SERMON | Ezekiel 37:1-14 & John 11:1-45 | LENT - LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 5. "Who Could Stand" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana
Learning to Live Inside Out — a Lenten journey with Jesus…
toward the cross…
toward the death of sin and self…
following Jesus…
until what we KNOW in our hearts becomes the REALITY we live in the world.
We’ve focused on the importance of fasting and testing…
moving from the familiar comforts in the uncomfortable unknown…
confronting our thirst…
and seeing the presence of God among us…
Today we come to a deep question of whether we believe all of this and what it means.
WHO COULD STAND?
The opening Psalm asked this important question focusing on the choice we have to be weighed down with anxiety scanning the horizon for our enemies…
or standing in the hope and trust in God and finding joy in the midst of struggle.
We have a choice.
We have the POWER to choose: How will we respond?
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Similar to Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones who is asked, “Can these bones live?”
Can they live, Ezekiel?
Can they stand up and carry on once more?
Can they find life and joy and hope and trust?
Or is God’s promise just a let-down…a pipe dream?
Ezekiel knows the answer…but he won’t say it.
He knows better.
What is our answer to this question?
Let’s look at the bones of today and decide.
We’ve heard the statistics for years now…
the church is in decline.
less and less people are worshiping God on Sunday mornings
less and less people are saying they have faith at all
We’ve felt the pain of the valley and the bones around us…
this church and many others are not what they once were
things used to be easier
people came to church
this room was too full some days…many days…
Have we messed it up?
Did we mishandle what God gave us?
I’m certain we haven’t been perfect…but have we ceased to love our church?
Have we ceased to love God?
Look at the bones, friends.
Can these bones live?
Is there a thriving life ahead of us?
Our heads have an response…and we know it well.
We are all tempted to scan the horizon for the next bit of bad news about our church…about our world…
about our own lives.
Who could stand in the midst of our reality today in 2023?
You might bite our tongue and follow our hearts just the tiniest bit and say in response to the question: “You know, Lord.”
Perhaps that response is something like, “Please don’t make me say it. Don’t make me have to offer my breath and effort to utter my hopelessness into existence.”
Or maybe the response contains a seed of hope.
After all, it’s God we’re talking with, right?
Aren’t ALL THINGS possible?
This brings us to our scene in John when Jesus is standing in front of Martha.
Her brother had died.
She had sent word of his illness to Jesus, but never asked him to come directly.
She ALMOST implied the question by giving the word of Lazarus’s illness, but she never asked Jesus to come and do anything about it.
Was she shy?
Was she being respectful?
Did she think that Lazarus’s situation didn’t deserve to interrupt Jesus’ mission?
When Jesus does arrive, she can’t help but say to him, “If only you’d been here…”
Maybe that’s how we feel in our 2023 reality.
If only…
If only we’d opened our doors wider…
If only we’d played our music louder…
If only people didn’t focus on working…
If only extracurricular sports didn’t have activities on Sundays…
If only we’d stayed more traditional with our style…
If only we’d gone more contemporary…
If only…
If only…
And now we sit in a pile of bones…
The stench of what was having long past…
The stillness of death where the bustle of life once was.
Jesus prods at Martha’s faith.
“Your brother will rise, Martha.”
“Sure, sure, Jesus…one day he will…”
“I am the resurrection and the life. Even amid death, there is life in me.
Do you believe this?”
“Yes, of course, you are the Me