Call to worship:
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)
Come people of the risen King
Prayer of approach
O Lord, expand our field of vision, deepen our wells of compassion; so that we will be channels of your grace and in all of life, bring praise and glory to you. Amen
Prayer of adoration
Blessed be God who creations out of nothing, who shapes beauty out of chaos, breathes life into dust, delights in designing difference and embodies in each human the image of our maker. Blessed be God for ever.
Blessed be God who gives each person a purpose: calling the young for their energy and the old for their wisdom; refusing to discriminate in terms of race, colour; intellect or giftedness; affirming forgotten worth, identifying hidden potential, redeeming deep regrets. Blessed be God for ever.
Blessed be God who forsakes heaven to live on earth, who, in Jesus, is truly flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone, vulnerable to pain, rumour and conflict, open to question, committed to heal, sentenced to death, destined for resurrection, vindicating the power and the love of God ever holy, ever one. Blessed be God for ever.
Blessed be the Maker, the Son and the Spirit in our lives and in our worship. Amen
It might seem a little strange to be thinking of resurrection on Passion Sunday, nevertheless this is where the lectionary readings are set for today. (Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 130, Romans 8:6-11 & John 11:1-45.) It is to the Gospel reading that we turn now, and since it is quite lengthy, grab your favourite translation and a cup of coffee and settle down to read.
If there are children at home with you, they may prefer this version:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dca8SSxXCmM&feature=youtu.be
hope and consolation
Without the usual round of meetings to attend, I treated myself to Hilary Mantel’s Tudor trilogy, which begins with Wolf Hall, and Thomas Cromwells suffering the loss of family, ro what is described as the ‘sweating sickness. I’m not too sure what this was, but life in those days was harsh with plague and other incurable diseases regularly decimating populations; taken together with political uncertainty and life became very precarious indeed.
Some members of our congregations, having experienced the privations of WWII, have found it extremely difficult to accept the services of worship are suspended. After all, they are the generation who learned to ‘keep calm and carry on’. That was not without casualty, of course, as my good friends in Falmouth Methodist Church would tell you. For although the building looks to be of some age, most of the interior of the building was reconstructed in the 1950s, following a wartime bombing raid which caused fatalities and injury to those who had gathered.
So the readings this morning continue to offer a good deal of hope and consolation in strange and unnerving times. Oddly, the Psalm and the Gospel are to be found in the Methodist Worship Book, in the funeral service.
There are seven signs in John’s gospel (which you can explore further here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Signs), and each of the signs reveals something about Jesus which will help us on our faith journey. This is the final sign, so the key question should be: what does the writer want us to know? Two things come to the forefront at present: Jesus holds power over death and Jesus offers a new quality of life.
When Jesus heard the news about Lazarus’s demise, he stayed away – which seems a very strange thing to do because there is an observable, close link with this family. And by the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Quite rightly then, when Jesus asked for the stone to be rolled away, Martha cried out in protest, ‘Lord, there will be a horrible stench!’
The conversation between Jesus and Martha is revealing, because it is a step by step unfolding of those things that Martha needed to hear and understand. When ministers take funeral services, the familiar words of this gospel reading are read at the door:
“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (11:25f)
But as you look at the reading this morning, have you noticed what comes next?
Do you believe this?
This is ‘up close and personal’ for Martha, she can’t escape the directness of this question. And we cannot escape the question either, because what we believe and how we believe it will affect and shape the road we take on life’s journey.
So although these words belong to our funeral service, strangely they also take us straight to the heart of the baptismal service. This is a jewel in the Methodist Worship Book, with the powerful word of grace spoken to each baptised person by name:
for you Jesus Christ came into the world; for you he lived and showed God’s love; for you he suffered death on the Cross; for you he triumphed over death, rising to newness of life; for you he prays at God’s right hand, all this for you, before you could know anything of it. In your baptism, the word of Scripture is fulfilled: ‘We love, because God first loved us.’
Do you believe this?
Is a question that takes Martha into a new relationship of life, just as the baptismal service marks a new beginning in life. It is a challenge given to all who seek Christ, to consider what is important in life, and what is important to life.
Martha then is about to move on in her faith, from believing that there would be a future resurrection, to the thought that Jesus is the source of this new quality of life. It is a gift from Christ himself. This offers comfort and hope, but also affirms our faith by pointing us beyond ourselves, and our hopes and dreams, and lifts us up to Christ.
I suspect that the home in Bethany was a fairly close family, since Martha’s thoughts turn immediately to her sister Mary, at home. As far as we can be aware, she does not disclose the theme of the conversation she has just shared, but simply tells Mary that Jesus is asking to see her. In this respect, Martha is a superb evangelist, she does not begin with lengthy theological debate – just gives her sister a message from Jesus.
However, there is deep theology here which becomes critically important as we journey with Jesus to Jerusalem, to the Garden of Gethsemane and onto Golgotha once more.
Use this hymn as a time of reflection and prayer for yourself, asking for God’s mercy and grace, before continuing in prayer.
StF 421 Empty broke here I stand
Lord God, we give thanks for the gifts of creation and of re-creation, that constant renewal which is possible through the Holy Spirit.
We praise you for all those who have encouraged and inspired us, challenged and put us to the test, giving thanks especially for those who have gone before, and those we are unable to meet at this time.
We rejoice in the life which is ours in Christ, and we pray
When the world around seems as desolate as a valley full of dry bones, we pray for your Spirit to breathe new life into your Church, so that even though we do not meet, we come together in Christ’s name. Put your Spirit within us, so that we may live.
We remember all who lead the nations of the world, that guided by your word, transformative justice may flow to all. Put your Spirit within them, so that we may live.
We remember especially all who are without home or food; all whose hope is lost, or who find life too difficult and confusing. Put your Spirit within us, so that they may live.
We pray for all who face the end of life, that it may come as ‘most kind and gentle death’; for those who have died in the faith of Christ; and for all who mourn. Put your Spirit within us, so that all may live. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
StF 334 Praise to the Holiest in the height
Blessing
May you find in Christ crucified, a strength in times of darkness, a support in times of weakness, and the assurance that life is eternal; and the almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless you and keep you safe in God’s love. Amen
Hymns – mostly Singing the Faith
Prayer of adoration – A Wee Worship Book (Fifth Incarnation)Wild Goose Resource Group. (Glasgow: Wild Goose Publications, 2015)
Words from the baptismal service of the Methodist Worship Book
Worship at home 