Tag: resurrection

All Saints Day (John 11:32-44)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs, by Fra Angelico, 15th century

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone.

And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (New Revised Standard Version)

Every year on the Christian Calendar, the Church commemorates the saints who have gone before us. This day provides an opportunity to acknowledge the spiritual reality that contemporary believers stand on the shoulders of those who lived and died before us. Those saints of yester year deserve our recognition.

Since many believers know little about Christian history, it is good to take the time and reflect on the contributions of our spiritual ancestors. Our own personal spiritual growth isn’t just something we did on our own; we owe a lot to the saints who preceded us, and made it possible for us to know Christ.

In our Gospel lesson for today, Mary’s brother Lazarus had died. She was distraught and mourned her loss. Jesus reminded Mary that physical death is not the end; it is a temporary move to a higher plan of existence, until we all share in the final resurrection of the dead together as believers.

Although dead, the saints we recognize and remember can still speak to us, making significant contributions to our lives. All sorts of books, including Holy Scripture, have timeless reminders of how to live in this world. And, for some Christian traditions, the saints of long ago still maintain a real interaction with us in the present.

Times may change, yet the basic nature of people does not. The saints of the past have incredible wisdom for us, if we will but listen.

The Raising of Lazarus, by John Reilly (1928-2010)

In this way, Lazarus serves as an example of one who has a unique, powerful, and compelling testimony. He speaks, not only actually in his post-resurrection awakening by Jesus, but also virtually in speaking to us through the text and from his historical and heavenly place.

The presence and testimony of Lazarus was incredibly real enough for the religious leaders to begin plotting Christ’s demise; and even planning to kill Lazarus, because of his powerful testimony.

There is a place for grief and tears, and a place for joy and celebration. It seems that too much of our present time is given to the lament which comes from loss. The death and then resurrection of Lazarus by Jesus is a foretaste of Christ’s return.

We, along with all of the saints of bygone eras, will share together in a great resurrection at the end of time.

The author of Hebrews understood this, and spoke about the saints’ anticipation. Even though their lives were often characterized by adversity and suffering, they were able to exercise patience and perseverance, knowing there is something better ahead, along with us:

Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:36-40, NIV)

Death is our enemy. Each one of us will succumb to it. Even Lazarus, although dead and then raised to life, ended up dying again. Yet he, along with us, shall be raised immortal.

Until that glorious time, we need to keep going and enduring in this life. We are mortals, subject to all that mortality means for us. Death is that ever-present specter that continually lingers in the background of everyone’s life. The reality of death can upend us, either through the bereavement of loved ones, or through anxious thoughts of our own impending death.

Although Christ has won the war against our old enemy, the fight, however, is not yet over. We need to keep up a future orientation, as Jesus did, and as the faithful saints of the past did.

The risen Lord shall not only cry with us, but shall wipe away every tear, and make it so that we will never be put to shame.

This makes the Christian recognition of All Saints Day not only a remembrance of the past, but also a way of viewing the future. Let us, then, join with all the saints in looking forward to the day of Christ, and letting that perspective shape how we live today.

Beloved God, you deal with us kindly and in steadfast love. You lift up those bent over with heavy burdens, and sustain the weak and oppressed. Release us from our present anxious fears, so that we who hold fast to your commandments, may honor you with faith and patience for all that you have done for us, and will do for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

From Darkness and Death to Light and Life (Acts 20:1-16)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
St. Paul Restoring Eutychus to Life, by Taddeo Zuccaro (1529-1566)

When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, where he stayed three months.

Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 

Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost. (New International Version)

Paul Raises Eutychus to Life, by Gerard Hoet, 1728

The Apostle Paul was fresh off a riot in the city of Ephesus. Reading through the book of Acts in the New Testament, this almost seems like another day in the office for Paul. Everywhere he went, Paul created a stir – not on purpose – but just for being himself. Much like the Lord Jesus he served, Paul was a guy people either loved or hated.

