He Called My Name – Lazarus Page 1 of 8 Rev. Jan Brittain, Lent—March 4, 2018 Williamson’s Chapel United Methodist Church He Called My Name – Lazarus John 11:1 -38 INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES What’s in a name? Shakespeare asked as he pondered a rose. But seems to me, smell or no smell, names are important. When someone calls us by name we feel recognized, important, noticed. In ancient days, the knowledge of a name was believed to bring with it power over another individual. Knowing their name enabled a cursing or controlling of the other person. I don’t much buy into that but I do believe that knowing someone’s name brings with it a power – the power to bless. Hearing our name spoken with love, in encouragement, as support is always a blessing. And in my experience, when someone who loves us, who wants good for us, speaks our name, well, we tend to listen. I was playing on a Junior Varsity Basketball Team. The game was close. We were seconds away from the final buzzer, one point down. The noise in the small gym was deafening. Everyone in the stands and on the benches was hollering. All I could hear was a large roar. As I dribbled the ball around the top of the key, I suddenly heard one lone voice sounding out as though there was only one other person in the gym. Shoot Jan, shoot. It was my brother Tommy’s voice. He knew me and he knew my abilities on the basketball court better than anyone in the world. He would only want my good. I did not hesitate. I did not even consider not shooting. I shot the ball; it went through the net, the buzzer sounded, we won. When someone who loves us and cares about our welfare speaks our name, well, we tend to listen. INTRO TO SERMON And that is true when Jesus calls a person by name too. Last week we joined Jesus at the table with Mary and Martha. Jesus called Martha to turn away from her distractions and turn back to Him. Martha, Martha. Today, we turn to the Gospel of John where we hear Jesus call the name of her brother, Lazarus. Here’s how the story begins. John 11:1-6 1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus,[a] “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through ______________________________________________________________________________ Unpublished work ©2018 Julianne Brittain He Called My Name – Lazarus Page 2 of 8 Rev. Jan Brittain, Lent—March 4, 2018 Williamson’s Chapel United Methodist Church it.” 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus[b] was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Jesus delays, which is a bit difficult to understand but eventually Jesus heads back to his friends. Now Lazarus is the one whose name is called, but this story belongs to all three of the siblings --- Mary, Martha and Lazarus. When Jesus arrives, the story continues: John 11: 17-37 17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus[d] had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles[e] away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[f] Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah,[g] the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” 28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Let’s pause there and spend a little time with the two sisters. MARY We begin with the younger sister Mary. Now just a little later in this gospel, in chapter 12, we will see Mary spring into action. But for now, Mary is so overwhelmed by her grief, by her loss, by her own sense of defeat that all she can do is cry at the feet of ______________________________________________________________________________ Unpublished work ©2018 Julianne Brittain He Called My Name – Lazarus Page 3 of 8 Rev. Jan Brittain, Lent—March 4, 2018 Williamson’s Chapel United Methodist Church Jesus. If you had been here, Lord, he would not have died. Implied in that comment is so much more – But you were not here. You did not come to save him and now the battle’s over. We’ve lost. Satan has won. Now friends, I don’t have to tell you that there are lots of Christians in our world who are singing the same sad song. Things are so bad in our world. There is so much evil. There’s just nothing we can do anymore. Satan has won. Oh yes. Too many Christians – self-proclaimed Christians, that is, for there is no such thing as a defeated Christian – too many of us are like Mary, throwing our hands up in defeat, just crying at the feet of Jesus. Why is that? Well, I think the answer is found there in verse 37 when those all around ask the question: Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying? Now, consider this with me. Jesus has already gone to look for the grave. Jesus is ready for action, ready to go to battle. But – Mary and those around her are focused only on what Jesus has not yet done. In their despair, they are unable to focus on what God can yet do, will do and is doing even now. They remind me of that wonderful Old Testament story about Elisha and his servant. We used it a couple of months ago during Advent. It’s found in 2 Kings 6. Do you remember? The King of Syria has sent a great army, horses and chariots to Dothan to capture the prophet Elisha. Now Elisha’s servant is understandably frightened by the sight and he comes crying to the prophet. We are in trouble, really big trouble. Then Elisha responds with what every prayer warrior has the confidence to say when facing what the world thinks are impossible odds: Don’t worry. Those who are with us are greater than those who are with them. What in the world are you talking about? There’s absolutely no one with us – it’s only you and me. And then the text says, Elisha prayed. “Lord I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” The Lord did open the eyes of the young man, and he did see. And behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire. Don’t you see, friends? We all have the same problem. The frightened servant, the weeping Mary and far too many of us. We think of ourselves as already defeated. And listen to me now – the prayers of the defeated are prayers of fear and grief. The prayers of the victorious are prayers of hope and confidence. Those who are assured of the victory pray the promise, not the problem. What kind of prayers are you praying? The way we pray reveals a great deal about our attitude toward God. Is our God able to stand victorious against what any foe this world and Satan have to offer? Able to stand against the media, the political institutions and the materialistic sirens in our world? Or is our God already the loser with nothing to offer His people except consolation in defeat.