Lent 5A: Sunday, April 6, 2013
Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-4; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11; John 11: 1-45
Ezekiel paints a picture of the restoration of life. The promise of life revived through God’s
word, through God’s life-giving breath. And today we hear God calling upon humanity to
take part in this resuscitation of life: “Prophesy Mortal…..breathe upon these slain that they
may live.”
John also paints a picture of the restoration of life…Lazarus’s life. This isn’t the life of the
Resurrection; Lazarus isn’t resurrected into eternal life, but he is restored to this worldly
life. The resurrection life still awaits him. But, in this beautiful love story in John’s Gospel
I find the most interesting detail at the very end of today’s passage: “The dead man came
out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said
to them, ‘Unbind him and let him go.’”
Lazarus comes out of the tomb---still bound by the death shroud---and Jesus says to them,
the people witnessing Jesus’ work: Unbind him and let him go.
While I believe Lazarus to be a real person who lived thousands of years ago, much like
last week’s Blind Man, I also believe that Lazarus represents more than one person--Lazarus represents humanity.
We are a people bound by our sins and disobedience. Humanity is constrained and tied up
by many death shrouds---all our ways of refusing to live in God’s light and love. The
world’s injustices act as binding death shrouds: greed, pollution, warfare, poverty,
prejudice, hatred, genocide…..the list goes on and on. And I could preach a rousing sermon
about unbinding humanity by attending to all these issues of social justice. But, last week
the readings urged us to let the light of Christ shine into our dark, shadowy places--- So,
let’s focus in a little closer to home…..
Death-shrouds that keep us from God’s abundant life can be much smaller things than
poverty or greed. The weave of these binding cloths are often spun from our words; the
letters that trip across our tongues, the idle conversations that turn into gossip and
assumptions. I am willing to bet that more communities have been destroyed by gossip
and assumptions than by hunger or greed. Gossip and assumptions are binding deathshrouds to any community.
What are assumptions, exactly? Author Miguel Ruiz puts it this way:
“If others tell us something we make assumptions, and if they don't tell us something we
make assumptions to fulfill our need to know and to replace the need to communicate.
Even if we hear something and we don't understand we make assumptions about what it
means and then believe the assumptions. We make all sorts of assumptions because we
don't have the courage to ask questions.”
Assumptions, then, are the conclusions that we draw when we don’t ask questions---when
we do not have the truth---but we fill in the truth with what we assume.
Making assumptions is part of our human nature. It comes so naturally to us; we usually
don’t even recognize we are doing it. So, if it’s natural, and it’s what everyone
does….what’s the big deal?
Cindy is quiet at work all week. She is not her usual self. She doesn’t attend the monthly
gathering at the local restaurant that she so typically enjoys. People do not see her, or her
husband Mark, around town as they so often do. Linda and Sue share a cup of coffee in the
workroom and talk about Cindy. “I wonder if Cindy and Mark are okay? I haven’t seen
them around. Cindy’s been so quiet, and she didn’t even come to El Azteca last night. Do
you think something’s wrong between Cindy and Mark? I mean, I know they disagreed
about selling their house….Gosh, I hope they aren’t splitting up.” “Yes, I know. She really
seems depressed. Let’s ask Mary if she knows….” The two women skitter over to Mary’s
desk where the assumptions and gossip continue to grow. By the end of the week, the
word on the street is that Cindy and Mark are getting divorced.
Unfortunately, this isn’t far-fetched. It happens in offices every day. It happens in
neighborhoods. It happens in circles of friends. It happens in churches.
Assumptions, my friends, are gossip. When we share assumptions or discuss assumptions
with others---even under the guise of care/concern/just trying to figure it out---we are
gossiping. We are talking about people and their lives without their knowledge---and
without the facts! Assumptions spread like wildfire; people hear them as truth, as facts.
We know this, and yet we still do it.
Because the alternative to discussing assumptions is to ask. To go to the source and ask
the questions. For example, if Linda and Sue had gone to Cindy with their concerns and
asked if she was okay or if they could help in any way, they may have found out that Cindy
had recently learned her brother has liver cancer. That Mark is taking on a few extra jobs
right now so they can collect the money needed to fly out to see Cindy’s brother. That
Cindy’s mother is calling Cindy every night to talk about Frank, her brother, and that
Cindy’s well has run completely dry. Her world has narrowed down to Frank’s illness and
how her family will handle it.
