5 Lent, April 7, 2019
St. Paul’s Lynnfield,
Massachusetts
The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling
It’s
good to be with you again this morning here at St. Paul’s in Lynnfield! Before
I begin my sermon, I’d like to thank you for your prayers and support this past
week. For those of you who were not here last Sunday, I spoke about the
premature births of my daughter Megan’s and her husband Josh’s fraternal twin
boys. After spending this past week in Minnesota with them, I’m happy to report
that both Peter and Nathaniel, at 3 weeks old, continue to be stable, and
growing in their health and strength, albeit not without some challenges. So,
like Father Rob, who is recovering from total knee surgery, and spends his days
growing in health and strength as well, I am grateful for my own opportunities
for growth each and every day, and for your continued prayers.
My daughter Megan and Josh have a
black lab puppy named Izzy, who, like Father Rob and the twins, is learning to
grow in her own ways. She is clearly motivated by food and will do almost
anything to get some. In addition to basic training, Josh has taught her
various tricks, like sitting, pawshaking, twirling, and waiting patiently for
her dinner. Waiting patiently is, of course, a spiritual discipline. In
addition to eating, Izzy also likes to play, and sees everyone as a potential
playmate. Not everyone, however, is interested in being her friend.
One afternoon, Josh and Megan were
in their backyard playing with Izzy when another dog-owner walked by with her
dog. Seeing this dog, Izzy immediately bounded up to play. This “mean” dog, as
my daughter would later call him, grabbed Izzy by the neck and forced her to
the ground. Crying loudly, Izzy lay helpless until Josh arrived. Clearly this
dog had very different intentions than Izzy. Given today’s gospel story, let’s
call this dog Judas.
In the morning, hoping to provide
Megan and Josh with a little extra sleep, and waiting for them to get up, I
would take Izzy out for a walk. Not looking back, but rather pressing forward
towards her goal of finding playmates, she would pull me along on her leash.
One morning I saw a large dog barreling down the path towards us from a
distance. Not sure of her intentions, nervously, I turned Izzy around and
headed the other way. Within seconds, a golden retriever was upon us. I was
glad to see Izzy and her playmate jumping all over each other (and me) in
playful devotion. I delighted in their joy. Given today’s gospel story, let’s
call this dog Mary.
Every
day we would go to the NICU to see the twins. At the hospital, there are many
people who serve in various ways: doctors, nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists,
food and cleaning services, volunteers and paid employees. Patiently, indeed
prayerfully, I would wait by the twins’ bedsides, trying to control my impulses
to get up and eat, even though I wasn’t hungry. Feeling powerless, I wanted
someone or something to fill the fear and sadness that occasionally would rise
up within me. Don’t just sit there and wait, the voice within me would cry; go
find a playmate. And then along came the hospital chaplain, offering me some
soul food. Let’s call these people in the hospital Martha.
In today’s gospel story we hear that Lazarus
is in the house but he is silent. Perhaps, like me, he was a little confused
and dazed by the events that had happened before. Perhaps, like me, he was
waiting patiently at the dinner table, praying quietly to God. You see, just
before this party, Lazarus had been dead. He had already spent four days in a
tomb, lying bound and helpless on the ground, until Jesus arrived to rescue him
from death’s grip. Let’s call Jesus Resurrection and Life.
Whether
you interpret this story literally or metaphorically, Lazarus, like the twin
boys, was dead to the world, unaware of what others were doing and saying.
Suddenly brought out of their tombs or their womb, they faced the bright lights
of the world and their future playmates. Stunned by the appearance of their
brother, Martha and Mary are overwhelmed with joy and invite everyone back to
Bethany, where they gave a dinner party for Jesus.
And
so now, six days before the Passover feast in Jerusalem, they are all gathered
in the home of Lazarus. Martha is buzzing about, preparing the meal, attending
to basic needs. Mary is gratefully and lovingly anointing Jesus’ feet. The
disciples are inhaling the fumes of Easter lilies and the fragrance of
expensive oil. And Lazarus, like all the other disciples except Judas, is
silent. Watching everyone, Jesus is waiting patiently at the table.
Jesus
is straining forward to what lies ahead for him. He is not resting in the glory
of what he has done. He is not bathing himself in the adulation that Mary pours
onto his feet. He is not scolding Martha to stop being so busy and to sit down
and listen to him. He is not asking Lazarus to tell everyone about what just
had happened to him, nor is Jesus accusing Judas of what he is about to do. No,
Jesus is actually thinking about himself - his own suffering, his own death,
and his own resurrection. “Leave her alone,” Jesus said to Judas. “Mary bought
this perfume for the day of my burial” and her intentions are good.
I
love looking at the inconsistencies that exist between the gospel stories. For
example, in Matthew and Mark, the house in Bethany belongs not to Lazarus but
rather to a leper who had been healed by Jesus. In Luke it belongs to a
Pharisee. The woman who anoints Jesus is not Lazarus’ sister, but rather an
unnamed woman, and she pours the ointment not on the feet of Jesus, but rather
on his head. In Luke, this woman is a sinner, who washes his feet with her
tears first, and then kisses them before anointing them. In Mark, some people
indignantly ask why she does this, while in Matthew it was the disciples who
were angry. And John identifies this disciple as Judas, the one in particular
who questions what Mary has done. Parenthetically, John warns us that Judas’
intentions were not good.
From
the very beginning of John’s gospel, Jesus knows exactly what he is doing,
where he is going, and why he does what he does. He knows his intentions, as
well as ours. He knows that fundamentally we are human animals who want food
and playmates. He knows that we sin in our thoughts, words, and deeds, and He
promises us that every suffering that we endure will be redeemed. Every
trespass and transgression will be forgiven. And new life awaits us. Like Izzy during
this season of Lent, we are all in basic training, being disciplined to trust
God for our growth, strength, and spiritual health.
Remembering his own story, St. Paul encouraged
the Philippians to forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies
ahead. Not looking back at the deaths that he caused, the betrayals he made,
St. Paul wants to be like Christ, and press on for the goal of that heavenly
call. Nothing else matters to him now. He seeks life with a purpose. A life
that is filled with the surpassing value of knowing Christ and making him
known. Writing to the Philippians from prison, he encourages them to have faith
in Christ.
St.
Paul expresses his gratitude to this Christian community, writing that he
appreciated their prayers and it was kind of them to share his distress.
Waiting patiently, he had learned to be content with whatever he had, of having
plenty and having little, of being well-fed and going hungry. He exhorts them
to “Rejoice in the Lord, always. Do not worry about anything,” he wrote. “But
in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to
God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Our
Bible stories, like our family stories, are tableaus of people, who have
gathered in different places, for special events, at various times in our
lives, or like us who gathered this morning for worship as a matter of
spiritual discipline. Sometimes we are joyous; and sometimes we are not. Sometimes
we are angry, mean, and not at peace with ourselves or with others. Always,
these times provide us with opportunities for spiritual growth each and every
day.
Today,
Jesus waits patiently for us at this table in this house. Regardless of whether
you’re feeling like Mary, or Martha, Judas, or Lazarus, or any one of the
unnamed disciples, don’t look back but press forward; for the lamb of God, who
takes away the sins of the world, will feed us today and help us to grow.
Isaiah 43:16-21
Philippians 3:4b-14
John 12:1-8
Psalm 126
