from out of the maze you spun me

the world back around

A sermon on the raising of Lazarus:

Amanda got me this great watch for Mardi Gras. But you have to wind it. For now, though, it’s still novel. It’s not too bothersome. Plus, it gives me something to do.

But it’s also made time a little less abstract. Every time I have to wind my watch, I’m reminded once again that time is finite. That it adds up. That it counts down. That it runs out. 

And that is what happened to Martha, Mary, and their brother, Lazarus. Didn’t it? Time ran out. And the one they called on in those final desperate minutes proved to be no good at timing. 

“Lord, if you had been here.” That’s the only thing Martha could bring herself to say when Jesus showed up to her brother’s burial four days too late.

…I went to make my first visit delivery of ashes a little after 9 am this year. The woman I visited, Barb, is recovering from a broken ankle. And although she is making progress, it’s not going as fast as she’d like. Now that her world is constricted to slow, small, and careful movements, mostly indoors, the hours have begun to drag on. 

After talking with her for a bit, I said I had to go. Obviously a little disappointed, she asked where I had to be. I told her that I was on my way to the next house. Nodding, she said she understood and wished me well.

As I drove away, I thought about how she was frustrated that she had too much time on her hands. And here I was, frustrated that I didn’t have enough! And I wondered if there would ever be a happy medium between all our years! 

But there we were, remembering our mortality, in the name of the one who proved once again that he is no good at timing. I should have listened to Martha. “Lord, if you had been here.” That’s what she said when Jesus showed up to her brother’s burial four days too late. Jesus, though, for his part, didn’t seem too alarmed.

…A couple years ago, I visited Brenda during her final days. And she wanted to talk about her funeral. However, I told her we could talk about that another time and instead made small talk. 

A few days later, she died. And like I knew, her family was perfectly capable of making the arrangements. If I am being honest, though, I didn’t want to talk to Brenda about her death while it was actually on the table.

I’ve talked with many of you about your death. But usually in the abstract. I’ve even sat down with some of you to make plans for your funeral. But always while you were healthy. When death was really staring me in the face, I blinked first.

“Lord, if you had been here.” That’s what Martha said when Jesus showed up to her brother’s burial four days too late. In response, Jesus just rattled off some trite-sounding religiosity.

“Your brother will rise,” is what he said. By then, though, Martha had heard all the consolations. And coming from the one she had hoped would avert the need to utter such words, only made them all sound that much more hollow. Looking away, she replied, “Yes, I know he will rise on the last day.” 

Then, without missing a beat, Jesus met her eye-line and said, “you’re looking at him.” When all Martha could see was the stone that sealed her brother’s fate, Jesus locked eyes with her and said, “I am.” Jesus told Martha he’s the resurrection. He’s the Last Day in-the-flesh standing before her right now. And what’s more, he’s going to do something like she’s always been promised, but never seen before! 

And, once again, Jesus proved he’s no good at timing! Like the Good Shepherd he says he is, Jesus called Lazarus’ name! And in so doing, led Lazarus out of the valley of the shadow of death!

…We live our lives by deadlines and to-do lists, don’t we? And all we can see on the other side of those cutoffs is the stone that would seal our fate. Jesus, though, is no good at timing! He does some of his best work on the wrong side of too late! Behind schedule is right on time for the one who is the fullness of time!

Jesus is no good at timing. At least as we count it. As much as it’ll always rub busybodies like us the wrong way, sometimes Jesus’ bright idea is to let time run out. Sometimes he allows the deadline to come. Sometimes he permits the minutes to stack up against us.

But the reason for this, as John tells us, isn’t that Jesus is absentminded. On the contrary, it’s because he loves us! Jesus isn’t interested in leaving us under Damocles’ sword of time. Instead, as Revelation predicts, Jesus comes to bring an end to time! Jesus doesn’t swoop in under the clock. No, he destroys its power!

And that means, by the way, Jesus doesn’t just come after it’s too late, either! No, he also arrives ahead of schedule! After all, here it is, the first Sunday of Lent, and Jesus is already plying his resurrection trade! There are still more than 35 of the 40 days of Lent left, but Jesus is already pulling his Easter tricks! Ash Wednesday was less than a week ago, but Jesus is already delivering the punchline that transforms this solemn season into a joyful one!

Before you’ve had a chance to keep the fast, Jesus brings the feast! Before I can build the argument, Jesus makes the point! In fact, Jesus has beat Walgreens to the punch! Even corporate America knows it’s too early to go all-in on the Easter business. But here Jesus is, nonetheless, raising the dead already! Holding nothing back anymore!

When Jesus gets to work, it never seems like the right time. At least, to us anyway. It happens too late, like at a funeral. Or it happens too early, like today, when, a full month before Easter, Jesus just goes ahead and preemptively raises the dead! 

Ultimately, though, this untimely work of Jesus couldn’t come at a better time! Jesus, who lives to life-eternal, plumbs the past to remove the stone sin that would seal our fate. And he goes ahead of us to undo the power of death that would separate us from the love of God! 

This means, to our way of keeping time Jesus is destined to always arrive too early or too late. But Jesus was never any good at timing, anyway! And whenever he shows up, God’s glory is always in tow. No matter what time it is!

And this means, every single one of us, no matter where we’re coming from today, is right where Jesus wants us! Ahead of schedule or behind the clock, it’s all right on time with Jesus! If your life isn’t ready for him just yet, that just means the timing’s perfect for his mercy to come crashing in! And if you think you’re too far gone, that just means you’re right where Jesus loves to saddle up next to you to, literally, make time for you!

Yes, for now, we can’t always see this. But one day, when it’s too late or too early, Jesus will fully reveal what he’s been up to all along! And on that day, time will be no more! Death will be no more. Mourning and crying will be no more! And on that day, all that will be left is the glory of God! The Glory of God that raises the dead and sets the sinner free!