But Linda and Sue didn’t ask. Maybe because they weren’t sure they would know how to
handle the answer. Maybe because they just didn’t take the time. Maybe because Cindy
isn’t really their close friend….really more of a co-worker….so……
Assumptions ruin relationships. Assumptions can destroy communities. Assumptions are
the binding strips of cloth in a death-shroud that keep people in the tomb instead of
restoring them to life.
Cindy needed someone to ask the questions. Cindy needed the opportunity to take in a
breath of fresh air that comes from the offer of help, the shoulder of support, the hand of
friendship. But instead, she now has to deal (or suffer) with the lies that came from gossip
and assumptions.
Assumptions do not always begin in conversation either. And we don’t have to look far for
an example of this. Any committed relationship has a myriad of examples. All too often I
make assumptions about why Murray does something (or doesn’t do something) and I
assume Murray’s intentions surrounding his words. And sometimes I let my assumption,
although not the Truth, I let it live as my truth. I become hurt or angry…or both. And poor
Murray. He has no idea. He doesn’t know I have assumed his intention or his emotional
status. Because I didn’t ask to clarify what happened or what was said…. I assumed and
then allowed the assumption to become the foundation of my next action or reaction.
We’ve all done this. Someone doesn’t call back, so we assume they are mad. Someone
didn’t wave hello, so we must have done something wrong. And we’ll talk about it, oh yes,
we will talk about the other person’s anger or cold-shoulder….but not with the person.
We talk to everyone else about it….never asking the other person the question about
what’s going on. Relationships have ended on much less. Communities can be upended by
these behaviors.
For example, if we notice someone has missed church for a couple of weeks, do we call and
ask if they are okay? Or do we go into coffee hour and talk to someone else about their
absence…assuming the missing person is unhappy with the community somehow or
something’s gone horribly wrong. And, you know how it goes, this coffee hour
conversation founded on assumptions grows and spins and becomes Truth.
What should be done if you begin to say….”I wonder what has happened to …..”? Call the
person! Contact them. Reaching out in hospitality and care is ALWAYS the right response.
I know sometimes we worry that it may be “personal” and we don’t want to infringe on
their privacy. Folks, I have to tell you, we live in a community. An absence isn’t personal--it’s communal. When you are not here, it affects others. Now, we might be missing for a
very good reason---a vacation, for example. So, if you call and they say: We’ve been on
vacation, we can say: Great! Where did you go? Tell me about it......this is how
relationships and communities are built and strengthened.
Or maybe a person is absent due to illness or being overwhelmed. So when we ask, we
hear: “Well, actually, I’ve been having a tough time and just needed some space.” This
provides us the chance to say: “I am sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?”
Because our reaching out isn’t an annoyance or a personal infringement. Our reaching out
is saying: You belong in our community; we are connected, and I care. I care about you.
That, my friends, is never wrong. Even if by some weird chance it isn’t received in that
way…..it is never wrong.
And I understand that sometimes we don’t ask the questions because we are afraid we
won’t know how to handle the answers or we are afraid we are going to hear bad news,
but that doesn’t get us off the hook of asking the questions that need to be asked. If
individuals, relationships and communities are going to be unbound from the assumptions
that tie them up, we must begin with the Truth in order to be restored to full life and joy.
As bold Christians, we must take the risk of asking the questions. It’s hard work. Work
that begins in prayer. Because, as Jesus followers, we know the Holy Spirit is our Advocate
and Guide, and we can count on God to provide what we need---words or strength or
comfort or courage---to do this life-restoring work of building and maintaining
relationships and communities.
Frankly, sometimes it’s easier to work on the big-world problems of hunger, poverty,
prejudice and injustice. With these problems, a way to help is usually staring me in the
face: feed the hungry, give money to the poor, invite the outcast in, work toward changing
an unjust law----I can usually find some acceptable way to do something positive.
This work of building and maintaining personal relationships is much harder; it’s trickier
and messier. It has landmines all over the terrain. It means each one of us will have to
change our own behaviors and our thinking. It means that we have to allow God’s breath
to blow in us and cleanse us through and through so that we are able to unbind the death
shrouds of others and restore them to life.
Jesus is standing at the mouth of the tomb and calling us each by name. Calling us out of
the tomb, and calling us to unbind one another that we might all be restored to life.
Restored to the life God has planned for us here and now---loving one another with
compassion and mercy. Loving one another, by living in the Truth instead of the murky
and dangerous mists of assumptions.
As we stand on the cusp of Easter, let us anticipate the Resurrection by being agents of
restoration. Let us go about the business of unbinding the death shrouds of all who come
our way. God asks us: Mortals, can these bones live?
May our lives---our words, our choices, our actions---answer with a resounding YES!