Loving God, you have always been there for your people even in the midst of darkness and destruction.  As we gather together today, help us to know your presence here as well, filling our hearts with your gifts of comfort and of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    November, it seems, is always a month when there is a need for resurrection hope, and peace in the midst of destruction, and comfort in the midst of loss, and all of those things are present in the readings that we have heard today.  The prophet Haggai was speaking to people who were standing in Jerusalem looking at the pile of rubble that used to be the temple and the city.  And God says to those people through Haggai, “My spirit abides among you; do not fear” (Hag. 2:5).  At the same time, the Psalmist cries out to God and says, “You are near to all who call upon you” (Ps. 145:18).

    Then in 2 Thessalonians, Paul is writing to people who have been alarmed and shaken.  They have been falsely informed that the day of the Lord has already come and Jesus has already returned, and they have somehow missed the whole thing.  And so Paul writes to dispel their fear and to remind them of the “eternal comfort and good hope” that is theirs through Jesus Christ.  Paul’s prayer is that God would comfort their “hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word” (2 Thess. 2:17).

    And then of course we have the whole discussion about the resurrection of the dead in today’s gospel, about which we will reflect some more in a few moments.  This gospel also contains some words of hope, as we are reminded that God “is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive” (Lk. 20:38).  These are words of hope that are needed, not only as we remember all the saints in November, but also as Remembrance Day approaches.

    A few years ago I spent some vacation time in Ottawa and visited the Canadian War Museum.  I found the way in which it is set up to be very powerful, and it drove home many of the realities of war.  It also made some musical connections for me, as the music in some of the exhibits was the same as what my band plays at the legion on Remembrance Day each year.  However, for me the overwhelming message was this: Remember what war is like, because this is not something that you want anybody to experience ever again.

    Some of you have lived through war from the perspective of people who were living in Europe at the time.  Some of you have lived through it from the perspective of family members who served in the armed forces.  Some of you have family members who currently serve in the armed forces, and you quite possibly worry on a regular basis about what situations they might have to face.

    And so, we do not forget all this as we gather together for worship today.  We are aware that there are ugly things that human beings have done to one another.  We are aware that any number of people have given their lives over the years while serving their country.  We are also aware that the human race as a whole still needs to learn the things that make for peace.

    One of the more memorable images of resurrection in the Scriptures comes from the prophet Ezekiel.  You might remember hearing about the valley full of dry bones and about how God raises them to life (Ezek. 37).  The implication in this vision that Ezekiel has is that all of these dry bones belong to people who had been killed by others.  However, God gives them new flesh and new sinews and puts his spirit within them, and they are restored to life.

    Now, along side of this image, I’d like to place another one.  There are many pictures from throughout history of battlefields that are just covered with the bodies of those who have fallen.  Today, I can imagine an image like this in the background as Jesus has a discussion with the Sadducees about the resurrection of the dead.

    Of course, to make any sense at all out of this discussion, it helps to know who the Sadducees are.  The Sadducees are a first century religious group who do not believe that there is any resurrection of the dead.  At the same time, they were probably trying to win some points against the Pharisees, who are a first century religious group who do believe that there is a resurrection.  And so, they come to Jesus, hoping to find support for their beliefs, and posing a question that is based in the Jewish law.

    Jewish men were, in fact, supposed to marry their brother’s wife if their brother had died without having children.  And so the Sadducees propose a scenario where seven different brothers married the same woman and all of them died without having any children.  The Sadducees are thinking how confusing all of this would be in the resurrection, for how would God ever figure out whose wife she’s supposed to be?

    However, Jesus doesn’t find this to be confusing at all, because in the resurrection nobody will be married.  At the same time, Jesus finds it highly unlikely that the dead would not be raised to life.  As evidence, Jesus points to the story about the call of Moses in which God appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush (Ex. 3).  In the course of this story, God says, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:6).  Of course, by the time Moses came along, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had all died.  So Jesus concludes, “Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive” (Lk. 20:38).

    For us, we continue to have this resurrection hope through Jesus Christ.  And while there are many questions that most people have about what that life will be like, there are at least two things we can say based on today’s gospel.  The first is that life in the resurrection will not be simply more of the same.  It will be qualitatively different from our lives in this age.  Also, while some might wonder if they will know their loved ones or not, Jesus does not say that we won’t know them – just that our relationships will be different.  Relationships will still matter, however, for Jesus certainly speaks about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as if they are still in relationship both to one another and to God.

    And so, during this month that includes images of those who have fallen and memories of the saints who have left this earthly life, we are reminded of the resurrection that is promised through Jesus Christ.  This promise is not only for us, but also for those who have already died, for to God, “all of them are alive” (Lk. 20:38).

    At the same time, we are drawn into Paul’s words to the Thessalonians, as he reminds us of God’s love for us and the gifts of eternal comfort and good hope that are ours through Jesus.  In spite of how things look sometimes, in the end it is God who is in charge.  And so Paul prays that any alarm or fear would disappear as God comforts our hearts and strengthens us in every good work and word.

    Finally today we have Haggai, who speaks words of hope and peace in the midst of destruction and loss.  And so, whenever we feel as though we are surrounded by destruction and rubble and broken dreams, Haggai’s message is for us.  Not only does God make it possible to rebuild, but even in the midst of the ruins, God is there.  And God says, “My spirit abides among you; do not fear” (Hag. 2:5).  And thanks be to God, for God’s Spirit also abides among us.  Amen.

Lectionary 32(C)                        Haggai 1:15b - 2:9
November 10, 2013                    2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church                Luke 10:27-38
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2013 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved