The context for this sermon is this is Passion Sunday 29 March 2020 and this is the second weekend where because of the Corona Virus lockdown, rather than meeting as a physical church we will be meeting online.
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When I was little my aunt Mary - well my mum’s aunt - lived in this amazing old house. She lived in what had once been the stables to a vast mansion. It had been converted into a huge house in it’s own right. On the top floor was a pokey little bedroom. Her son was long since grown up. But it had been his room when he was growing up. And it was full of toys from the 1940s. Bagatelle. Marbles. A rocking horse, Lead soldiers. It was a treasure chest - Every time you went in there you found something new.
God’s word is a bit like that. Every time we read the bible there are always new things to discover. Last week when I was preaching to you on Moses in the basket - well until I did my research for that sermon I never knew that the word for the boat baby Moses was “ark” - exactly the same word as the ark which rescued Noah. Everytime you read the bible there is something new to learn. Especially when you focus on the bits of stories that you have not focussed on before.
So let’s focus today on a passage you might not really have read before, or if you have more likely just skimmed through it. Today’s bible story is about…
But before we get to that -
Lines marked out in tape one meter apart. A queue trailing around the block. On Friday morning I took the challenge of doing the Tesco shop. With only so many people allowed in the shop at one time, one in, one out, there was a lot of waiting. Waiting. Reading my kindle. Waiting. Going on my phone. Waiting. Actually it moved faster than I thought - but still waiting
But even before I could go to the shop, I’ve been waiting, putting it off to the last minute- I have been finishing every last thing up in the house.Weird combinations - Lasagne with Brussel Sprouts Stir Fry…. Using up things in the back of the cupboard that might not have been touched for another 6 months - strange flavoured soup I don’t know why I bought: yeah, I’ll have that. Trying to eek things out for as long as possible. Have you had the same experience? Life is unusual at the moment isn’t it?
Which brings us to Today’s bible story.We are going to see if it is going to be a treasure chest like that magic bedroom in my great aunt’s house. Today’s passage is about... You probably know the rest of the chapter but perhaps you don’t know so well the bit we’ll be looking at.
You probably know the happy ending that comes later. Jesus stands in front of the tomb where his friend Lazarus is buried. Jesus says “Take away the stone” “43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ 44 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.’ 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.”
That’s the happy ending to the story. But that’s not today’s bible passage which is about… Today’s bible story….
But of course as well as the happy ending, you may know the sad bit. The bit in the middle which is deeply uncomfortable. Jesus turns up and is greeted by his friends Martha and Mary. They are devastated because they have lost their brother. they try theological platitudes. “Yes I know he will rise again at the last day” They rage at Jesus, “If you had been here [he] would not have died” They are just devastated that their brother is dead. Jesus is devastated too. The shortest verse in the bible John 11:35 “Jesus wept”.
That’s the uncomfortable bit in the middle.
But that’s not today’s bible passage. Today’s bible passage is about…..., yes It’s about: “waiting”.
John 11:1-15
11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
7 Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ 8 The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the people of Judea were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’ 9 Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ 11 After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ 12 The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right?’ 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’
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This scene at the beginning of John 11 - that we normally just zip through to get to the “more interesting parts of the passage” - is actually full of treasures. The Church of England actually gives us the whole of John Chapter 11 - The story of Lazarus’s death and resurrection- do read it later. I’m not going to read it now because reading it out loud would fill up most of this YouTube video.
I believe today, at this unusual time that we are going through, God is asking to focus on the first bit of the story - the part we normally rush through.
We are used, as I said, to the happy ending that comes later, where Jesus calls “Lazarus come out” and the once dead man walks out of the grave. But God said to me - it’s too early to talk on that at the moment. Now is not,(and I don’t mean that in a Calendar sense) now is not Easter Day - or even Lazarus’s resurrection day. When I speak to you on the phone you are going through a whole range of emotions. Some of you quietly Ok. Some of you are quite anxious. Some of you are bored. Some of you are trying to work out how to home-ed your children whilst also doing your own home working, Some of you are missing family members you can’t see. We all want it to be over - but is only just beginning.
The easiest place in the Lazarus story to go to is the happy ending - Lazarus walks triumphantly out the tomb. That would be like turning up to church on Palm Sunday and turning up again on Easter Day - and missing out Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the time in the tomb.
In Jesus we know there will be a happy ending. But before you start saying Hallelujah - we are not there yet. Before you get to the last page you have to read through the rest of the book.
So what about the middle bit of the Lazarus story when Jesus stands by his friend’s grave and bawls his eyes out? I am not going to focus on that either. We know that before we get to the happy ending when Corona Virus is all over there are going to be some hard times ahead. And we may well need to focus on that in a future week as we look at how we cope with the difficult emotions we go through.
But we are not there yet. Now we are in a time of waiting.
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“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ “
Jesus and his disciples hear a rumour - a message - the first whisperings of something bad.
