Recorded Sermon 26 March 2023 Rev Steven Lottering - Aldersgate

The transcription begins with a prayer expressing gratitude for the hope of resurrection and acknowledging God's power to bring life to the dead and dying. It asks for forgiveness for choosing ways of flesh and death and calls on the Spirit to bring life and peace. The prayer also includes the Lord's Prayer. The speaker then discusses the scripture readings from Ezekiel 37 and John 11, emphasizing the themes of resurrection and the power of God's Spirit to bring life. The speaker relates these themes to the current situation in South Africa, highlighting issues of corruption, injustice, and inequality that rob people of life. Let's pray together. God of the Valley of Dry Bones, we thank you that there is life after death, that with you there is always the hope of resurrection. God of the tomb and friend of Lazarus, we thank you that you call us out of dead spaces to live in fullness and to go with you to the heights and the depths. God of hope, you are the only one with the power to resurrect that which is dead or dying. We thank you that you do not leave us alone before the tomb, that you stay with us, you weep and grieve and mourn with us. And when death brings opportunity for new birth, you watch with us and you call us to respond with your everlasting love as our support. When we set our minds to flesh, forgive us, O God, and reorient us to see the way of the Spirit of life and of peace. When we make decisions that divide and dehumanise, when we support systems of oppression through our silence or sponsorship, when we choose these ways of flesh and death, come Spirit and bring life and peace. When we act without compassion or consideration, when we make no room for the needs of others, seeking only selfish desire, when we choose these ways of flesh and death, come Spirit and bring life and peace. When we speak words of hatred and discord, when we condemn or misrepresent with unwise words or narratives, when we choose these ways of flesh and death, come Spirit and bring life and peace. Help us to look to your resurrecting love as we say together the prayer Jesus taught us. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. And so as we recognise the gift of life that God has given to us, the abundant eternal life, we offer that life in return to God. And so as the stewards wait on us for our gifts of money, we recognise that that's a sign and a token of our whole lives offered to God in acts of service and to the world, so they might experience God's love and God's light. Let's stand as we offer our lives along with these gifts. Let's pray. God who calls us into life, we bring ourselves to you. Whatever these hands can do, whatever these hearts can hold, whatever these minds can imagine, and whatever these spirits can connect with, is yours. To use in a way that brings hope and love. So bless us and bless these gifts we bring. Use us and use them to bring your love close to where it's needed most. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you. You may be seated. We turn now to our scripture reading for this morning, or scripture readings, the first being from Ezekiel chapter 37 and verses 1 to 14. Ezekiel 37, 1 to 14. I felt the powerful presence of the Lord, and his Spirit took me and set me down in a valley where the ground was covered with bones. He led me all round the valley, and I could see that there were very many bones, and that they were very dry. He said to me, mortal man, can these bones come back to life? I replied, Sovereign Lord, only you can answer that. He said, prophesy to the bones. Tell these dry bones to listen to the word of the Lord. Tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling them, I am going to put breath in you and bring you back to life. I will give you sinews and muscles and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you and bring you back to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I had been told. While I was speaking, I heard a rattling noise, and the bones began to join together. While I watched, the bones were covered with sinews and muscles and then with skin, but there was no breath in the bodies. God said to me, mortal man, prophesy to the wind. Tell the wind that the Sovereign Lord commands it to come from every direction to breathe into these dead bodies and to bring them back to life. So I prophesied as I had been told. Breath entered the bodies and they came to life and stood up. There were enough of them to form an army. God said to me, mortal man, the people of Israel are like these bones. They say they are dried up without any hope and with no future. So prophesy to my people Israel and tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am going to open their graves. I'm going to take them out and bring them back to the land of Israel. When I open the graves where my people are buried and bring them out, they will know that I am the Lord. I will put my breath in them, bring them back to life and let them live in their own land. They will know that I am the Lord. I have promised that I would do this and I will. I, the Lord, have spoken. Just a quick note before we move on, that in Scripture, in the original languages, in the Hebrew and in Greek, the language of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, the word for wind and spirit are the same word. And the word for breath and spirit are the same word. So wind, breath, spirit, all the same word. So when you hear about the breath and prophesying to the wind, that could also be speaking about the spirit of God. And it's God's spirit, God's breath that brings us to life. But let's turn to John chapter 11. And we would really need to read quite a bit of John chapter 11, but I'm just going to read the first seven verses and then skip to verse 17. And so John chapter 11, first seven verses. A man named Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, was ill. Bethany was the town where Mary and her sister Martha lived. This Mary was the one who poured the perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped it with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was ill. The sisters sent Jesus a message. Lord, your dear friend is ill. When Jesus heard it, he said, the final result of this illness will not be the death of Lazarus. This has happened in order to bring glory to God, and it will be the means by which the Son of God will receive glory. Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he received the news that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was for two more days. Then he said to his disciples, let us go back to Judea. And then verse 17, when Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before. Bethany was less than three kilometers from Jerusalem, and many Judeans had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them over their brother's death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died, but I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for. Your brother will rise to life, Jesus told her. I know, she replied, that he will rise to life on the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe that? Yes, Lord, she answered. I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who has come into the world. After Martha said this, she went back and called her sister Mary privately. The teacher is here, she told her, and is asking for you. When Mary heard this, she got up and hurried out to meet him. Jesus had not yet arrived in the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. The people who were in the house with Mary, comforting her, followed her when they saw her get up and hurry out. They thought she was going to the grave to weep there. Mary arrived where Jesus was, and as soon as she saw him, she fell at his feet. Lord, she said, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw how the people who were with her were weeping also. His heart was touched, and he was deeply moved. Where have you buried him? He asked them. Come and see, Lord, they answered. Jesus wept. See how much he loved him, the people said. But some of them said, he gave sight to the blind man, didn't he? Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying? Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance. Take the stone away, Jesus ordered. Martha, the dead man's sister, answered, there will be a bad smell, Lord. He's been buried for four days. Jesus said to her, didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believed? They took the stone away. Jesus looked up and said, I thank you, Father, that you listened to me. I know that you always listen to me, but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me. After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. He came out, his hands and feet wrapped in grave clothes and with a cloth around his face. Untie him, Jesus told them, and let him go. Thanks be to God for this word to us. There's a story told about three friends who were discussing death, and one of them asked, what would you like people to say about you at your funeral? The first one said, I'd like them to say he was a great humanitarian who cared about his community. The second said, I'd like them to say he was a husband and father who was an example for many to follow. The third friend said, I'd like them to say, look, he's moving. Seriously though, sometimes we look around us and all we see are dry bones, death. We don't see the potential for God to work. In fact, we may even get to the point where we don't really believe that God can work this time. Things have just gone too far. It's beyond even God's ability to restore. I wonder how many of us feel that way about the current situation in South Africa, in our country, as we look around and we just continue to see corruption wrecking the lives of people, as we continue to see injustice and inequality continue to rob us of life. All of us, the rich and the poor, are robbed of life because of the inequalities. But some of us experience it more harshly than others. As we look around at the scourge of gender-based violence and the violence to our children, children shot down in the streets, we look at all of this around us and we think to ourselves, is there hope? Is there a future? Is it possible for things to actually change? Into the midst of all of this, Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. Not, I will be the resurrection and the life. It's in the context that Martha says to him, I know that my brother will rise again at the end, and Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. Where Jesus is, there is resurrection and there is life. There is always hope. God can restore even that which appears to be beyond restoration. Remember when he said, roll the stone away, they said to him, but Lord, he's been dead for four days. Throughout the Gospels, especially John's Gospel, the third day is a day of hope. It's the day of resurrection. On the third day, he rose again. And many of the miracles occur on the third day, the signs of life and hope and resurrection. The third day is the day of possibility, of abundant life. But this is the fourth day, the day of despair, the hope, the possibilities all lie shattered. But Lord, he's been dead four days. But the story doesn't end in despair, does it? A colleague and mentor of mine, Peter Woods, puts it this way, says, when Jesus raises Lazarus from the fettered tomb, he dispels the root of human despair. There is no statute of limitations on when God can bring life back to the dead. There are thus no grounds for complete and utter despair. Faith is the opposite of despair. Faith is the opposite of despair. Despair does not have the final say. There is nothing beyond God's power of redemption. So how then do we experience this in our lives? I would want to suggest that firstly, we have to face up to the reality of the situation. We need to uncover it, open it up, roll the stone away, even if it stinks. We have to face up to the reality of the situation. We cannot live in the past by saying, if only, or what if. If only you'd been here, Lord, my brother wouldn't have died. We have to face the reality of what has happened, and leave the if-only's and the what-ifs behind. We need to go to where the bones lie scattered, and we need to examine them, look at them, and then we need to wait and trust in God's power of resurrection. That's the faith part, and I think that's sometimes the most difficult part, because we want instant answers. We live in a society where everything is instant, and so waiting and trusting in God's power is difficult, especially when we recognise that God doesn't always work according to our time, and according to our expectations. Sometimes, like Martha, we acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah. We believe it, but that belief doesn't penetrate our lives. Even the demons, we're told in Scripture, believe, but it doesn't transform them. We may have