Amen.

“The Church’s One Foundation” 

The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord;

She is his new creation by water and the word.

From heav'n he came and sought her to be his holy bride;

With his own blood he bought her, and for her life he died. 

Elect from ev'ry nation, yet one o'er all the earth,

Her charter of salvation one Lord, one faith, one birth:

One holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food,

And to one hope she presses, with ev'ry grace endued. 

Though with a scornful wonder this world sees her oppressed,

By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed,

Yet saints their watch are keeping; their cry goes up: "How long?"

And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.

Through toil and tribulation and tumult of her war,

She waits the consummation of peace forevermore;

Till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest,

And the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth has union with God, the Three in One,

And mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won.

Oh, blessed heav'nly chorus! Lord, save us by your grace,

That we, like saints before us, may see you face to face.

Sermon on Mark 10:46-52

Jennifer Garcia

Today’s story comes after a couple of stories about people not getting Jesus.

First, there’s the man who came to Jesus to ask what he could “do” to “gain” eternal life. And Jesus tells him to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow him. And the man leaves, saddened, because he had a lot of stuff.

What he didn’t get was that it wasn’t about “doing” something to “gain” eternal life. It was about letting go of what was separating him from his neighbors. He was letting his possessions get in between him and being a part of the amazing, upside-down Reign of God that Jesus was inviting him into.

Then, some of Jesus’ disciples ask Jesus if they can sit next to him in places of honor in the fulfillment of the Reign of God.

What they don’t get is that following Jesus isn’t about glory or honor, but about the last being first and the first being last, which is what Jesus told them after their encounter with the rich man in the previous story.

Then, in this story, the disciples and the crowds following Jesus try to get Bartimaeus to be quiet, to stop asking Jesus for mercy. It’s like they’re embarrassed that someone would be so persistent in seeking Jesus’ attention. Especially when that person has a disability and is impoverished.

What they don’t get is that Bartimaeus is exactly the sort of person Jesus wants to pay attention to.

It’s people on the margins that Jesus pays the most attention to—people the world has forgotten, people the world tries to ignore and silence.

People like Bartimaeus.

Bartimaeus, who doesn’t rest until he’s gotten Jesus’ attention. He shouts and shouts, not caring if he makes a fool of himself, not caring what the people around him think. Jesus is the only one who matters to him.

Bartimaeus, who throws off his cloak to chase Jesus down. He casts aside one of his few and most important possessions because Jesus asks to talk with him. He doesn’t cling to his belongings like the rich man did.

Bartimaeus, who when Jesus asks him what he wants, does not ask for greatness or riches. He doesn’t seek honor when Jesus comes into his glory, like the disciples James and John did.

Bartimaeus, who after getting what he asked for, doesn’t politely thank Jesus and go on his way. No, he follows Jesus “on the way.” Yes, in a literal sense, it means he got up and followed Jesus on the road he was traveling on, but in a metaphorical sense, “The Way” was one of the terms the early church used to describe following Jesus. Bartimaeus understood that his conversation with Jesus was an invitation to discipleship.

Bartimaeus persisted in seeking Jesus’ attention, released his possessions, did not seek honor or glory, and got up and followed Jesus.

Bartimaeus is the ideal example of the behavior Jesus asked of the people in the previous stories.

Bartimaeus gets Jesus in a way the others didn’t.

We don’t always get Jesus today.

Sometimes we expect to find Jesus in the most beautiful sanctuaries.

Or the churches with the best worship music, or the flashiest youth programs, or the best-attended Bible studies.

Sometimes we expect to find Jesus in places where we’re comfortable, where we won’t be surprised or stretched.

And, of course, Jesus is there, because Jesus is everywhere. There is nowhere Jesus isn’t. After all, Jesus, the Word of God, “was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” Jesus created everywhere and is everywhere.

But in today’s story we see that Jesus pays special attention to people at the margins. People who are ignored, silenced, and marginalized by society because of their disability or race or gender identity or sexual orientation or sexual history or class or age or whatever reason society is uncomfortable with them. People like Bartimaeus.

People, perhaps, like you.

People, perhaps, like your neighbor.

People, perhaps, on the streets of Fullerton, or in your workplaces, or here at church.

Jesus stops, invites, and listens. He asks, “What do you want me to do for you?”

He gives marginalized people a voice, gives them agency in inviting them to name their needs, desires, and hopes.

So, what is it that you want Jesus to do for you?

What is it that you need?

How can you make your voice heard?

What is it that your neighbor wants Jesus to do for them?

What is it that they need?

How can we listen well to our neighbors’ voices?

Jesus, our Savior, was born, and lived, and died, and rose again so that no one would ever be separated from God. Because of him, no one is alone; no one is unloved or unvalued.

You, you are worth everything to God. Jesus loves you exactly as you are, and not only has given up everything, but would give up everything again for your sake, because he loves you.

And yet, our world still labels people as unlovable and unworthy.

That’s why Jesus still stands in the margins, asking people what he can do for them.

And that’s where we belong, too, whether the world puts us there or not.

Because following Jesus means being where he is.

Following Jesus means loving the people he loves, which is everybody, including the people the world wants to ignore and the people the world “sternly order[s] to be quiet.”

Let’s not be quiet any longer. Whether we are advocating for our own needs or the needs of our neighbors, let us shout out, “Jesus, Son of David, has mercy on us! Let the world have mercy, too!”

Let’s keep shouting until there is mercy in this world for those the world ignores.

Let’s keep asking what we can do for our neighbors.

Let’s keep following Jesus on The Way.

Because Jesus loves you, loves your neighbor, and loves the world he created.

Take heart; get up, he is calling you.