The Next Storm - August 29, 2021
John 11:17-44
Deborah Laforet
The Next Storm
Let us pray. May the words from my lips and the meditations of my heart be guided by the Spirit and be words of wisdom for this today. Amen.
In the second book and second movie of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Harry, while in Professor Dumbledore’s office for the first time, meets Fawkes, a big red and yellow bird. Unfortunately, he happens to meet Fawkes just before Fawkes goes up in flames and becomes a pile of ashes. Harry had been alone and upon Professor Dumbledore’s entrance tries to explain what happened. Dumbledores tells Harry not to worry, that Fawkes is a Phoenix and is immortal and that he’d been looking dreadful for days. They watch together as a baby Fawkes rises from its own ashes.
Of course, Harry Potter is a fantasy story, with lots of mythical characters, including the phoenix, which has been in stories for thousands of years, but where might this story have come from, this story of a bird that rises from its own ashes, a creature that dies and is born again, a bird that looks “dreadful for days,” but then emerges again, new and fresh, into a bright new world, starting over again. Could this mythological bird symbolize something more?
Today, I want to talk about resilience. We have been living in a global pandemic for a year and a half now. Our church community has not gathered in almost eighteen months. Many of us are tired, lonely, anxious, depressed, angry, and scared. People have been sick, people have died, people have lost loved ones, people have lost jobs and income, people have been isolated. It has been a difficult year and half. And yet…
And yet, there is hope. People get new jobs. go back to school, make new friends, and learn new ways of gathering. People go on. They lift their heads and walk into tomorrow. Somehow, people rise up from the ashes and walk out into the sunlight. Somehow they find joy again. They laugh. They give thanks. They appreciate life and all it has to offer. This is resilience.
This summer, Carolyn and I have been preaching on songs that matter, songs that people have requested on which we preach. The song today will be new to most; it was new to me. It’s by Frank Turner, an English punk and folk singer-songwriter, who wrote a song called, “The Next Storm.” Listen to the first few phrases of the song and see if you can relate.
We had a difficult winter; we had a rough few months,
and when the storms came in off the coast, it felt like they broke everything on us at once.
It's easy enough to talk about Blitz spirit when you're not holding the roof up and knee deep in it,
and the pictures and the papers got ruined by the rain, and we wondered if they'd ever get dry again.
We all have experienced these times. But then hear the chorus:
I don't want spend the whole of my life indoors,
laying low, waiting on the next storm.
I don't want to spend the whole of my life inside;
I wanna step out, and face the sunshine.
This is resilience. Resilience is taking that small bit of hope left, that little spurt of energy, that last ounce of strength, and moving forward, because you know that sunshine comes after the rain. Resilience is knowing there will be another storm, but appreciating the clear skies until it comes.
Today, Judy read the story of Lazarus from the gospel of John. Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, are friends of Jesus. In this story, we hear Mary’s and Martha’s grief because their brother has died. We hear anger from them that Jesus had not arrived on time to help. We hear resignation that Jesus has arrived and will grieve with them. We even hear Jesus grieve over the loss of his friend and the heartache shared with him by Mary and Martha. This is an emotional story, one that loses its power for those of use who have heard it many times over the years. Mary and Martha have had to watch their brother die. They had sent messengers to Jesus but he didn’t show up on time. In fact, he arrived four days after Lazarus’ death, after Mary and Martha had prepared their brother’s body for burial and then had it entombed.
We lost faith in the omens.
We lost faith in the Gods.
We just ended up clutching at the empty rituals,
like gamblers clutching long odds.
And then Jesus says, “Take away the stone.” Now Mary and Martha know that Jesus is sad and wants to see Lazarus, but they also know that their brother has been dead for four days and it is not a good idea to open the tomb, but Jesus insists. The tomb is opened, Jesus prays and then shouts, “Lazarus, come out!” And like that mythical phoenix, Lazarus comes out and lives again. His hands and feet are bound and his face is wrapped in a cloth. Jesus says, “Unbind him and let him go,” as if Lazarus had only been restricted because of these bindings.
This man has been dead four days. He was wrapped in cloths and put into a dark tomb, and yet, he lives again.
Well, I can only imagine the party. Mary and Martha have gained back their brother. Praise Jesus! Jesus has brought him back to them. Lazarus lives.
So open the shutters, raise up the mast.
Rejoice, rebuild, the storm has passed!
Cast off the crutches, cut off the cast.
Rejoice, rebuild, the storm has passed!
Rejoice, rebuild, the storm has passed!
Now, does this mean Mary and Martha will never grieve again? Does this mean that Lazarus will never again face death? Will the community never face hardship again? Of course not! But for now, they will celebrate. Until the next storm comes, they will celebrate life and offer thanksgiving for the love in their lives, for the abundance of their world, for the wonder of miracles and this blessings bestowed upon them.
We all experience storms in our lives. Some of them are a heavy downpour, while others have destructive levels of wind and lightning. Some are short and loud, while others last for days. But storms don’t last forever. They always pass. Do we stay indoors, knowing another storm will come, or do we step out, whenever possible, to experience the wonders of the world?
The phoenix shows us new life after struggle and even death. The story of Lazarus and his sisters shows us that miracles and wonders can happen during the stormiest of times. Our faith story of the resurrection of Christ shows us that death is never the end and that oppressive powers do not get the last word. Resilience is knowing all this and continuing to step outdoors, continuing to put one step in front of the other, reaching out when we need help and support, having faith in ourselves, in those we love, and in this great big wonderful world in which we live.
I don't want spend the whole of my life indoors,
laying low, waiting on the next storm.
I don't want to spend the whole of my life inside.
I wanna step out, and face the sunshine.
I'm not gonna live the whole of my life indoors.
I'm gonna step out, and face the next storm.
May it be so and thanks be to God. Amen.