Back in early January a few news nerds like me who listen to world service began to hear rumours of this strange illness in a place we had never heard of - Wuhan. Then it hit all of our screens. Then we started to hear about countries like Japan and South Korea. Would I be able to go to my Godson’s wedding over there. Then it was Italy and then it’s here. And slowly we begin to realise that wedding trips aren’t going to happen. Holidays aren’t going to happen. Exams aren’t going to happen. We are working from home…
And yet for many of us we are still in a time of waiting. There are three families in our congregation I know of who are ill - you are very much in our prayers. For most of us - we each know of one or two people who are ill . “He whom you love is ill” - but it has not yet hit home for most of us yet.
On 3rd September 1939 - following the news of Poland, Great Britain and France declared war on the Nazis. And for 8 months pretty much nothing happened. Preparations were being made. Tanks and guns were being built. A naval blockade was put in place. But only one or two tiny pieces of fighting happened until 10 May 1940 when the Nazis invaded France.As many of you will know, the 8 months is called the Phoney war.
I believe that when it comes to Corona Virus we are still in the Phoney War. Coming towards the end of it. We know the real fight is about to start. It’s going to get worse before it gets better .
But just like in Britain and France of March 1940 - plans are being made. I have a friend who works for TTP- The Technology Partnership. In a joint venture with Dyson, the Vacuum cleaner manufacturers - they are making new ventilators to quickly roll out to the NHS. Car manufacturers and airplane manufacturers are doing this too. Scientists are busily working on vaccines. Others are testing HIV drugs and malarial drugs to see if they work on it. A new hospital is being assembled at the Excel Centre. A few weeks ago Henry and I were at Vid Con there - now the same halls that bustled with internet gamers and you-tubers is being turned into one of the biggest hospitals. Just like the allies in March 1940, it may not have fully hit us yet - but we are getting ready.
And what of the rest of us
“5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”
The right thing - that’s what Jesus does - he waits - even though he will face criticism from Martha later - ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”-
the thing we have to do - the right thing - is to stay at home. There are little things we can do. We can lean out a window and bang pots of pans like many of you did on Thursday. We can light a prayer candle and put it in our window like many of you did last Sunday evening. But basically we just have to wait “Stay at home”. It’s the difference between a few thousand lives being lost and a several hundred thousand. It might mean you or I become ill months after other people have become better - but doing the right thing and waiting means the NHS will be able to cope.
It seems such a small thing - some of us may be feeling “If only I was out there like those valiant nurses” - A small thing - but:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
It’s a small mustard seed thing that God is asking us to do “Stay at home” - but like the nail in the poem, staying at home or not can be the difference between us winning the war against the Virus or not.
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7 Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ 8 The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the people of Judea were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’
While we go through this strange phase - the rest of life doesn’t stop intruding. Jesus had to go and visit Lazarus but it meant running the gauntlet of people who were not. How much easier if he could have just focused on Lazarus’s death and not worried about other things.
Even in the midst of weird crisis like this - every day life doesn’t stop intruding. That awkward member of your office you have to deal with even if it’s now by phone rather than Face to face. The worries about health issues which are nothing to do with Corona virus but don’t go away just because Corona Virus is here. Still having to pay your car insurance even if you are not driving your car. Homeworking while trying to work while also trying to home-school the kids. Every day life doesn’t stop intruding.
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“Lord if he has fallen asleep, he will be alright?”
Like the disciples many of us will have days when actually you are feeling quite frightened. You may have days when you are feeling buoyant and on top of the world - you can do it! You can get through it! - but you are also likely to have other days when you are feeling low, or depressed or overwhelmed or quite scared. It’s ok to have days like that - and it’s quite normal. If Jesus could cope with his disciples being scared - he can cope with you being scared too. The fact that God is charge, that God has it under control - that’s an objective fact - you don’t have to feel it to make it true - we just have to hold his hand and let him walk us through this mess.
As Pope Francis said on Friday night -
“The storm exposes our vulnerability and uncovers those false and superfluous certainties around which we have constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits and priorities…..In this world, that you love more than we do, we have gone ahead at breakneck speed, feeling powerful and able to do anything. ... Now that we are in a stormy sea, we implore you: “Wake up, Lord!”.”
“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith”? Faith begins when we realise we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves we flounder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the stars. Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives. Let us hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them. Like the disciples, we will experience that with him on board there will be no shipwreck. Because this is God’s strength: turning to the good everything that happens to us, even the bad things. He brings serenity into our storms, because with God life never dies.” (1)
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And finally “Let us go to him” - When the waiting is over, Jesus calls his disciples to leave for their next task “Let us go to him”.
We don’t know what will happen next. We don’t know what God will call us to next. Seventy two year old FR Giuseppe Berardelli, was a popular priest in Italy. He was so beloved of his parishioners that when he caught Corona Virus some of them managed to club together and somehow buy a ventilator for him. But he knew what he had to do. There were not enough so he gave up the ventilator so a younger person could have. Not someone he knew. Just a random young person in a hospital. That person lived. Giuseppe died.
Jesus said “Let us go to him”
We don’t know what will happen next. We don’t know what God will call us to next. I hope none of you will have to make as big a sacrifice as Fr Giuseppe. But when the time of waiting is over, whatever God asks us to, whether it is something during this crisis or rebuilding things afterwards, let us be ready.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ, Amen
(1) Urbi et Orbi talk Friday 27 March 2020 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-03/urbi-et-orbi-pope-coronavirus-prayer-blessing.html
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