29th March 2020 – Service

Call to Worship

More than those who watch for the morning,

we wait faithfully for God.

With our questions and our cries, in our hopes and expectations,

we wait faithfully for God.

Come, let us worship the Lord our God together,

and offer our prayers and praise in faithfulness.

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

We praise you God of the past, present and future,
God in whom all things are renewed.

In the face of everything that wearies us and worries us in this time of uncertainty and illness as our society faces a serious threat,
your words echo through the centuries with love and hope.

As we follow the footsteps of Jesus in this Lenten season,
His Cross stands before us to remind us of your love expressed in fullest sacrifice.

This reminds us that you are never far from our sorrows and that you understand our fears.
In him you walk with us; you share our tears as well as our joys
You stand beside us when we don’t know which way to turn.

In this hour of worship, renew our trust in your resurrection promises
and come closer to us when we need you the most,
even if we can’t find the words to call on your holy name.

God of our lonely places and hard times, there is no place too dark for your presence. There are no situations beyond your grace. We admit that we sometimes lose track of you, when trouble comes, or loneliness surrounds us. Forgive us our hopelessness. Stay with us as we go through every valley of shadow. Bring life where there is death, healing whether there is pain, and courage where there is fear. Stay with us as we make our way along the path Jesus walked.

We remember the apostle’s words: “What will separate us from the love of Christ? Hardship? Distress? Peril or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through the God who loves us. Neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” Help us to be glad that no matter what is happening around us, no matter what we have done, your deep love will never let us go.

Prayer for Understanding

Life-giving God, steady us with your Spirit. Create a deep inner peace within us, that we may attend to your words of hope and promise for the sake of Christ, your Living Word. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Readings

Ezekiel 37:1-14

The valley of dry bones

1 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
2 He led me to and fro among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.
3 He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’
I said, ‘Sovereign Lord, you alone know.’
4 Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!
5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life.
6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”’
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.”’
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: ‘Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.”
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.
14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.”’

John 11:1-45

The death of Lazarus

1 Now a man named Lazarus was ill. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay ill, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)
3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is ill.’
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, ‘This illness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6 So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was two more days,
7 and then he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’
8 ‘But Rabbi,’ they said, ‘a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?’
9 Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the day-time will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.
10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.’
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’
12 His disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’
13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead,
15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’

Jesus comforts the sisters of Lazarus

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem,
19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’
23 Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’
24 Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’
25 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’
27 ‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. ‘The Teacher is here,’ she said, ‘and is asking for you.’
29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.
31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
34 ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked.
‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’
37 But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
39 ‘Take away the stone,’ he said. ‘But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.’
40 Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’
44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’

The plot to kill Jesus

45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

 

Sermon

John 11: 1-45

Today I am indebted to an Australian minister friend who inspired some of these thoughts.

Then Jesus cried with a loud voice: Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet swathed in linen bands, and his face wrapped in the cloth. Jesus said: Loose him

A dramatic scene. On one hand it sounds like nothing you and I have experienced. Yet if we dig a little, we may will find it is more familiar than you first think. It is like a metaphor for our own lives.

The dead man came out, his hands and feet swathed in lien bands; and his face wrapped in a cloth.

The death cloth, or bandage, was like a mask. It was in truth a masking of death. It was a hiding of a face which no longer is alive. To the ancients, the face summed up who a person is. In the presence of God in the temple, the angels cover their faces with their wings. That is out of respect, for they live in the glory of God. In the story in Esther, after Haman was arrested for assaulting Esther, the king’s servants covered his face, which in the ancient world signified that he was as the Americans would say, “a dead man walking.”

Long before we die, in fact from our early years, we begin to wear masks. We keep our true face either fully hidden or partly hidden from those around us.
By true face, I mean our real identity, our soul. What you really are under the skin. The real you. This is the face that human beings carefully mask.

