Some of you may be familiar with John 11:35. You may even have it memorized. In the New Revised Standard Version it is only four words long - “Jesus began to weep.” However, some of us are old enough to remember older versions of that verse, which took those four words (“Jesus began to weep”) and made them two: “Jesus wept.”
And there may be one or two here who were encouraged to memorize verses in Sunday School, maybe even got a gold star or a check by their name for every Bible verse they memorized, and here was a verse that was only two words long. “Jesus wept.” The shortest verse in the Bible, and very easy to memorize. Memorizing that Bible verse was the easiest gold star we ever earned.
Jesus wept.
Jesus had been summoned to the tomb where they had placed his dear friend Lazarus. As he approached the tomb, he began to weep.
What does it mean that Jesus wept?
It means tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.
It means the sadness, the grief, Jesus experienced was real, true, genuine.
Even though Jesus had complete, real knowledge of the resurrection, Jesus was also human. Jesus loved people. He loved Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. They were very dear to him. And he shared in Mary & Martha’s sadness when Lazarus died.
Jesus wept.
It means Jesus was fully human. Of all the gospels, the gospel of John has the highest christology, which means that in the gospel of John, Jesus’ divinity is emphasized. John’s gospel begins by explaining how Jesus, the Word, was in the beginning with God, and that Jesus, the Word, was God.
According to John’s gospel, Jesus is God.
But even here in John’s gospel, Jesus is also fully human, capable of shedding human tears.
The first day of November is All Saints’ Day. Since All Saints’ Day doesn’t always fall on a Sunday, we and many other congregations observe All Saints’ Sunday on the first Sunday in November.
This is a day to celebrate, to remember, to mourn, to weep, to laugh, and to anticipate with hope what the future will bring.
In every year, there is loss. We lose loved ones. We lose old ways of doing things. We lose abilities we once had. And some dreams that we once had, we have to let go of.
In every year, there is also great blessing. And, by God’s grace, some of the greatest blessings come even in the midst of loss and sadness.
We may have lost loved ones, but their love motivates us to live in ways that are more loving and more kind.
We may have lost loved ones, but the support and love we received from others in our moment of sadness makes us realize just how precious these relationships are.
We may have lost certain abilities we once had, and we may have had to let go of some of our dreams, but if we meditate on such things, we realize that this “letting go” has helped us recognize more than ever our dependence on God and God’s grace.
In the past twelve months, I have lost both my Mom and my Dad. I also lost my stepmom, who’s funeral was just last week.
Obviously, one expects there to be sadness involved here, and there has been, but I have also found much to be thankful for. Most significantly, for the relationships within family and among friends, and for the love and support that has been shared.
In the past twelve months - actually, in the past twelve weeks - Ginger and I have said goodbye to Ethan and Tristan. Ethan is in Tucson, and Tristan is at UC Irvine.
Obviously, one expects there to be joy at their accomplishments and new opportunities, and there is, but I have also found sadness in their absence. One day a few weeks ago, I became aware of just how much I missed having my sons around, and that in turn reminded me just how much I miss my parents…
And it all kinda snowballed.
And maybe it’s because I majored in sociology, or maybe it’s just because I’m a little weird, but it’s been fascinating for me to observe, as if from a distance, how I and those around me have experienced both sadness and joy, together, during this time, and how both sorrow and gratitude have existed, together, side-by-side.
I wouldn’t have thought one could experience such deep sorrow and such overwhelming gladness simultaneously.
Jesus wept.
He wept even as he knew fully the hope of resurrection. I think I understand that better now. Jesus knew the joy of the resurrection, he fully understood the good news because he is the good news… yet at the same time, he also wept.
Another way to say this is that I think Jesus was an emotional wreck! A mess!
Do you think that was confusing to him, that he could be both happy and sad at the same time? Or do you think he was fascinated by it? Or do you think he was just, “Of course it can be this way…” ?
“Of course it can…”
Well, what about this New Beginnings process that we are working on? Or even what about all the ways Bixby Knolls Christian Church has changed over the years, even without New Beginnings?
It is good and appropriate to feel sadness over losing the church that once was. A congregation is changed by every person who dies or leaves, and by every person who joins.
Every single person.
Your presence here, as a single individual, has forever changed this congregation. And your absence, should you ever leave, will also forever change this congregation.
We miss the people who were once here and, for whatever reason, are here no longer. But we also celebrate who they are (or were), and we celebrate the impact they had on us, the way God was revealed to us through them.
We miss the programs and activities of the past. We mourn not being able to do the things we, as a church, once did. But just like it says in the scripture read at my stepmom’s funeral last Sunday afternoon, to everything there is a season, including a time to be born, and a time to die… a time to laugh, and a time to weep.
It’s OK to be sad about the church we once were. We can do that, AND at the same time be hopeful and excited about the church that we are becoming. And we can be thankful for the groundwork that was done by those who came before us, those who built this church, who sacrificed so much time and energy and money into making this congregation possible…
And we can let their dedication to this church inspire us. They have run the race, and the baton has been passed on to us. They no longer belong to this physical realm, but now live in a world that is beyond our imagining.
Now the race is ours to run. We would not have got to this point without those who came before us. But the baton has been passed to us. Now it’s our turn.
So let us not forget that there will be others who will come after us. Let the commitment of those who came before us inspire us so that we may commit ourselves, dedicate ourselves, and all we have, to create a church that will continue to work for justice, show forth love and kindness, and walk humbly with God.
So much sadness. So much sorrow. So much joy. So much hope.
Thanks be to God.
1 comment:
Very meaningful Danny.
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