Greetings on the fifth Sunday in Lent, the next to last Sunday in Lent as next Sunday we begin our Holy Week journey.
Our invitation to worship acknowledges that we cannot stay focused on being God’s servant without God’s presence in our lives and our focus on the joys that only come from God. Our first lesson from Ezekiel is the story of the valley of the dry bones and Ezekiel’s response to God’s direction, even when that direction seems impossible. The psalmist offers a reminder that God is always listening for our call and that our responsibility in our relationship with God is to listen for a response. The reading from the letter to the Romans encourages us to release the hold of the world on our lives and to share the hope found in Jesus. The reading from John’s gospel tells the story of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha and Lazarus’ resurrection at Jesus’ command – the faith of community without certainty or complete understanding.
While the simple, common theme of today appears to be the interplay between death and life and our human struggle in the face of mortality, we see there is something more in today’s lessons. God asks the people in scripture to respond in faith, often with a simple understanding of how things work. Like Ezekiel, who must have wanted to reply to God, “if anyone might know [if the bones can live], you must.” or the unasked question of why Jesus really delayed going to Bethany, we are called to respond to God – in ways we may not fully understand. The tension we feel in living our life should lead us to trust God’s providence, because we know we can’t do it on our own.
In what ways are you living a life of trust in God? Who needs to hear the hope-filled message that uncertainty is okay, as long as that isn’t the place we stop? I invite your likes and comments,
Les+
Lessons: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45
Sermon link: https://audiomack.com/fatherles-2/song/lent-5-sermon-2