seen God at work, but we limit God to only certain areas of our lives, and only certain things. The disciples saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, but they did not believe that Jesus could be raised from the dead. I often say on Easter Sunday that the thing that fascinates me the most about the Easter story is that the disciples aren't sitting outside the grave waiting for Jesus to rise, because they had witnessed it. They'd seen this for themselves, but instead they're locked in fear behind closed doors, and they have to experience the resurrection for themselves before they actually believe. A chap by the name of James Moore tells a story about a church organist named Carol. She was an outstanding musician, but one Easter she overslept, and she missed the sunrise service. She was so embarrassed. Of course, everyone forgave her, even though they teased her a little about it in a fun and loving way. The next Easter, she was jolted awake at five o'clock in the morning by the phone ringing. She scrambled to answer it, and it was the minister, and he said, Carol, it's Easter morning. The Lord has risen, and I suggest you do the same. The message is clear. We too can be resurrected. Christ shares his resurrection with us. He has risen, and so should we. We too can have new life. We too can make a new start. We too can rise from the tombs that try to imprison us. We have been raised to new life, but sometimes, like Lazarus, we still wear the grave clothes. We need to be unbound, unwrapped, and we need to unbind and unwrap those situations around us that need to be resurrected. We need to unwrap the power and potential of God in our lives, and that's the second step to experiencing resurrection. The first was to face full and unafraid the reality, to deal with it, not to play what-if games, but to face it. Then we need, so we roll the stone away, even if it stinks, but then we need to unwrap and unlock that which robs us of life. I believe that it's the task of the Church to unbind people from those things that keep them from experiencing God's love, to unbind them and let them go, to roll away the stones that keep them from life. One commentator during the week said this, the one who has the power to raise the dead is saying to the community, you have a role to play here in allowing this person to truly live. Lazarus didn't wrap himself in the burial clothes, and until he's unbound he cannot move or fully come out. The community is the one called to unbind and unwrap and let life come out. We have to face up to the stench of death all around us. We have to confront all that robs people of life. We have to roll away the stone, but then we need to unbind them and let them go. So the question I want to leave us with is, how are we bringing healing and transformation, life, into the places of death around us? How are we bringing healing and transformation into the places of death around us? What keeps people bound in death? We know the things that keep people bound in death, things like poverty, as I've mentioned, injustice, corruption, all of those things, but what else keeps people bound in death? And what keeps us bound in death? I want to invite us to a little time of reflection. I invite you to get comfortable, if you aren't already comfortable, maybe close your eyes if you'd like, and I invite you to think of an area of your life where it's hard to think that anything good could happen, where things are going badly for you. Face up to it, look at it, examine it, areas of your life where it's hard to think that anything good could happen, where things are going badly. Can you think of an area where you might say, as the people of Israel did in their time of exile, our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, we're cut off completely. Is there an area of your life where your hope is gone? What do you want to do about this? Do you want to lock it up in a tomb and seal it away from Jesus? Are you worried that it stinks? Or are you willing to have Jesus visit this area of your life with resurrection, with restoration, with healing? If you want Jesus to visit this area of your life, then in a moment of silence I'm going to invite Jesus to bring God's power and resurrection life into your life. Imagine Jesus visiting this desolation and bringing it to life. I am the resurrection and the life, says Jesus. Whoever believes in me will live. And so let's take a moment of silence to bring those very broken places in our life, in our community, in our world, to Jesus, inviting him to bring life. So come. Come breath of life. Breathe within us. Bring us to new life. Come Holy Spirit and fill us with your resurrection power. Come breath of life and bring healing and transformation to our world. Come Holy Spirit, breathe life into us and into our world again, we pray. And so let us be glad that Jesus is the Lord of both the living and the dead. He is the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in him, though they die, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in him will never die. Amen. Let's pray together, not just for our own needs, but for the needs of the world around us. And there are hearts in bold, I hope you can see that, where you're invited to say the words with me. And so let's pray. We live in a world of need and sorrow, risk and struggle, hope and despair. And so as we remember all those in need of prayer in our community and in our world, I ask you, people of God, can these dry bones live? These bones are hungry, thirsty and tired, yet only God knows if these bones can live. People of God, can these dry bones live? These bones are suffering and in trouble, yet only God knows if these bones can live. People of God, can these dry bones live? These bones face harmful division in families and communities, yet only God knows if these bones can live. People of God, can these dry bones live? These bones struggle for life in a world threatened by war and rumours of war, by violence of every kind, yet only God knows if these bones can live. People of God, can these dry bones live? These bones inhabit an earth that needs attention, care and responsible stewardship, yet only God knows if these bones can live. People of God, these bones are all of us. Now hear the good news. God breathes on us that we may live and that we may share this new life with our community through God's grace and love. Thanks be to God who gathers and breathes the breath of life into our dry bones. Amen.