John 11:32-44
All Saints' Sunday / Year B
Happy All Saints’ Sunday. Given the readings, this liturgical date, and
the fact we have a baptism today, it might be just as appropriate for me to say
l’chaim, the Hebrew toast meaning “to
life”, because today is all about life… new life, the lives who have touched us
and the lives we touch, and the life we hope one day to receive.
Holy Baptism is a celebration of new life,
but perhaps not in the way you think. To
the uninitiated it may appear we are celebrating baby Holland’s birth. And to be sure, her birth is an occasion of
great joy. She has transformed two
people from a being a couple into parents.
She has created two sets of grandparents and numerous aunts and
uncles. It is a remarkable achievement
for one so young! There is no doubt her
life makes life new for many people. But
this cause for rejoicing is not what the Baptismal liturgy invites us to celebrate.
The early church practiced baptism by
immersion. A bishop or priest took you
out into a river or lake and pushed you under water three times (in the Name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit). This was no genteel dipping. The celebrant held the candidate underwater
(sometimes forcibly) to come as close to drowning the person as humanly
possible. This action reflected the
spiritual truth the old person dies in the waters of baptism and a new person in
Christ rises from it.
Years ago, while taking a youth group on a
canoeing trip, one young person said to me, “You could baptize me in this
river.” I responded, “Do you want me to
show you how they use to do it?” “Sure,”
he said, having no idea what he was in for.
He has never forgotten the experience or forgiven me!
Beyond a ritualistic drowning, the new life
we celebrate today is about a new direction for living. We turn from the old life of sin and embrace
the new life of grace. We turn from
evil, the corrupting influences of the world, and from our own flawed leanings
and put our trust in Jesus as our Savior, our Lord, and our Guide. Holland’s parents and sponsors commit
themselves to raise her on this path and we promise to do all in our power to
support them. Today is the beginning of
her new life and the renewal of ours.
Those whose lives have touched ours and
those whose lives we have touched. I was
at a meeting with Bishop Susan on Monday (All Saints’ Day) and on a zoom call
with her on Tuesday. At both occasions
she invited us to reflect on the people who have touched our lives and to share
the story of one of them. She talked
about going to church as a little girl with her grandmother. She recalled how her grandmother sang the
hymns and participated in the liturgy and interacted with other
parishioners. Bishop Susan said watching
her grandmother in church lit the religious fire within her. Who are the saints in your life who have lit
that fire in you?
And who are the people who have seen that
fire in you and been changed by it? This
may not be an easy question to answer because oftentimes we are not aware of
the impact we have on others. Still, if
you live your life in Christ authentically your life will make a
difference. At last Thursday’s funeral,
two of Tom Pruden’s twelve grandchildren read the lessons and shared heartfelt stories
of how their ‘Pops’ touched their lives.
As I listened to them I realized Tom didn’t do anything extraordinary,
but he lived in an extraordinary way.
His life was his gift to his grandchildren. Whose lives are you touching? Who might see you as being a saint?
The life we hope one day to receive. The story of Jesus’ interactions with Mary
and Martha around the events of Lazarus’ death is so true to the human
experience. The grief, the anger, the
pain, the confusion, and the emotion all ring true. And at the end of the story there is the
voice of Jesus – loud enough to be heard over the wailing of mourners and
strong enough to be heard in the tomb – “Lazarus, come out!” One day it is the voice each of us hopes to
hear as Jesus calls us by our name; calls us from death into the new life of
the Resurrection. It is the hope at the
heart of our faith.
So this morning let us celebrate life in
all its fulness. L’chaim!