We meet some who are heavily masked. We meet others who are lightly masked. But all of us to some degree hide the naked truth of our real being. Maybe we do so because we are afraid no one would like us if they could see the real thing. Maybe we keep hidden because we are afraid others might take advantage of us, and hurt us, if we laid bare our soul.

This masking applies even to those couples who are deeply in love. In time, the deeper the love the more will be revealed. In a healthy relationship, bit by bit pieces of the mask are removed. If the partner still accepts and loves us, then a little more is uncovered. And so on through the years. But rarely is every piece of the mask totally discarded.

Some would like to romantically believe that in a good marriage all masks are put aside.
Totally. But is it that simple?

A minister I know told this story about the marriage of his niece which he conducted:

Many years ago, when I was speaking at the marriage of my niece Wendy to Grant, I said: “Wendy, you believe you know Grant very well, perhaps more than anyone else in the world. In this you may be correct. But before you take your vows, I want you both to take this into account.

To some degree you are both marrying a stranger. In the months and years ahead, you will discover more about each other that up until now you have not seen. Sometimes these discoveries will delight you, as lovely new beautiful aspects of your natures are revealed. Other times what you discover, rather nasty stuff, will disturb you. Maybe they will make you anxious or angry. It will not be what you expected at all.

When I made those comments, I did not see Wendy and Grant looking surprised. But some of the guests were. It jolted them. Enough to want to talk with me about it during the reception. You see, it is true. Even in the most beautiful marriage, rarely is every bit of the person revealed. I guess this is so because no husband or wife can in truth offer unconditional love to their partner. There are some aspects of the real face hidden behind the mask

We may push this mask idea even further. As every psychiatrist and counsellor knows, there are some things in our nature which so frighten us or disgust us that we even hide them from our own conscious minds. Should a counsellor attempt to peel the bits of mask aside so that we can truly see ourselves, we resist. Shame or anxiety within us motivates some internal “censor” to cling on to remnants of the mask. Like Adam and Eve clinging to their fig leaf, we try to hide some things.

Whom can we trust to help us?

Our need is deep. Masking ourselves is not some innocent game we play. It is lethal. I see the death cloth covering the face of Lazarus is a metaphor for the death masks we wear.

Putting on a front is inviting infection. Behind the mask, things are always in danger of decay and death. No matter how cunning or how attractive the mask we wear over the face of our soul, it is a cause for deep sadness.

The more we cover up our real self, accuse it, squash it, or hide it, the more we foster a process which is a slow dying of the soul. Masks imprison us in solitary confinement where there is no light for the soul or fresh air. Masks harbour infection, decay and death.

When in the company of significant others and those we love most dearly, we have a profound need to remove as much of the mask as possible.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to find people whom we can trust enough to reveal the secrets of the soul. As we said earlier, often we don’t even trust ourselves enough to be honest with ourselves. As a result, many choose to start believing that the mask they wear is the real thing. It seems easier that way.

We all could do with loved ones and friends who are not fooled. We need folk around us willing to cope with what we really are. Often, we need to uncover much of that ugly stuff which we hide from public view. If we are lucky, we might find a non-judgmental friend, spouse, minister, priest, or counsellor with whom some of this is possible. But even then, we encounter limits as to how far we dare go.

We are afraid to reveal all our true selves is to give others power over us. It frightens us.

Wouldn’t it be marvellous if we could meet some unconditionally loving person who could accept the totality of our unmasked good and evil without the slightest hint of disgust or rejection? Unless there is such a person, we remain cramped and infected souls, hiding even from ourselves. Without help, we remain among the tribe of the living dead.

Thank God for Jesus of Nazareth, friend of sinners. He knew what was in the hearts of men and women. He understood the darkness that was there. He also knew there was unclaimed beauty within us.

When Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus and asked for it to be unsealed, Mary protested: “By this time he stinks.” That is a very confronting statement which makes us recoil

That was true for Lazarus. It is true for us. There is much that stinks behind long-worn masks.

