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Nov 08, 2015

If Only You Had Been Here

If Only You Had Been Here

Passage: John 11:32-44

Speaker: Rev. Vivian McCarthy, Pastor

Keywords: all saints, grief, hope, loss

Death is harsh. It is real. And we don’t always like to think about it or talk about it. We want to snatch away the pain of it and just make it all better. But grief is complicated and lengthy. Even Jesus knew and felt the pain of losing a good friend. Yet, death never has the last word!

This is one of my absolute favorite Sundays of the year.  It is also one of the hardest.  Some people dread it because it’s a long service.  Others dread it because it is very emotional.  We are not having Communion today, so it should not be as long as usual.  I suspect, though, that this year brings a lot of emotion. 

Death is harsh.  It is real.  And we don’t always like to think about it or talk about it.  We want to snatch away the pain of it and just make it all better.  But grief is complicated and lengthy. 

We are, as a nation, still reeling over the trauma of a twenty-one-year old white man named Dylann Roof who entered the historic Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston and sat for an hour through Bible study and prayer before allegedly killing nine innocent victims.

We are still reeling from multiple deaths on multiple school campuses, two of those occurring within 24 hours of each other just a few weeks ago.  Each time, there is a hollow feeling in my stomach.  Each time, my heart goes out to the parents of those kids, no matter how old they are.  Each time, I become a little more frightened and angry that my precious Tommy (my two-and-a-half-year-old grandson) will go to school that will do lock-down drills.  I remember crawling under my desk – duck and cover during the air raid drills – and the nightmares that went with those for years.  I don’t want that for Tommy!

We are also mourning the loss of 37 lives within our congregation.  They were snatched from us, and each of these losses is personal and heart-wrenching.  It makes us want to say to Jesus, “If only you had been here!”

Mary and Martha were close to Jesus – best friends.  Imagine their heartache that the one who turned water into wine, gave sight to the blind, raised a little girl, and did all kinds of things for others, didn’t get to their home in time to heal their brother.  If only you had been here, our brother would not have died!  Their grief and anger are palpable in this passage.

 And consider how Jesus felt, according to John.  Ginger Barfield, Professor of Theology at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina, says that the NRSV translation of verse 33 of our text today is too weak.  We just read:

 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus began to weep.

Dr. Barfield writes: 

For the integrity of the Greek verbs and the reality of the wounds of death, this translation is too weak. The first verb has a connection to anger. It is not simply a strong feeling, but it is more of a passion and pain that comes from anger at the situation (also used in v. 38).

The root of the second verb is tied to a stirring up of oneself on the insides. It can be used in a physical sense for stirring up water, disturbing the calmness of the still water. In a more personal sense, it signifies both mental and internal disturbance that is akin to almost being physically sickened and disturbed.

Then in the shortest verse of the Bible, verse 35. Jesus weeps. Jesus has the same reaction that the mourners do -- he weeps real tears.

 Jesus was angry and groaning deeply in his spirit and he was stirred up in his mind, heart, and body by Lazarus’ death. He cried aloud.

Even the incarnate God is broken in his heart and soul by the death of his friend Lazarus. Death grieves God. So also, does death break our hearts and stir up our souls

It is within this context that we tell the story of Jesus’ offering life anew to Lazarus. Death stings. It stinks (v. 39). No perfume or pat answers can remove this.[1]

Jesus faced the reality of death with his best friends, and as the scripture says, he knew our griefs. He felt our pain – the grief and pain that we experience today and every time we lose someone we love.  We cannot deny that, even when our faith is strong and visible, death brings us pain and suffering.

However, as in our scripture for today, death does not have the last word for people of faith.  There is always hope – hope for a life lived eternally with God. 

Martha eagerly looked forward to her DISCIPLE Bible Study group. She found the personal and spiritual dialogue to be the high point of each week. She especially enjoyed being with Jayne, a woman several years younger. Jayne had a way of stating things that always seemed to clarify concepts that were hard for Martha to grasp. Though Jayne was not the group leader, Martha looked to her as a teacher and mentor.

As All Saints Day (November 1) approached, Martha looked forward to thanking God for Jayne, a new saint in her life. In worship, Martha’s church remembered the members who had died during the previous year. But they also celebrated the lives and influences of living saints; those teachers, pastors, friends, musicians, and others who, through their daily life, had shown others the Christian walk and faith.

The next January, Jayne shared with the DISCIPLE group that she had an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor. As her body became weak, her faith became stronger. The Bible study group met at Jayne’s home many times so that she could participate. A few days after the group’s final Communion service was celebrated around her bedside, Jayne joined the Church Triumphant.

Another All Saints Day approached, and this year, Martha grieved that she could no longer count Jayne as one of her living saints. But finding a strength beyond her grief, she asked if she could serve as a worship leader during the All Saints service during which Jayne and others would be remembered. The altar table was filled with unlit candles of all shapes and sizes. As the names of the deceased were read, Martha and another member of the DISCIPLE class lit a candle for each name read. As Jayne’s name was read, Martha lit a candle close to her side of the table. As the wick grew brighter, Martha felt the Holy Spirit offer comfort and peace. This was not an empty liturgical activity for Martha or the other worshipers; it was personal and allowed them the holy space to grieve and to proclaim the resurrection.[2]

May it be so for us today!

[1] From Working Preacher, a blog of preaching helps for each Sunday of the Lectionary. Written by  Ginger Barfield, Professor of Theology and Executive Director of the Academy of Faith and Leadership, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University Columbia, S.C. and found at http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2660

[2] Excerpt from an article by David Bone:  http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/3176/markall-saintsmark-day