Lent 5 -- Year A -- April 6, 2014
Text: Ezekiel 37:1-3, 11-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8: 6-11; John 11:17-44
____________________
Have you ever seen dead people?
Most of us have the experience of being
with our loved ones when they passed away.
As a pastor, I have had the honor to be with church families in times of sorrow.
Those are sad times,
but in them we may also experience blessings,
when love is manifested among family and friends.
-----------------
What about witnessing death in wars, accidents, or disasters,
when people around you or next to you
die unexpectedly?
Seeing death in such situations can easily make you fall into despair.
---------------
When I was a teen-ager, I was in a traffic accident in Vietnam.
I was on a bus, coming home
from a church youth camp.
Half way through our 300-mile journey,
the brakes failed,
and our bus plunged into a smaller vehicle
that was ahead of us,
as we approached a wooden bridge.
---------------
The vehicle was a small truck,
and it was also carrying passengers.
The bed of the truck was modified to allow seating.
It had a roof.
It also had a step board at the back,
for passenger entrance and for standing spaces.
In my old country of those days,
travelers who did not get a seat inside the vehicle
would stand on the step board
and hold on to any bar they could grasp.
There were a young man and a young woman
standing at the back of that small truck.
-----------------
The bridge was made at a level higher than that of the road,
and so the truck must slow down to cross it.
Our bus hit the truck from behind.
It pushed the truck through the bridge -- up, over and down.
The two persons who stood at the back of the truck died instantly.
Some other passengers of that vehicle got broken limps.
I saw the two bodies on the road.
I heard the crying and wailing.
I have never been able to forget the images and the chaos of that day.
-----------------
Imagine how awful it can be for those who see death in the war-torn countries
-- the children who have to see their parents or loved ones being killed,
or soldiers who witnessed the death of the enemies
and that of their own friends.
-------------------
In the First Lesson we heard Ezekiel speaking about the valley of dry bones.
What he said reminds me of the "Killing Fields,"
the massacre in Cambodia in the 1970's.
Many of us saw the pictures of the bones and the skulls --
thousands upon thousands.
How could humans do such things to humans?
Is evil having the upper hand in our world today?
Where is God?
What we see in those pictures causes sadness and
speaks to human despair.
-------------
Ezekiel was a Hebrew priest in the 6th century before Christ.
He prophesied to the Jews in exile,
who were in despair.
They were all slaves in Babylon.
---------------
Ezekiel had a vision:
The LORD set him down in the middle of a valley
where there were dry human bones.
The bones and skulls were scattered all over the valley.
God led him all around them.
"There were many lying in the valley,
and they were very dry."
-----------------
What Ezekiel saw speaks to the mentality
of the Israelites in exile.
In their hearts,
the wounds of war were still open,
the pain of homelessness gnawing,
and the hardship of slavery unbearable.
They were angry and lonely.
Imagine you live in a community where everybody is depressed.
Spiritually speaking,
they were exactly like the dry skeletons in the field.
----------------
Yet the vision of Ezekiel does not end with the macabre scene.
The LORD asks him:
"Mortal, can these bones live?"
Ezekiel says, "LORD, only you know."
Then the LORD tells Ezekiel:
"Prophesy to these bones,
and say to them:
'The Lord God will cause breath to enter you,
and you shall live.'"
-----------------
Ezekiel speaks accordingly to the bones.
Then there is an overwhelmingly loud noise
as the bones come together --
set by set,
skeleton by skeleton,
and then sinews and flesh appear on them.
Then the Spirit of God breaths upon them,
and immediately a vast multitude of people fill the valley -- alive and standing on their feet.
-------------
Ezekiel asks the Hebrew slaves in Babylon:
Do you believe in resurrection?
Do you believe in the liberation that God promises?
------------------
As Christians, we are a people of resurrection.
We believe that our LORD can make us alive again.
---------------
In the Gospel of John that we read this morning
the word "believe" is repeated several times.
- "Those who believe in me will never die."
- "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God."
The word "believe" is prominent in the Gospel of John.
Christians through the centuries have affirmed resurrection as the work of the Spirit to restore those who believe.
--------------
Paul, in his Letter to the Romans,
makes it clear
that those whose minds are fixed on God
will be restored to life and peace.
