Life from Death
Dying is a journey, death and event but for us life is the eternal end.
The readings this Sunday have a theme of an abundance of life despite facing death. A new life, a new thing is happening. God is not passive and he is calling us as humans to be active making our way through the darkest of times to the life and light of God's glory.
Our Psalmist of Psalm 130 is desperate and faithful in their call to God. A call from what seems like a very dark place yet the speaker does not believe in an end that isn't within the goodness of God. It is an unrealistic notion yet one we see in the past. These are the reasons books of how to die well in the periods of plague ended up more teaching how to live well. Although death is an event, dying is a journey we all face. As Christians we are shown that death as an event is not the final trumpet call it may have once seemed.
Paul's request in Romans 8.6-11 is to expand our views beyond our bodily needs. This is not gnosticism saying that flesh is evil but rather asking the reader to view a more complete vision of humanity. Any thought that flesh is evil is removed by verse 11,
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.
To give life to our mortal bodies despite a nature that is inherently sinful; but if Paul wished to say a gnostic principle would he not have rejected any connection to mortality and a new gift of life to the body? When we look to God for our breath we find a much greater light.
John 11.1-45, is the resurrection of Lazarus. We see Jesus' passion for humanity stand out in his weeping and upset nature. We see a distinct love of God for the human nature even a flesh that is sinful. Even though Jesus was going to resurrect Lazarus; he was greatly upset and showed it in front of crowds of people. God grieves with us in this life, knowing that great hurt and pain we all face despite the great promise.
The great promised is visualised in Ezekiel 37.1-14; the great prophecy of the valley of bones. That despite the destruction of the fleshy human parts, it is regifted to the human. A holistic expression of life where we need to uphold our whole selves as a temple of God. Although, we will fall and crumble, turning to dust, that isn't our end; it is a journey to the event of death... a death which has already been defeated by our Saviour.