We pick up Paul’s journey as he was heading to Macedonia. There were several companions who accompanied him, as was usual. The Apostle rarely, if ever, traveled alone; he was always in an entourage and mentoring others in the ways of Christian ministry.

This journey was different than the others. Paul knew what was coming for him. He was beginning a farewell tour, knowing that he would end up back in Judea – which may mean death for him.

One of the reasons there was such a commotion everywhere Paul went was because the Jews continually opposed him. But Paul was not deterred; he was determined to persevere, and especially to encourage the churches he had formed.

While in Troas, Paul met with the believers on a Sunday. Since this was a final message to those gathered, Paul did the longwinded preacher thing by talking until midnight. Apparently, all the young people were sitting in the back (some things never change) and one of them, Eutychus, fell asleep in the window where he was seated, and fell out of the window to the ground.

By the time Paul got to Eutychus, he was pronounced dead. But the Apostle wasn’t having it. He scooped up the young man into his arms and declared that life is still in him. Like the Lord Jesus before him, Paul restored the presumably dead person back to life.

This is the power of resurrection, specifically the spiritual power of Christ’s resurrection: Death doesn’t have the last word.

Paul was speaking at night, which is why there were many lamps lit in the place. Despite the light, Eutychus closed his eyes and succumbed to shutting out the light. He quite literally fell into darkness, and into the place of death.

Yet, it doesn’t take much light to dispel the darkness. A small candle is enough to luminate a way forward. Paul had more than a candle available to him; he had enough to literally light up Eutychus.

And then everybody went back upstairs and Paul did what any preacher worth their salt would do next: He kept preaching.

I’m sure Paul’s everlasting long sermon after that dramatic event with Eutychus centered on the message to “stay awake!” And indeed, that’s exactly what believers in Jesus are to do.

Then Jesus returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:37-38, NIV)

Paul wanted to sail past the port of Ephesus in order to get to Jerusalem quicker. When he was previously in the city, and established a church of new believers out of their old paganism, he said to them:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8-10, NIV)

The Apostle Paul was an intense guy. And that’s a good thing, when it’s channeled in ways of encouraging others, supporting them spiritually, and even raising someone from death.

Fortunately, the intensity of his light can still be seen these two millennia later.

O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Speak To the Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Valley of the Dried Bones, by Abraham Rattner (1895–1978)

The power of the Lord came over me. The Lord brought me out by his Spirit and put me down in the middle of a valley. The valley was filled with bones. He led me all around them. I saw that there were very many bones at the bottom of the valley, and they were very dry.

Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I answered, “Only you know, Almighty Lord.”

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones. Tell them, ‘Dry bones, listen to the Lord’s word. This is what the Almighty Lord says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. I will put ligaments on you, place muscles on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. While I was prophesying, suddenly there was a rattling noise, and the bones came together, one bone ⌞attaching itself⌟ to another. As I looked, I saw that ligaments were on them, muscles were on them, and skin covered them. Yet, there was no breath in them.

Then the Lord said to me, “Prophesy to the breath! Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Come from the four winds, Breath, and breathe on these people who were killed so that they will live.’ ”

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath entered them. Then they came to life and stood on their feet. There were enough of them to form a very large army.

The Lord also said to me, “Son of man, all the people of Israel are like these bones. The people say, ‘Our bones are dry, and our hope has vanished. We are completely destroyed.’ So prophesy. Tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: My people, I will open your graves and take you out of them. I will bring you to Israel. Then, my people, you will know that I am the Lord, because I will open your graves and bring you out of your graves. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. I will place you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’ ” (God’s Word Translation)

Bible Art

Dry. It might be good for humor or a martini. Dry, however, doesn’t feel good when it’s a time of spiritual dryness.

Perhaps you are dry. It seems the entire world is dry. Wars, conflict, death, violence, uncertainty, unrest, and upset people everywhere is evidence that there is dryness across the earth. Many institutions, organizations, companies, and faith communities have become so withered and dry, that they have folded and died.

