Power in Death

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 2/5/17

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^NRS  John 3:1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ² He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." ³ Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" ⁵ Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶ What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' ⁸ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." ⁹ Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶ "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

I could take this scripture so many different ways. It is the scripture that defines for us our understanding of baptism and salvation. It is the scripture that tells us the story of Jesus and the prophetic message He gave the Disciples about His crucifixion. But what I want to do is focus on the last verse, that famous verse, John 3:16. Jesus reminds us that He came because of the love of God to save the world and offer us eternal life. It requires us to believe and to welcome in the breath of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is what the first part of our scripture today is all about. But what Jesus is really focusing on is death itself and the power that death has. Of course we are talking primarily about His death on the cross and then the resurrection. But we are also talking about our death and eternal life.

A grandfather found his grandson, jumping up and down in his playpen, crying at the top of his voice. When Johnnie saw his grandfather, he reached up his little chubby hands and said, “Out, Gramp, Out.” It was only natural for Grandfather to reach down to lift the little fellow out of his predicament; but as he did, the mother of the child stepped up and said, “No, Johnnie, you are being punished, so you must stay in.” The grandfather was at a loss to know what to do. The child’s tears and chubby hands reached deep into his heart, but the mother’s firmness in correcting her son for misbehavior must not be lightly taken. Here was a problem of love versus law, but love found a way. The grandfather could not take the youngster out of the playpen, so he crawled in with him. God did not spare Paul and Silas the suffering and imprisonment, but He did come down into the prison with them. God did not keep the three Hebrew children out of the fiery furnace, but He went into the furnace with them. God will not always deliver us from trouble and heartache, but He has promised grace for every situation of life.—By Fred W. Parsons, These Times, March 1969.

I want to share another story with you that comes from James W. Moore in his study, God was Here and I was out to lunch. A young boy named Paul became intrigued with the phone and found that there was a person on the other end whose name was information please. He soon discovered that she had a lovely voice and he would call her often, asking her questions about things and she would respond back to him in a loving way. She told him how to spell the word fix and how to feed a chipmunk. When his canary died she told him that there are always other worlds to sing in. One day he hurt his finger and he called her and she suggested he put some ice on it. Shortly after that he and his family moved away and he missed her voice and her advice. Years later he was back in the area and he called information. Her beautiful voice answered and he asked her if she could spell the word “fix”. She responded, well your finger must be well by now. They talked for a while and he shared how much her phone calls had meant to him. She responded that she never had had children and she loved his calls. She told him her name was Sally and he could call her when he was in the area. Several months later he was again in the area and he called but a different voice answered the phone. He asked if Sally was there and the man on the end of the phone asked if he was a friend. He said he was. The man told him that Sally had been ill and had passed. He then asked if this was Paul. Paul said yes. He then told Paul that Sally had left him a message, "that he was to remember that there are other worlds to sing in."

I often sit with those who are ill and dying and we can have great discussions about what is next. I remember a man who was struggling with death and as he approached it he became agitated and afraid. We talked often about those who had gone on before and how we believe that love is the final answer and in that love we have the opportunity to see those who had gone on before. That seemed to calm him. We talked about Jesus and God’s promise to the faithful. I remember that began a series of phone call like conversations that I was present to witness between him and his mother who had passed long ago. They were one sided like if you are in the room when someone is on the phone and you are only hearing one side of the conversation. After the conversations he was visibly calmer and as time went on he became ready if you will for the time of passing. When he did pass it was peaceful.

We cannot change that death is coming for all of us. As we approach the season of Lent we recognize that death is inevitable. But we also have faith and hope that there is something more, something greater and something that transcends even death. We are the people of faith in a God who has not only answered that question but has described what it will be like, a place of many mansions and a place where He will come and take us there. Death is not to be feared by revered and respected. My travels have taken me to places where death and even suicide were issues and challenges that needed to be addressed. Suicide is the absence of hope and yet even then I believe that God, the God of love and grace, understands that and has a place for those folks to find peace and joy. Death is a simply a transition from one place to another, from one existence to another and from physical to spiritual. Paul tells us that we will be in a place where in life we could only see dimly as if looking in a mirror.

I talked with a Doctor at a hospital once who shared many stories with me of those who were in the transition of death. Some he said spoke the names of those they loved, some shared a smile, and some simply closed their eyes and passed. But he also said some cried out in agony as if the place they looked into was a place to avoid. I remember a dear friend who had told me that she was ready. Later that day I was called to her house where she had passed moments before. There she lay on the bed with her arms outstretched as if reaching for someone and the brightest smile on her face as she lay there on her bed.

There are books that can be read about what death is like. If we can believe them, it is a place of serenity and peace, a place where the colors are more magnificent than we can ever imagine. It is a place where we get to see those who have gone on before us including in some accounts, our animal friends throughout life. Many years ago I had an industrial accident that left me unconscious for a period of time and robbed me of my short term memory for well into the next year. I don’t have recollection of being in a different place or what those moments were like. But I do remember having this deep sense of peace with the world and with life following it. I think as I look back on it that it caused me to search for answers, sometimes in the wrong places and sometimes in the right. I believe that we are searching for love because of that place where death hangs in the balance and true love is on the other side.

  

Jesus came into the world not to condemn the world but to save it. But in order to save it He must sacrifice everything He had. I believe that deep down there is a message that I will continue to share next week in that sacrifice. I believe that there is power when death no longer has the power to frighten you. I believe that there is power in death when the love of life offers answers about what comes next. What Jesus taught us on the cross was that death is inevitable as a condition of life itself. But death cannot hold us when we have the power of death overcome by the power of love. You see what this scripture reminds us is that Jesus went to the cross not to die, but to bring eternal life to those who believe in that power of the cross.

I heard a story once about a dog and his master. There was an old country doctor who would take his dog along with him when visiting patients. The dog would remain outside while the doctor went in for the house call. On one occasion, the physician went to the home of a man with a terminal disease who didn’t seem to have much time to live. The man confessed to the doctor his fears about death and said, “What’s it like when you die?” The doctor thought for a moment, then got up and opened the front door. His loyal canine friend, who had been waiting patiently on the porch, gleefully bounded in to join his master. The doctor turned to the dying man and said, “Do you see this dog? He didn’t have any idea what was on this side of that door. All he knew was that his master was there, and he wanted to be with him.” “That’s how I feel about death,” the physician continued. “I don’t really know all the what’s and how about dying. I’m not totally sure what’s on the other side of that door. But I know who is there, and that’s enough for me. I’m looking forward to being with my Master.”