But Jesus was not put off by that. When the tomb was opened, Jesus in a loud voice commanded Lazarus to come back from the dead.

Then Jesus cried with a loud voice: Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet swathed in linen bands, and his face wrapped in the cloth. Jesus said: Loosen and free him!

So they unwrapped the cloth from his limbs, and the linen bands from his face.

Would we be daring enough to look at the face of the man who had been dead for some days and stinking with decay? I imagine the bystanders steeling themselves before looking into the face of Lazarus.

When they did lift up their eyes and look, I hear a loud gasp of astonishment. For the skin and face of the man who was unmasked by the word of Jesus was smooth, pure and totally healthy, like the face of a young man in his prime.

That’s what the Friend of sinners can do. When we allow the Spirit of Christ to unmask us, whether in deeply personal spiritual moments or with the help of those whom Christ has asked to do the unmasking, then the removal of the mask leads to a healing of our true face.

The word of Christ, who embodies the unconditional love of God, is a word that is far mightier than sin, decay and death. The word orders us to step out of the tombs where we have lived and step into the sunlight. In the light of his presence, even before the mask is removed some of that light penetrates through and begins the healing process.

For you and me, unlike Lazarus, I am not suggesting that this unveiling and healing must take place all in the one dramatic moment. The more common pattern is a slow, unmasking and healing process over the years. Often with the aid of many of our fellow disciples who, spurred on by Christ’s word, peel back little bits of the mask from our true face. Bit by bit, month by month, year by year, healing replaces fear, decay, and slow death.

Don’t be afraid. Anything the Friend of sinners uncovers is not for harsh criticism and condemnation but for salvation. It is cared for by the salve of Christ’s grace, mercy and peace. When we allow Christ to do the uncovering, there is nothing to fear. He will never abuse the trust we give him.

Christ speaks to all of us who have something to hide. Lazarus come out!

Come out from the graves you have dug for yourselves, come out from the place of darkness and fear, come out from the hiding place where things fester and deform, come out into the light where love amazing and divine waits you with open arms.

Lazarus come out! Remove that cloth from your face. Live in the freedom and joy of redeemed people! Amen.

 

Our Offering

God has given us life and breath and made the world in order and beauty.In Christ, God has given us a Saviour to renew our lives. Through the Spirit, God gives us gifts, and opens our hearts with generosity. In gratitude, let us dedicate to God our offering

Prayer of Dedication of our gifts to God

We place these gifts into your hands, O God. Transformed by your grace, may they become seeds springing up with new life for others. Fill our hearts with the same grace that we, too, can send fresh hope to weary souls. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession

Father, we thank you that in Christ, you call each of us by name and unite us in his body, the church. Give us enough love to make a difference in your world; and enough trust to follow even when the way before us is challenging.

God of majesty and mercy bring your compassion into this world once more.

O God of peace and promise, in Christ you call us to love our enemies and to be peacemakers in the word you love. We pray today for people and places divided by ancient bitterness and current hostility. Bring unity where there is division in the face of the current crisis and give wisdom and selflessness to all who make decisions in government and health care (especially we remember…adding places in the recent news and your own thoughts.)

God of majesty and mercy bring your compassion into this world once more.

O God of the bruised and broken, we are grateful that, in Christ, you have taken up the cross and know all the things that bring us suffering and pain. We pray today for all those in need of healing and comfort, whatever the source of their pain… families bereaved in the past week, anxious relatives of those who are ill, all whose livelihoods are threatened during the lockdown, people struggling with the loneliness of isolation, everyone who depends on folk to bring food or medicines We pray in particular for those who work in the NHS and health services around the world, for their safety, for the provision of needed equipment, for strength in the face of exhaustion and anxiety. We thank you for their selfless service. (Your own thoughts…)

God of majesty and mercy bring your compassion into this world once more.