The hard circumstances of our world, stress in our families, and challenging personal lives may easily create anxiety, and, so, parch our souls and leave our spirits bone dry. There is, however, a God who can breathe new life into us and move us from old-worn ruts in our thinking, feeling, and behaving, to renewed ways of being in the world. 

The prophet Ezekiel’s vision is a promise and a hope of resurrection, revival, and new life. Regardless of who we are and the situations in front of us, we are all displaced people – cast out of Eden and in need of restoration. 

We, along with the ancient Israelites, are in exile and long to return to our true home with God. Along with St. Augustine we declare that our “hearts are forever restless until they find their rest in God.”

There are dry bones lying around – parched places in need of being reinvigorated.

Maybe you are presently experiencing the dry bones of hopelessness and despondency. Perhaps you are in a dark night of the soul where all of life seems like one huge rut. It could be you are wondering if God is really listening, or is even there at all, because of the dry bones surrounding you.

In my work as a hospital chaplain I often encounter patients who are, ironically, bone dry from too much drinking. Their alcoholism is like a massive desert littered with thousands of dry bones. Attempting to reanimate themselves while dulling the pain of incredibly hard dry circumstances, they drink liter after liter of “spirits” to replace the dead spirit inside them. Some become so dry and dead inside their immaterial selves, that they seek to end their material lives through suicide.

But it need not be this way. We might believe we will be able to live life and pursue God better without danger or hardship – that somehow difficulty is not to be part of life. The dry bones exist, however, as an opportunity for God to give life. That’s why Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s reaction to his exile in a Soviet labor camp in Siberia was to bless it, because it was there he said:

“I discovered that the meaning of earthly existence lies not, as we have grown used to thinking, in prospering, but in the development of the soul.”

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

God not only gives life; God restores life. And this is an important truth to know and remember in the inevitable dry times of our lives. God is not only a helper; the Lord reanimates us from spiritual rigor mortis to lively resurrection through breathing on us. And this is done for a reason. Jesus came to his disciples after his resurrection and said:

“Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Jesus (John 20:20-21) 

God resuscitates us for a purpose, so that we might be a blessing to the world. Faith is not only a possession to keep, but a gift to give. We glorify God in loving one another and loving the world as Jesus did.  God could have resurrected the bones without Ezekiel. Instead, the Lord used Ezekiel and had him participate in the revival by speaking to the bones. 

Such a challenge to speak to the dry bones can seem overwhelming to us. What do you do when your life is upended, even shattered – when such a profound change comes to you that it is impossible for your life to be as it was? 

The questions and commands of God seemed totally absurd to Ezekiel, speaking to dead dry bones. Yet methinks we ought to operate more in the realm of the absurd than in the realm of the safe routine.

Perhaps we ought to expect our faith to be exercised and look for God to breathe new life into the dead and decaying. To believe that something, someone, or even myself can change is to have internalized this amazing story of dry bones living again. 

Our self-imposed graves cannot hold us because God is among us.

We need a genuine heaven-sent, Spirit-breathed, glorious reanimation in which God sends reviving grace and raises the dead. 

Lord of Resurrection, please be attentive to our prayers; and make what is impossible possible:

For those without hope – feeling dried up and cut off from you – open their graves and bring them back to the land of the living.

For those spiritually oppressed – held captive by sin – release them from their chains and let them go! For those who weep – lost and lifeless in a tomb of fear and shame – give them the peace of your presence, and show them what your love can do.

For those complacent – withering on the vine, and living a dull dry existence without any spiritual vigor – awaken them, O Lord! Breathe into them new life!

Pour out your Spirit, gracious God, and awaken all kinds of people to a revival of obedience, love, and courage.

May your people be so full of your Spirit that life comes rolling off our tongues and the strength of life empowers our hands for service. Amen.

