Dead or Alive - June 10, 2007
A number of months ago, I had the privilege of being at the bedside of a dying woman.She was 96 years old; and she was, as the saying goes, "in a good place". She was fully lucid, and fully aware that her body was shutting down.She knew that her time on earth was drawing to a close, and there was hope in her heart. She spoke with joy about the memories of her 96 year life, and she spoke with joy and hope about her anticipated transition into life to come; and I felt blessed to be there, blessed that she would share these events with me.I felt that she had truly ministered to me as she approached the end of her earthly life. There was peace in her heart and that brought joy into the hearts of those who were around her. I walked out of the nursing home where she was a resident that afternoon feeling good about God's creation, and feeling good about the mortality inherent therein.
As circumstances would have it, I headed from that nursing home directly to Hillcrest hospital to visit the parents of a newborn baby. Less than an hour after holding the hand of a 96 year old woman nearing the end of life, I was holding a baby girl less than five hours old; and what a joy! Mom and dad were both grinning from ear to ear, as mom handed me her daughter saying, "You want to hold her?"A mother and father and a newborn baby, filled with the joy of new life, filled with hope for the future, filled with faith that the grace of God would be sufficient to see their child through whatever perils that future might contain, filled with the love that only a parent can truly understand. And again, I felt blessed, blessed to be in ministry, blessed to be invited to share their hope, their joy, their faith, and their love.
My friends, I visited two women that afternoon. One was five hours old; the other was ninety-six years, but both were alive. Both were alive with hope and faith and joy; and both were filled with love. One of the most difficult aspects of ministry is when I visit dead people; and, I don't find them in funeral parlors or cemeteries or mausoleums. No, I find them on the streets of our city. I find them in shopping centers. I find them in our workplaces. I find them in our schools. Sometimes, I even find them in our churches. Oh, their hearts are beating, and they're breathing, they're even walking and talking, but they are spiritually and emotionally dead. And what a tragedy it is.
The gospel lesson for today tells the story of Jesus bringing new life into a widow's only son; and similarly, the Old Testament tells how the prophet Elijah prayed new life into the son of a poor woman. wo stories about people who were dead, tragically dead. ow I'm not going to get into the physiological possibilities surrounding the resuscitation of their corpses, the presence or absence of brain waves, or other contemporary medical definitions of death. Fact is, the bible says there was no breath left in the widow's son; and, in Hebrew, the word for breath is the same word as soul. There was no soul left in him; there was no life left in him. e was spiritually and emotionally dead. nd so, Elijah prayed, "Oh Lord, let this child's life come into him again," and it happened. It happened! He was alive!
So what about you? Are you dead or alive? How do you know? nd, if you find yourself spiritually dead, how do you return to a fullness of life? submit to you the fullness of life comes from our fullness, our wholeness in three relationships: our relationship with God; our relationship with ourselves; and our relationship with others.
And so I "Are you dead or are you alive? Do you know God?" Oh, I don't mean do you believe in God in some sort of superficial, "out there" way. mean, do you really know God? o you have a real, intimate relationship with the living Christ? Do you sense the presence of the Spirit in your life 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Do you truly know God's grace, the love that God has for you; and do you lead a life that is totally responsive to that love? I once heard of a monastery with a bell tower similar to our own; and like our own carillon, the bells would chime every fifteen minutes; and, every time they chimed, the brothers of the monastery would pause whatever they were doing for a few moments of prayer. They didn't pray for hours or even minutes, every fifteen minutes they would take a few moments to center themselves, take a few moments to remind themselves of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, take a few moments for a time of peace in the presence of the almighty. I wonder how our lives might be different if we followed the same behavior. ow might our lives be different if, at frequent intervals throughout the day, we reminded ourselves that the living Christ is with us, watching over us, walking beside us, dwelling within us?
Now I am not so naive as to think that most of you will leave church this morning committed to pray every fifteen minutes of the day. As appealing as that life may seem, we are not monks and we do not live in a monastery. ut, I do suggest this morning that most of us could make significant improvements in our prayer lives; and so I suggest that all of you set aside some time every morning, even if only ten or fifteen minutes, for daily morning devotionals. Your personal devotionals might include reading a devotional book or a guide such as Upper Room; they might include reading the bible, working your way through a particular book or chapter; and they should always include a time of prayer. ind the time. se these few minutes every morning to set the stage for your day ahead. Use these few minutes to come into relationship with God, to remind yourself of God's presence in your life, to remind yourself that you are not dead but alive with the spirit of the living God. And, as a person alive, you are equipped to head into the world. veryday is full of its challenges. n the way to work you may be cut off in traffic or your bus may pass you up. Remember, you are alive with the spirit of the living God. ou get to work or school, or you take on your daily work at home and you find yourself bombarded with problems, questions, challenges. Take time to remember, you are alive with the spirit of the living God. ake time. . . owever brief that time may be, take time to remember the love of God in your life. ake time to pray.
