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The human condition is that we
are all mortals. There is a finite number of days for each of us. That is
simply the way it is. We try different ways to cope with this reality. People
often make jokes to mask the seriousness and trauma that is felt when we lose
someone. Louis B. Mayer, a Hollywood producer wrote an outline for his own
obituary. As head of MGM, he owned many movie theatres. His obituary said:
"Services will be held at 2:00, 3:15, 4:00, 5:30, 7:00, and 9:00.
Bargain matinees before 6."
Yet, a little humor does not mask the sadness of the final act that we all
must face, and it does not relieve the pain of losing a loved one. It doesn't
lighten the burden of fear. In our congregation, we have lost loved ones this
year, and each of us knows what it is like to lose someone for whom we care,
or at least to live under that throat. Many of you have lost a spouse or even
a child.
Many folks may came to church, perhaps to hedge their bets against death, or
at the very least to find comfort and a sense of purpose in the uncertainty
and shortness of life.
Today's Gospel, Luke 7:11-17, may seem like the perfect text written to give
us hope that life is stronger than death, and that eternity awaits us all.
I believe those things, but this is not the text for that. The Church
confesses and witnesses to these things, but this is NOT the point of this
text.
This is not a text about the promise of life everlasting; it is a text about
finding hope when all hope is lost. This is a story about how any hopeless
situation can be changed.
This is not a story about what happens when we die. This is a story about
living.
First, there is a funeral procession taking place. Funeral processions
traveled outside of town for fears of contagion. The first two days of death,
a body was watched closely to make sure that there were no signs of life.
They did not have the technology that we have today and people often fell
into deep comas and appeared dead. There were no machines to measure brain
waves. No EKGs or MRIs. A person was not officially dead until the third day.
As grim as things looked, there was still some hope.
In the Lazarus story, Jesus goes to the home of Mary and Martha and wishes to
see Lazarus. Their response is that they cannot roll away the stone, because
it has already been three days, and a stench will surely be present. The text
wants you to know that Lazarus is dead, really dead.
In the Easter text, Jesus rises three days after the crucifixion. Scripture
wants you to know that Jesus was really dead and not just hurt, unconscious,
reclining.
This is not the case in this story. The procession is taking place so the
event is new and recent. So, while things look grim, there is still hope.
While the family is defiantly not optimistic, there is still a glimmer of
hope, a faint light.
Little is said about the son, how old he was, what he apparently died from.
Much is, however, said about the mother; she is from the town of Nain, a town
that had one been of some importance back in the day of Elijah, but had hit
upon hard times and appeared to be dying itself. She has only one son, she is
widowed, and must have been somebody well-liked and respected, if not pitied
by the community, because of the large crowd. The Lord even had compassion on
her.
Whenever scripture goes into detail about one character more than another,
this is a signal to focus on that character.
So this is not a text about the man's resurrection from death!
It is a text about the woman.
It is a text about the hopeless situation in which this woman is found. It is
the story of her life, the terrible situation in which she is found and God's
concern and care for her.
Remember, in first-century Palestine, as in many places today, a woman could
not work. To be a widow was considered a curse, and a widow without a child
was a double curse. We know from scripture that people believed God must have
been punishing such people to let them languish in a state of poverty,
hopelessness, voicelessness and shame. The only first century Social Security
was "Honor thy Mother and Father." In the first lesson from 1 Kings
17:17-24, the widow sees Elijah and says "You have come to bring my sin
to remembrance." The assumption is that she did something wrong and God
is punishing her. We cannot emphasize what a strong belief that was (and may
still be today).
What Jesus does in this instance is take a hopeless situation and changes its
course...
What Jesus does is show this woman is not cursed by God, but has God's
compassion. What Jesus does is bring this woman from poverty and shame into a
life filled again with possibilities.
So this text is about removing shame. It is about offering hope in dire
situations; it is about offering hope in dire situations; it is about a God
who can turn around bad situations. And it is about compassion. It is about a
God who cares for the poor and the marginalized.
Scripture is full of such references.
Paul was a hopeless case. The second lesson, from Galatians 1:11-24 says
"Says the one who was formerly persecuting you is now proclaiming the
faith he once tried to destroy."
So you may feel abandoned or even cursed by God. We learn today that this is
not how God works.
You may feel you are facing a hopeless situation; this too is not how God
works.
God will always be there.
God stands at the gate at the funeral procession. He is not angry. God loves
you so much. He really does.
Amen.
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