When Mary and Martha come and plead Jesus to raise their brother Lazarus, I pledge to you: I will not imagine Jesus responding to either Mary, Martha or that ridiculous crowd with "I want to tell you my secret now." (cue in music)
Mary, Martha, and the Crowd: Okay
Jesus: (desperately) I raise dead people.
I say I won't but the truth is I'm lying. When Jesus says he's the resurrection and the life, he's essentially saying, "I raise dead people." This may be putting the cart before the Longhorn here, so I apologize if I repeat myself Sunday night.
Methinks, though, that many of you could use a vivifying word right about now. Having gauged your responses to my queries to do this or that, my check in's, and what I hear the people saying, how I see them walking on campus (much like zombies, yes)...Upon taking all this in, METHINKS all y'all are feeling a bit bound, held captive, mewed in by the charnel house otherwise known as...the LIBRARY (or Lab...as the case may be).
And how tortuous this must be. Spring semesters or a horrid time to be buried under a ton of work, projects, and papers. Everything has come alive! Everything beyond your tomb of tomes is frolicky, fancy free!
The dead ones pushing up pollinating daisies are fortunate to be dead; rather than having any cognition of the verdant, amorous, and alive creation happening just six feet above them.
But you - you are just buried under a pile of work. And here's what I have to say to that....No. Wait...
Here's what Jesus has to say to that: "I am the resurrection and the life."
Jesus addresses YOU who are stinky because you have gone four days without a shower.
Jesus addresses YOU who feel like you're the walking dead because you thought taking 21 hours was a smart thing.
Jesus addressed YOU who are bound by strips of cloth known as projects, self-importance, achievement, procrastination, (insert whatever is holding you back from really living).
Jesus addresses you and says, "(Insert your name here) come out." It's not optional. (Well it is, but hang with me here) And you come out from under your work, your whatever, and the community helps clear away those cloths, loves you, washes you, and eats with you.
We believe in the resurrection of the dead. We confess it whenever we say our creeds. But the resurrection of the dead is not just a far off Truth. It's a now Truth.
Brother. Sister. Be vivified. Be raised. Come out to do life together among the living. Do so, even if it means you're only able to do it for an hour on Sundays. You'll be glad you did. (We worship @ 7PM on Sundays @ Texas Hillel - 2nd Floor)
Grace and peace to YOU!
pb