To know God, to be in relationship with God is to be alive, but it doesn't stop there. Because as we know God, we also come to know ourselves. I have shared with some of you before my belief that Genesis 1:27 is the most important verse in the entire bible: "So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them: male and female he created them." You and I were created in the image of God. How much more special could we be? There is a little bit of God, a spark of the divine in each of "and God saw everything he had made and indeed it was very good." Do you believe it? Do you believe that you are created in the image of God? Do you lead your life as one who is created in the image of God? o you treat yourself as the image of God deserves to be treated? Genesis chapter two continues with another creation story. It tells how the Lord formed humans from dust, and breathed into their nostrils the breath of life. he breath of life – have you allowed God to breathe the breath of life into you? Are you alive with the spirit of the living God? My friends take care of yourselves. ake care of yourselves, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Take care of yourselves because you are God's creation, because you are important to God. now the love that God has for you; and so, treat yourselves with that same love. ake care of yourselves that you might truly be alive with the spirit of God, the breath of life.
But we are not alone on this planet. When the poor widow's son had died, it was Elijah who prayed for his life. o, when sometimes we find ourselves spiritually dead, it's time to turn to another. It's time to turn to a friend, a family member, a co-worker, a fellow church member, a counselor, a clergy member. It's time to turn to someone else for prayer and support as we seek to be alive with the spirit of God; and it's time to come to church. hat's the wonder of the church and that's the importance of corporate worship. People sometimes tell me, “Oh, I believe in God and I pray regularly, but I don't need church.” say to them, the church is the place where we can truly find the spirit of the living God. he church is alive. The breath of life is present within these walls in a way that it is not present in your living room; and it has very little to do with the building. t has everything to do with the power of a group of people coming together in loving support to pray and to praise God. Through the church we are rejuvenated; we are reinvigorated, indeed we could even say we are resuscitated, made alive again with the spirit of God.
My friends are you dead or are you alive? ou may remember that a few months ago, Dr. Yoost preached a sermon on the parable of the Prodigal Son. You all know the story – a son asks his father for his share of his inheritance, which he proceeds to squander. The son returns home in total bankruptcy, and his father throws a party. ut do you remember the father's final words to his older brother. . . "We must celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and in now alive." The story of the Prodigal Son tells us that through repentance, through turning back to the father, we can truly become alive with the Holy Spirit.
The bible does not tell us what happened to the poor widow's son whom Elijah raised from the dead. We are not told what happened to the man whom Jesus raised; but I tell you, you can spot those who are alive with the spirit from a mile away. Because the love of God burns within their hearts, they cannot help but share that love. These are the people who find joy in housing the homeless, in feeding the hungry, in clothing the naked. These are the people who rejoice at the opportunity to help those less fortunate. hese are people who walk with a bounce in their step and a smile on their face, even when the going gets tough. hese are people who see the image of God in all humanity and truly believe that it is very good.
One of my favorite contemporary theologians, Philip Hefner, says that as humans we are created co-creators. Hefner believes that we were created to create. He states that part of being created in the image of God, means that we were created to move creation forward. Now, as I look at the state of our world today, both socially and environmentally, I'm afraid that we have not done a very good job of co-creating. ut, I also believe that, if we are truly alive with the spirit of God, we will use our resources to feed and house and educate those less fortunate than ourselves. If we are alive with the spirit of God, we will use our resources to put an end to environmental pollution, greenhouse gas emission, and global warming. If we are alive with the spirit of God, we will use our resources to create a sustainable environment for our children and their children and their children. If we are alive with the spirit of God, we will recognize the goodness of creation and we will work tirelessly for the future, for the betterment of that creation which God says is very good indeed. And, while there is still much work to be done, if we are alive with the spirit of God, we will celebrate the goodness of the creation over which God has made us stewards.
Are you dead or are you alive. Are you just fighting to get by, or do you live with a sense of hope and joy, a sense of love and peace in your heart. Are you dragging through life, or are you celebrating the presence of the Holy Spirit and the goodness of creation? My friends, know the presence of God with you this day and every day, and know yourselves and all others as people created in the image of God. ake a deep breath. reathe in the breath of life. e rejuvenated, reinvigorated, be renewed with the joy, the faith, and the hope of the living Christ.
And then, as you become truly alive with the Spirit of God, go forth to co-create a world which God, himself, has said is very good indeed, and may the love of God be with you, and remain with you always. Amen.
Let us pray. . .
Holy Lord, breathe into each of us again the breath of life. Help us to come into ever closer relationship with you and with each other. Help us to be truly alive with your Holy Spirit. And, out of that newness of life, help us to truly become created co-creators, moving your creation ahead in ways that are very good indeed. This we pray in your holy name. Amen.
© 2007 Mark L. Steiger