Challenging the Status Quo (Acts 4:1-4)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them. They were incensed that the apostles were teaching the people and announcing that the resurrection of the dead was happening because of Jesus. They seized Peter and John and put them in prison until the next day. (It was already evening.) Many who heard the word became believers, and their number grew to about five thousand. (Common English Bible)

I’ll be honest. I like upsetting the status quo. It drives me nuts when a system or group of people get so used to doing things a certain way that there is no room for anything different. Peter and John did exactly that – they went off the beaten path. According to the religious authorities, they were creating trouble, causing a stink, disturbing the peace, and making waves.

At the heart of the disturbance was the authorities’ deep concern of potential social disorder. After all, the Roman Empire with all its great strength was firmly ensconced in Judea. It was already hard enough for Jews to maintain their customs and religious practices. Now, these rabblerouser disciples of Jesus come along with their unorthodox teaching, and threaten the very social fabric of Jewish life. No! Get them out of here!

So, off to jail Peter and John went. That’s how the politics of fear typically works. Being afraid of change leads to removing the object of fear. Stuff the apostles in the gulag. Shut and lock the door. Maybe if they are out of sight they will be out of mind to the people.

But the rulers were too late. A lot of people heard the message of Christ’s resurrection. The number of believers in Jesus swelled into the thousands. Well, now, everyone’s really in a pickle! That is, except the church. Each time the Christians got squelched and silenced, more of them showed up. Oh, my, goodness. The ruling council saw they were multiplying like roaches!

It didn’t help the authorities that these religious bugs continued to interpret their own whippings and jailtime as a positive thing – enjoying the solidarity of suffering with their Lord. Ugh. What’s a decent Sadducee to do with that kind of thinking and behavior?

Apostles Peter and John heal the sick, by Pieter Aertsen (1508-1575)

Turns out nothing can stop resurrection. It cannot be chained, bound, or imprisoned. Once life gets into the hearts of people, there’s no getting it out. The message takes over and consumes the whole person. Then it spreads to another, like an infectious disease.

Before you know it, the entire social order is off kilter. What a bunch of weirdos. Following a dead guy who they say isn’t dead. Walked right out of the grave, they say. Sheesh. Pull yourselves together. So many unhinged delusional people believing in resurrection!

It’s easy for some Christians to be hard on non-Christians, just as it was easy for the ancient Jewish rulers to be hard on others leaving their fold. Sometimes we followers of Jesus forget whence we have come. We can get so upset and worked up in fear.

It could be that our underwear is too tight. More likely, we take the prideful stance of believing that our own status quo is best for everyone. So, there’s no listening, paying attention, or teachable spirits.

Peter, John, and the other apostles just went about proclaiming good news with joy. And the gospel spread. Jesus became known first to thousands, then tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and millions. Today, according to the Pew Research Center, there are over 2.5 billion Christians in the world. That’s a lot of people.

Christianity has had two thousand years to create their own status quo, some of it good, some of it not so much.

Yet, at the heart of it all, is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death. It’s a message that still speaks to billions. And it’s a message Christians need to come back to, whenever they are fearful of others challenging their hegemony.

All the hopes and expectations of Christians everywhere are realized not in maintaining some Constantinian sort of Christendom, but in the resurrection of Jesus Christ the dead. The former does a lot of handwringing over social and cultural issues. The latter has a lot of joy, celebration, and renewal which works itself out in both personal and systemic redemption.

Because the good news of Easter can hardly be contained in a single day’s celebration, it’s message of new life in Christ is like a bright sun of inexhaustible grace to people everywhere – still warming the earth all these centuries later.

The Apostle Peter went on to pen a letter to struggling Christians facing hard circumstances in a world not yet dominated by Christianity, reminding them of the heart of Christian faith:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9, NIV)

Don’t get stuck in the status quo to the point you cannot see anything outside yourself.

May we come back repeatedly to Christianity’s message so that our faith is strengthened, the church is edified, and the world is blessed. Amen.