Sunday 25th March - 5th Sunday in Lent

Passion Sunday

The fifth Sunday in Lent is also known as Passion Sunday. From now until Good Friday the Cross becomes central in the church's teaching as we move closer to Easter Day.

Today's, collect reminds us of our Lord's sacrifice on the cross, through which we have been granted access to God, and eternal reconciliation as a result.

The Temple and all that was performed within it in relation to animal sacrifices, was but a pointer, a signpost, to the sinless offering of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. His blood, shed for humankind, has made void the need for any further sacrifice. And yet we know that each one of us is called upon to make ‘sacrifices’ in our own lives as we seek to follow the ways of our Jesus. The Bethany of today is known locally by its Arabic name of El-Azariya – which is taken from the Arabic ‘El-Azar’ meaning ‘the place of Lazarus’. Lying on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, on the West Bank of the Jordan River, it is situated some two miles from Jerusalem itself.

In 1953 the Franciscans built a new church dedicated to Lazarus in the form of a mausoleum on a Greek-Cross plan surmounted by a dome.

In the interior are inscriptions in Latin, giving the text of the words spoken by Jesus in Bethany. On the wall behind the altar the words – ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’ And in the dome, the continuation of the text – ‘He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.’ ( John 11.25 )

Bethany as we know was the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus and it was here in Bethany, that Jesus was first received into their home. We can recall perhaps Jesus replying to Martha, who was busy preparing the meal, who complained about her sister’s lack of help – ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’ The second recorded visit of Jesus to Bethany was to raise Lazarus from the dead - the sixth of the seven signs of ‘Glory’ recorded in John’s Gospel. And it was on his third recorded visit to Bethany, as we have heard in today’s Gospel, that Jesus, while sharing a meal with the two sisters and brother, had his feet anointed by Mary, with costly perfume. Leading to Judas complaining that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Being so close to Jerusalem, the ‘Son of Man’ who had nowhere to lay his head, may well have found the home of Lazarus and his two sisters, an open house, for his use whenever he was in the area. It was perhaps for him, a peaceful oasis, where he could gain a little rest and refreshment from the rigours of his ministry.

Lent, God’s ‘Spring-time’ as it has been called, is a time of waiting and reflecting. A time for looking ahead and reflecting by us, as Christians, on what ‘resurrection’ means, for each one of us.

The raising of Lazarus, prefaced Jesus own resurrection on Easter Day, and it was also a sign as well as evidence for the disciples and our-selves, that Jesus himself is the Resurrection and the life. Both Mary and Martha, when Jesus finally arrives in Bethany following Lazarus’ death, expressed their faith in Jesus ability to heal their brother, but only Martha seems to allude to his resurrection power, by saying – ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ Sadly for many people who do not profess the Christian faith today, tragedy only reinforces their continuing disbelief in God. It is important for Christians who have come through such tragedies to share that experience with others

For us, as one religious commentator, John Fenton, has said in describing John’s Gospel – ‘There is always more to faith than we have found out yet. We may have crossed the boundary from unbelief to faith, but we have not fully explored the new country.’

For although Martha and Mary, believe in the resurrection at the end of their earthly life, what Jesus is offering is resurrection, new life, now, today.

For he Jesus, is resurrection. And all who associate themselves with him can enjoy this ‘new life’ now.

An American army chaplain in the Second World War, Robert McAfee, was returning on a troop ship from Japan to America with 1500 marines preparing for discharge. To his surprise a group of marines asked him to lead a bible study with them. Near the end of the voyage they studied the story of Lazarus’ resurrection and afterwards one of the marines said that – ‘everything in that passage is pointing to me.’ He went on to explain something of the hell that had been his life over recent months.

Having gone straight from college into the marines he had got himself into trouble – bad trouble. Only God knew about it. He felt guilty, that his life was ruined and that he could never face his family again.

He felt that he had in effect, killed himself and was to all intents and purposes, a dead man. After reading the chapter on Lazarus’ resurrection, he had come alive again. ‘I know that this resurrection Jesus was talking about is real here and now’ he said ‘for he has raised me from death to life.’ Such is the power of the Gospel to change lives and to give hope, where there is none.

The church today needs to make itself, heard.

Isn’t it a condemnation of our-selves that the nations who advocate holding to the biblical teaching, are now those to whom we exported the Gospel, and who are now holding us and other Western Nations, to account? It is as though the church, like Lazarus, needs to be ‘called out’ if not called to account, as I believe it will surely be, for its failure to uphold the Gospel teaching. It is as if the church itself like Lazarus is ‘bound up’. It needs like Lazarus to be unbound and let go. To have new life breathed into it and like the dead bones of Ezekiel, brought back to life. In short, the church needs to set its mind on the Spirit of God to give it new life, and power. The church, which does not have the Spirit of God, is dead. The church, which has the Spirit of God, is alive and so will be enabled to give life to others. That surely should be our hope, here at St. Andrew’s this coming Easter, to be a church where those seeking God will be enabled to find him and to experience ‘resurrection’, now.

A school caretaker, Mr. Davies was preparing for his retirement at the end of the summer term. His own children had grown up and with their families had emigrated to Australia, and they were now encouraging Mr. Davies, and his wife, to join them.

At the end of the Summer Term, a farewell party was held for Mr. Davies at which a chiming clock was presented to him and his wife. In his response, Mr. Davies said that he wanted to leave the school a gift, but unfortunately, he said, they would not be able to see his gift until the following Lent.

‘If you have patience to wait that long, then one day you will see my present arrive outside of the school.’

The children and staff were all, mystified by this.

They new that Lent usually began in March and eight months seemed a long time to wait. A few weeks before he left the school, a lorry delivered three sacks full of what looked like onions. When the children and staff had left the school, Mr. Davies could be seen clearing up the lawn in front of the school. He always had a sack by his side. Mr. Davies left the school, and a new caretaker took over and the children forgot all about Mr. Davies and his promise. - Autumn and Winter passed. And then one sunny day in Spring the Headteacher announced that Mr. Davies gift had arrived. ‘It is on the front lawn’ he told them.

When everyone came out onto the lawn, they were amazed to see the lawn completely covered with beautiful yellow daffodils.

The Headteacher told the children, that each year those daffodils would come up, reminding them not only of Mr. Davies but that Lent is both a time of hope, and also a time of seeing God’s recreating power in action.

This Spring, both here in Cobham, Between Streets, and on the corner of Stoke Road and Blundel Lane, we too, have seen once again, the signs of ‘Hope’ in the swathes of daffodils planted some years ago for the Marie Curie Cancer Fund. A visible sign of the hope of many, who believe that one, day the tragedy of cancer can be overcome. The church too, must continue to plant in the minds of our nation the seeds of the Gospel, seeds of hope. And surely, with patience and the power of the Spirit of God, just as those dead bulbs planted in the ground in Autumn had within them, the power to bring forth new life, so new life will come forth from those whose lives, seem to be in darkness today. Yes, even as Lazarus, was brought forth out of the darkness of his tomb, to new life, and resurrection, now.

We have all been bought at a price, which can find no equal. We are the priceless possessions of a loving creator God. So let us all like Paul – ‘Forgetting what lies behind - press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Jesus Christ.’

© Revd Peter Vickers April 2007

Posted: 30/03/2007