Greetings Children of God!I think it is time for us to work on a memory verse. Here is one for you:
“Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”1 Corinthians 16:13-14(If this is your first time to receive Sunday’s Message and would like back issues from 3/15 and 3/22 please let me know. Thank you.)
Sunday’s Message for Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 29, 2020
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, your Son came into the world to free us all from sin and death. Breathe upon us the power of your Spirit, that we may be raised to new life in Christ and serve you in righteousness all our days, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 130
Second Reading Romans 8:6-11
Gospel John 11:1-45
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
Covid-19 (coronavirus) is especially adept at attacking the human respiratory system. This is a disturbing fact. If you have ever had trouble breathing or can imagine gasping for breath then you understand the gravity of the pandemic that confronts us.
Equally disturbing is the warning from our leaders in government and health care that our hospitals do not have enough ventilators to meet the growing demand. We also do not have enough qualified operators of this specialized equipment. It is no wonder that so many people are living in fear these days.
God’s word speaks to us in our time of fear. Numerous passages of scripture advise us to face life with faith and not in fear. The point that is made repeatedly is that we belong to a BIG GOD who loves us and cares about us and can be trusted with our lives and with our deaths. The good news is that even when the worst set of circumstances confronts us God is still in charge. Because Jesus died for us and is risen from the dead for us we can confront this pandemic in faith trusting that if we are deprived of our breath, God can and will raise us to new life. A life beyond any pandemic. A life beyond death. Because of this blessed assurance we can live NOW beyond the reach of fear.
Today’s assigned lessons contain vivid stories that stand for this very proposition. The prophet Ezekiel had a vision of dry bones being brought back to life by the power of God. “I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.” Ezekiel 37:5 “ I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live.” Ezekiel 37:14 These words were spoken to a broken nation that wondered if life would ever return to normal. Sound familiar?
“Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.” Ezekiel 37:9-10 This is a vision of a God who can be trusted with any challenge that threatens to break us. When life and death knock the wind out of us we belong to a God who will restore us.
A second story that showcases our big God is when Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb. Lazarus had been dead four days. Many Jews in those days believed that one’s spirit hung around for three days after death, but then departed forever. To onlookers at that time it was beyond miraculous that a person dead four days could live again. But Jesus supplied the breath. Jesus supplied the life. Jesus called Lazarus to “come out” and the dead man came out. Jesus, his Father, and their Spirit is our big God.
That is why we can live by faith in a time when fear is pervasive. “But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Romans 8:9a The breath of God dwells in you. Jesus has claimed you as his own and calls you by name. The Spirit within you is a life-giving spirit that is greater than any disease and is greater even than death itself. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.” Romans 8:11
After Lazarus emerged from the tomb, Jesus ordered some onlookers to “Unbind him and let him go.” Lazarus was completely set free. In a time when many are captive to fear, our big God promises that the endgame is always life and freedom. During these days when we eye an enemy that threatens our very breath, Jesus is present to breathe on us the breath of life. He is present and today calls us forth from our tomb of fear. Entrust yourself to him; to his greatness and to his love. Amen.
BREATHE ON ME, BREATH OF GOD (Edwin Hatch)
1. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.
2. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.
3. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.
4. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.
Together or apart, we are one in the Lord, and let us be together in prayer for one another, for our neighbors and for the whole of God’s good creation.
Peace and blessings,
Pastor Bill