Lazarus
03/09/08
Lent 5
John 11:17-45
Today’s message will feature a faith testimony by Tony Wicklander, a member of St. Paul Lutheran, who, on many occasions has been “left for dead,” only to recover and continue forward in life. In many ways he is a “modern day Lazarus,” whose story provides hope in the midst of the dark times of death we all face. I will provide a short introduction to Tony’s testimony about the raising of Lazarus miracle. If possible, I will try and post a written copy of Tony’s testimony on the website.
I. Intro
Today’s message is going to be a bit different. I’ve asked Tony Wicklander, a member of our congregation whose name you have often heard in our prayers, but a man most of you have never met, to share his faith testimony. In many ways Tony is a modern day Lazarus, a man left for dead on several occasions, but in each case who has recovered to be a witness for God’s grace and power. Before I call on Tony to share, I’d like to say a few words about the gospel lesson you have just heard.
II. Body
Every now and then we hear about someone who has been declared dead, who miraculously comes back to life. A popular and inspiring book currently on the shelves is titled, “Ninety Minutes in Heaven,” written by Don Piper, who was in a terrible car accident, declared dead, and, through the fervent prayers of a friend who came on the scene, was restored to life 90 minutes later. A similar type of account made the news down in Florida recently, a man who suffered a massive heart attack, was declared dead, until the cardiologist prayed for him, made one final attempt at shocking his heart, and his heart began beating.
What makes the Lazarus miracle different from those kinds of accounts, was that Lazarus was in the tomb four days. No one in their right mind today would suggest that a person dead four days would be brought back to life. That might make for a story line in a Stephen King novel, but not for real life. And so the question we have to ask when approaching this passage of scripture is, what’s the underlying message of the miracle? What’s it trying to teach about God and say to us? Here’s three brief things before I have Tony share.
1. God acts in God’s time and way, according to God’s will, not our own. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, he did not immediately go, but stayed where he was two more days. By the time he got to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead two days. This upset both Martha and Mary who both say to him, “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died.” But this delay was intentional, to remind us that we do not control God, we trust God, to act in love on our behalf, in God’s time and way.
2. God brings life from death. There’s no situation that God cannot heal and make whole. Life can be rough at times. But this miracle shows us that there is nothing that is beyond God’s power to restore and renew. With God, all things are possible. We live in hope.
3. This hope is eternal. “I am the resurrection and the life,” says Jesus, “He who believes in me, shall never die.” Although our perspective is finite, God’s is infinite and eternal. Our hope is not defeated in death. Death is nothing but the passage to eternal life with God.
Tony Wicklander knows more about dying and rising than all of us in this room combined, I am sure. I asked Tony this week if he thought he was well enough to share his faith story, and thankfully he said he would. So I’m going to turn it over to Tony, our very own Lazarus.
John 11:17-45
Today’s message will feature a faith testimony by Tony Wicklander, a member of St. Paul Lutheran, who, on many occasions has been “left for dead,” only to recover and continue forward in life. In many ways he is a “modern day Lazarus,” whose story provides hope in the midst of the dark times of death we all face. I will provide a short introduction to Tony’s testimony about the raising of Lazarus miracle. If possible, I will try and post a written copy of Tony’s testimony on the website.
I. Intro
Today’s message is going to be a bit different. I’ve asked Tony Wicklander, a member of our congregation whose name you have often heard in our prayers, but a man most of you have never met, to share his faith testimony. In many ways Tony is a modern day Lazarus, a man left for dead on several occasions, but in each case who has recovered to be a witness for God’s grace and power. Before I call on Tony to share, I’d like to say a few words about the gospel lesson you have just heard.
II. Body
Every now and then we hear about someone who has been declared dead, who miraculously comes back to life. A popular and inspiring book currently on the shelves is titled, “Ninety Minutes in Heaven,” written by Don Piper, who was in a terrible car accident, declared dead, and, through the fervent prayers of a friend who came on the scene, was restored to life 90 minutes later. A similar type of account made the news down in Florida recently, a man who suffered a massive heart attack, was declared dead, until the cardiologist prayed for him, made one final attempt at shocking his heart, and his heart began beating.
What makes the Lazarus miracle different from those kinds of accounts, was that Lazarus was in the tomb four days. No one in their right mind today would suggest that a person dead four days would be brought back to life. That might make for a story line in a Stephen King novel, but not for real life. And so the question we have to ask when approaching this passage of scripture is, what’s the underlying message of the miracle? What’s it trying to teach about God and say to us? Here’s three brief things before I have Tony share.
1. God acts in God’s time and way, according to God’s will, not our own. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, he did not immediately go, but stayed where he was two more days. By the time he got to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead two days. This upset both Martha and Mary who both say to him, “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died.” But this delay was intentional, to remind us that we do not control God, we trust God, to act in love on our behalf, in God’s time and way.
2. God brings life from death. There’s no situation that God cannot heal and make whole. Life can be rough at times. But this miracle shows us that there is nothing that is beyond God’s power to restore and renew. With God, all things are possible. We live in hope.
3. This hope is eternal. “I am the resurrection and the life,” says Jesus, “He who believes in me, shall never die.” Although our perspective is finite, God’s is infinite and eternal. Our hope is not defeated in death. Death is nothing but the passage to eternal life with God.
Tony Wicklander knows more about dying and rising than all of us in this room combined, I am sure. I asked Tony this week if he thought he was well enough to share his faith story, and thankfully he said he would. So I’m going to turn it over to Tony, our very own Lazarus.