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Sunday Readings
Isaiah 25:6-9
Revelation 21:1-6a
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” 5And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end
John 11:32-44
32When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The 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.”
6On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 7And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. 8Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
9It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.Revelation 21:1-6a
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” 5And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end
John 11:32-44
32When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The 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.”
Marked by the Cross of Christ - Sealed by the Promise
What is it that defines us in the end?
What is it that defines us in the end?
What we leave behind can tell a story. For some it is gruesome, for others it is the stuff of legends. What will be the imprint of our lives left for others to cherish? On this day in which we honor the lives of those who have gone before us what do we remember? Perhaps for me it would be such saints as Hazel Jacobson. She would with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face to you exactly what she thought - but packaged it with love and endearment for her pastor and those around her. She was a master organizer, a force to be reckoned with when it came to the church basement - we give you thanks O God for these and countless others who have left a mark on this place and in our hearts forever.
Jesus guides in this process of "giving thanks" so that others may know of the glory of God. We hear it in his prayer before Lazarus comes to life again. May we be unbound and able to hear, believe, and act on the promises of God revealed in the Word and Sacrament today.
What is it then that defines us? Try these on for size:
For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying in the slums of India often putting aside her own needs and ill health for the sake of those around her. Who am I?
He was the first prolific and popular English hymnwriter, credited with some 750 hymns. Many of his hymns remain in active use today and have been translated into many languages. Accredited to him would be hymns such as Joy to the World, Marching to Zion, and Jesus Shall Reign. Who am I?
Implementing a "Henry Ford" assembly line in the production of his food products this man standardized the family night out meal. Whether you were in Minneapolis or Memphis you would get the same food made the same exact way to insure quality. Who am I?
Jesus guides in this process of "giving thanks" so that others may know of the glory of God. We hear it in his prayer before Lazarus comes to life again. May we be unbound and able to hear, believe, and act on the promises of God revealed in the Word and Sacrament today.
What is it then that defines us? Try these on for size:
For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying in the slums of India often putting aside her own needs and ill health for the sake of those around her. Who am I?
He was the first prolific and popular English hymnwriter, credited with some 750 hymns. Many of his hymns remain in active use today and have been translated into many languages. Accredited to him would be hymns such as Joy to the World, Marching to Zion, and Jesus Shall Reign. Who am I?
Implementing a "Henry Ford" assembly line in the production of his food products this man standardized the family night out meal. Whether you were in Minneapolis or Memphis you would get the same food made the same exact way to insure quality. Who am I?
Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, 0 God, I am Thine!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Applying the Text
- We are defined by the grace, love, and mercy of God.
- "Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth."
- In the end what defines us is not our misdeeds but the final victory of Christ over sin, death, and the devil.
- What is it like to be "unbound" and "let go".
- We must be willing to take the blinders off and see past our own limitations.
- "Lord there is already a stench of death because he has been in there for four days."
- "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
- What keep us from seeing the glory of God?
- The importance of living our lives out in the Christian faith - someone is watching.
- What defines us and leaves a mark is the story we love to sing.
- Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega - the beginning and the end.
- Psalm 121 as a lasting impression.
- What defines us in the memory of others is seeing the Christ of faith in our actions, our service, and in our hearts. Do we love to tell the story? Is it our theme not only in glory but in the here and now?
- Becoming a church that is surrounded by "such a great cloud of witnesses" let us through down that which bind us and run the race with perseverance the race set before.
- Can you hear the voices of the saints around you today?
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