"Believe," in this sense,
means setting your mind on something.
It is about attitude and commitment.
It is about allowing no distraction.
Setting the mind on the Spirit means rejecting things that
belong to the flesh.
Believe in Jesus means obeying his commandment --
Love the neighbor as yourself.
Believe in Jesus means following his teaching --
Can you forgive?
Believe in the LORD means seeing yourself
belonging to the Light.
Believe in the LORD, therefore,
means giving your heart to the LORD.
--------------
Resurrection happens as you give your heart to the LORD.
The Gospel of John is about the resurrection that can happen right now,
never mind the Last Day.
Resurrection, in this sense, is the resurrection of the soul.
----------------
Recently I came across a story on the internet,
about a man who forgave the person who murdered his brother.
His name is Anthony Colon.
The killer was Michael Rowe, of East Harlem, New York.
Rowe was sentenced to many years in jail for the crime.
Since the death of his brother Wilfredo,
Anthony Colon had suffered tremendously.
He said, "It just put so much hate in my life.
I hated everybody.
I hated everything.
It made me to be a person [who is] like a monster."
---------------
Yet Anthony found faith in Christ and began to seek healing.
As the years passed he became less and less angry.
He prayed,
and eventually he came to the desire
for reconciliation with his brother's killer.
---------------
On occasion of a visit to a friend in prison,
Anthony happened to see Michael Rowe,
who was sitting across the room.
Anthony walked over.
Michael expected a fight,
feeling remorse and shame,
and unable to forgive himself.
But Anthony came straight up to Michael and said,
"Brother, I've been praying for you.
I forgave you.
I've been praying I would see you again." (1)
A heart-to-heart conversation then followed.
From that day on, Anthony visited Michael regularly,
and he supported Michael at the parole hearing.
In May 2013, after spending twenty years in prison,
Michael was pardoned and released.
Since then, Anthony has been assisting Michael to adjust to life in the free world.
The two men have become good friends to each other.
Resurrection happened to their souls.
It all began with Anthony's recognition of the death of his own soul.
----------------
In the story of the raising of Lazarus, Jesus says to Mary:
"Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
When you believe in Jesus,
and wholeheartedly act on what you say you believe,
resurrection happens.
Our journey through life can be rough.
But we proclaim the hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us and rose again.
God has the power to heal all our wounds
and to renew our lives.
God's love casts out all fears, even the fear of death.
By God's grace we are liberated and made alive,
if and only if we are willing to accept the cross
and put our trust in Him.
In the Name of God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
______________________
(1) See: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/13/from-anger-to-forgiveness-man-befriends-brothers-killer/
- Join us in worship on Palm Sunday, this Sunday, April 13th. The service will begin with the Liturgy of the Palms at 10:30 AM. If you can, please come join us in making the palm crosses, this Saturday at 10:30 AM. Our Tom and Jean Wetrich used to lead us in this activity for many years. We wish to thank them for their wonderful help and generosity. There is a link online that shows how a palm cross is made, which may interest you: 
- "Together We Can Make A Difference." Let us fill the cart this Palm Sunday with items for the needy in the Falls Church area. The items will be taken to FCS at Knox Presbyterian Church this Sunday after church or during next week. Most needed are: paper products (toilet tissue, paper towels, disposable diapers and wipes), coffee, rice, jelly, canned fruits (not pineapple), and vegetable oil.
- Would you like to offer flowers in "memory of a loved one" or as an "offering of thanksgiving" at Easter? Cost is $12, payable to the Altar Guild. Deadline: Wednesday, April 16th. There is a form that comes in the Sunday leaflet, but you can also call and leave a message at 703-532-5656, or send an email to 
-
- The May-June-July issue of Forward Day By Day, for daily Bible reading and meditation has arrived and is now available in the narthex. There's a prayer on its back cover, which reads, "O God: Give me strength to live another day..." Please pick up your copy.
- The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston, Bishop of Virginia, will visit Saint Patrick's on Sunday, June 8th (Day of Pentecost). The service of that day will be held at 2:00 PM, and there will be a potluck to honor the Bishop and celebrate with those baptized and confirmed. Please mark your calendar. Please note that on June 8th worship service will 