O God of the lonely and sorrowing, in Christ you faced the loss we know when loved ones die or when friends let us down. We remember before you those who grieve the loss of their beloved remembering Morag Wilkinson and her sisters Anne and Kathryn as they mourn their mother, Nan, and all who face a lonely future…(Your thoughts)

God of majesty and mercy bring your compassion into this world once more.

God of hope and new possibility, in Christ you opened the way into the future for us through the power of your redeeming love. Give us the courage we need to face our future, assured of your presence and power to sustain us.

We offer all that we are and all that we hope for through Jesus Christ our Lord whom we worship with you and the Holy Spirit One God, world without end. Amen.

Sending out

Let the majesty of the Father
be the light by which you walk,
the compassion of the Son
be the love by which you walk,
the presence of the Spirit
be the power by which you walk.

Benediction

Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymns:

Here are some hymn suggestions to check on YouTube if you wish to sing along:

Spirit of the Living God.

Psalm 130 Lord from the depths to thee I cried (today’s Psalm)

Spirit of God unseen as the wind.

From the falter of breath (words below)

1 From the falter of breath, through the silence of death to the wonder that’s breaking beyond, God has woven a way, unapparent by day, for all those of whom heaven is fond.

2 From frustration and pain, through hope hard to sustain, to the wholeness here promised there known; Christ has gone where we fear and has vowed to be near on the journey we make on our own.

3 From the dimming of light through the darkness of night, to the glory of goodness above;
God the Spirit is sent to ensure heaven’s intent is embraced and completed in love.

4 From today till we die, through all questioning why to the place from which time and tide flow; Angels tread on our dreams, and magnificent themes of heaven’s promise are echoed below.

For Children

 

And Jesus said “Come to the waters” on YouTube

Children’s Talk:

In the book of Psalms, David asked God to put his tears in a bottle. (Psalm 56:8) Do you see this little bottle? I call it “My Tears Bottle.” These aren’t real tears, it’s just water, but it reminds me of the times that I have cried real tears. Now, I don’t know that God keeps our tears in a bottle like this one, but I do believe that God sees our tears and hears us when we cry.

Do you ever cry?

Of course, you do. What is something that makes you cry? (Allow responses.)
I made a list of some things that make us cry.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever fallen and hurt yourself so badly that you cried. (Allow responses.)
Raise your hand if you ever have been so sad that you cried. (Allow responses.)
Raise your hand if someone hurt your feelings and you cried. (Allow responses.)
Raise your hand if you’ve ever cried because someone else was crying. (Allow responses.)

We all cry, don’t we?

Did you know that Jesus cried? The shortest verse in the entire Bible says, “Jesus wept.” I know of at least three things that made Jesus cry.
The Bible tells us that Jesus cried when He prayed for others. It says, “While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears.” (Hebrews 5:7 NLT)

The Bible also tells us that Jesus cried when He saw people who were missing out on what God wanted for them. Luke tells us that as Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you.” (Luke 19:41-42 NLT)

Another time, the Bible tells us that Jesus cried when friends of His were hurting. Jesus had a friend named Lazarus who became very sick. His sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus and asked Him to come and heal Lazarus, but when Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already died. The Bible tells us that when Jesus saw Mary weeping because her brother had died, He cried too. That isn’t all that Jesus did; listen to what happened next.

Jesus went with Mary and Martha and some others to visit the grave where Lazarus was buried. It was a cave with a large stone across the entrance. When they arrived at the tomb, Jesus said to some of the men who were with them, “Take away the stone.” Then Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus walked out of the grave. I imagine that when she saw that, Mary’s tears of sadness turned to tears of joy.

We all cry, and I am glad that we have a Savior who weeps too. I am glad that He loves us so much that He hurts when we are hurting. He feels our pain. He sees our tears and He keeps our tears in a bottle.

Dear Jesus, it is comforting to know that when we cry, You cry with us. But it is even more comforting to know that You have power over death and the grave and that one day we will be in heaven with You–and then there will be no more tears. In Jesus’ name, Amen.