FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2024 | SPECIAL DAYS - All Saints (B)

Texts - notes

Isaiah:

Coming of the kingdom

Marrow and strained wines?

Revelation:

Get back to the alpha and omega x truth - emet; new earth concept

John:

Foreshadowing to the resurrection of Jesus. Many doubted as well; Jesus loves Lazarus and wants him to be well. However, he waited a bit before coming to him upon hearing that he fell ill - why?

Jesus reversed the cell breakdown in Lazarus’ body - a promised to us that our bodies will be restored.

News:

https://www.newsweek.com/geraldo-rivera-donald-trump-msg-rally-puerto-rico-1976328

Trump's New York Rally Was Moment That Ended His Campaign: Geraldo Rivera

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/28/middleeast/unrwa-israel-knesset-vote-ban-palestinians-intl/index.html

Israel has banned the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. That could be devastating for millions

Good morning,

All saints day....And in our Lutheran tradition that includes also us, who are sinners and saints at the same time. Sainthood is not just for the select few that passed on and were given the church approval that indeed they are saints. Of course, there are some that we especially remember as saints from church history such as Francis of Assisi or Hildegard of Bingen, saints of societal importance such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Marie Curie, or in our personal lives - family members, friends, partners, teachers or others.

For better or worse, having relationships with other people also entail potential loss, not even Jesus was saved from it! When he learned of the passing of Lazarus, it caused him distress and he cried. What happens next is a little different than for most of us - he called on Lazarus to come out of the tomb in which he laid for four days and lo and behold, his friend Lazarus came out to everyone’s surprise. After all, as his sister Martha remarks, the decomposition of the body, such as putrefaction that produces an unpleasant odor, has been well on the way. And yet, here is Lazarus, all wrapped up in strips of cloth and alive! It foreshadows Christ’s resurrection, which then in turn foreshadows our own bodily resurrection at the appointed time. It is a story of hope!

And hope we need in these times and always. It is easy to lose hope if you look at the news - Israel banning a UN humanitarian agency from the Gaza territory that is directly under their control; the insulting of the people of Puerto Rico at a Trump rally, people that already suffered so much in terms of weather related disasters and marginalization; or perhaps that yet another African American man, Richard Moore, was executed in South Carolina after so many, including the judge, were pleading for changing his sentence to life in prison. There are glimpses of hope, such as that Ex-Kentucky officer was convicted of using excessive force against Breonna Taylor, who needlessly died in May 2020… But they often seem too little to balance things out!

The idea of saints is, in my mind, less about some elite class of people that died and more as a reminder that things do not end, when a person dies. They are remembered in hope that whatever happened to them, be it a disease, an accident, or an act of violence, that doesn’t have the defining word for where they are now. The belief that our family members, Martin Luther King Jr., Marie Curie, Richard Moore, countless Gazans, or Breonna Taylor are in God’s presence and while we are still here to deal with all this mess, they are free of pain, suffering, injustice, and hatred. There are friends I have lost contact with due to my move from Europe and the next I hear about them is their passing on - a fellow pastor and mission worker Jirka in Czechia for example. Or a friend’s son that I have, about 10 years ago, interviewed for a Developmental Psychology assignment in Slovakia and marveled at his developments in ethical thinking. It is sad to think about it as they both passed on way too soon, but it is also comforting to know that they are taken care of by God, not merely lost to us.

And that is a reason to celebrate our merciful God, one of many!

We miss them and mourn our loss, but we can also remember and celebrate. And while we are here, we still have some God’s work to do before we can join them. Let’s do it for them and God that welcomed them with joy. In our faith, we live this paradox - we want to join them, but also know there are still things left to do, just like Apostle Paul was yearning to join Christ, but also wanted to continue his mission. Let’s do our best to work with this paradox - to feel the feelings, but also continue our active participation on the world’s affairs until our time comes. Amen.