Loving God, in Jesus you lived among us, full of grace and truth.  Grant us the eyes to see you here and now, both in your church and in our world, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Every so often, I have heard people say that they can’t come to church, because if they do, they might cry.  This makes me wonder where the idea came from that it is a bad thing to cry during worship.  Certainly, there are some churches that have been described as “happy, happy, joy, joy” all the time, but most of us are not in that particular frame of mind all the time.  Still, we seem to shy away from lament, or from anything that might make us feel sad.  After all, don’t we believe in Jesus?

         However, today we are reminded that Jesus also experienced grief, and wept, and was “greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved” (Jn. 11:33).  It wasn’t because he didn’t believe in God or in the power of resurrection.  It wasn’t because he had lost all hope.  As one author writes, “If Christ wept for Lazarus, he must’ve done so not out of an absence of hope or faith, but out of love” (Cole Arthur Riley, in This Here Flesh, quoted by sundaysandseasons.com).  Is this not the same as any of us when we lose a loved one?

         Berthold von Schenk, a Lutheran pastor, writes the following:

When we are bereft of dear ones, it is a tremendous shock.  For a time we are stunned.  Not everyone can feel at once their continuing companionship.  We should not for that reason despair.  An adjustment must take place in our lives, reaching deep into our habits, emotions and thoughts.  Some souls may make this adjustment quickly.  For most of us it comes slowly and hard; many an hour is filled with loneliness and agonizing doubt. (From The Presence, quoted in For All the Saints, Vol. IV, p. 1376)

         This adjustment that Pastor von Schenk mentions comes when we realize that our Living Lord is present with us.  If our departed loved ones are with Jesus, and the risen Jesus is present with us, then those who are part of the communion of saints are also present with us.  Von Schenk also points out that we are closest to our loved ones, not when we are near their dead body or their ashes in a cemetery, but when we are near their living soul, which is with Christ at the Altar.  He describes the Communion Table as his favourite meeting place with his deceased wife.  Even though he misses her physical presence, he knows that she is there whenever he approaches the altar for Communion.

         At the same time, though, some people are not sure whether their loved ones believed in Jesus or not.  In this case, there is far less certainty as to what has happened to them. Ultimately, of course, Jesus is the judge – the same Jesus who intercedes for us, loves us, and gave his life for ours (Rom. 8).  Psalm 24 also reminds us: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it” (v. 1).  All people belong to God, are created by God, and are loved by God.  As people who have put our trust in Jesus, we rely on God’s mercy and forgiveness.

         As long as we are on this earth, there will be grief and sorrow.  However, there is also faith, hope, and love, and new life through faith in Jesus Christ.  While the fullness of God’s reign continues to be in the future, part of today’s vision from Revelation is already true.  “See, the home of God is among mortals” (Rev. 21:3).  Or, the tabernacle of God is among mortals.  This was true when Jesus “tented” among us.  This is true wherever the body of Christ is to be found.  This is true wherever God’s people are open to the power of the Holy Spirit, allowing God to be at work in us and through us.

         It is frightfully easy these days to focus on everything that is wrong with the world.  The result can be that we sink into hopelessness, despair, grief and disappointment.  Like Lazarus, we end up surrounded by darkness and bound by death’s clothes, unable to set ourselves free.  However, Jesus steps in with resurrection power and says, “Take away the stone… Unbind him, and let him go” (Jn. 11:39, 44).  Unbind her, and let her go.  And, “Fellow saints rush forward to remove the rotting grave clothes” (sundaysandseasons.com).  Instead, we are clothed with Christ – in royal robes of righteousness.  We are counted among the saints through our baptism into Christ.

         Our job as saints is not to look at others who have been baptized in an attempt to judge whether they are saintly or not.  Rather, our job is to look for Christ both in others and in ourselves.  At the same time, rather than waiting around for others who are going to fix everything for us, we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our world – to “be the dream,” as a song once said.  Christ is alive and well and living among us, and gives that same resurrection hope to all those who put their trust in him.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

All Saints Sunday (B)                      John 11:32-44

November 3, 2024                           Revelation 21:1-6a

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church  Psalm 24

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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