The First Reading
Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15; 2:23-24
God did not make death,
And he does not delight in the death of the living.
For he created all things so that they might exist;
the generative forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
For righteousness is immortal.
God created us for incorruption,
and made us in the image of his own eternity,
but through the devil’s envy death entered the world,
and those who belong to his company experience it.
Comment: It is always, always, beneficial to you and to others when you obey the Lord. Of course, the reverse, sadly, is also true. #worsethandivination. I almost did not write this morning, as I thought I had finished with readings for Sunday. But not so, as the Spirit reminded me that they were alternate readings. And as I read the one above from the Apocrypha, the power of the revelation was awesome…..in this house.
So God did not make death, and therefore, there is no sting in the physical death that we will all experience, but only if after that, there is no “ eternal life”. The free gift of Christ has died, Christ is Risen and Christ will come again to judge. That’s why Jesus said:
“Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?””
John 11:23-26 NIV
What’s the message here then:
God created us for incorruption,
and made us in the image of his own eternity,
but through the devil’s envy death entered the world,
and those who belong to his company experience it.
Simple! Don’t keep company with the devil. But be holy as the Lord your God is holy. As I went for my walk after reading and before writing, this revelation came to mind as I walked. That God is not just love, but Holy Love. And if you approach Him, “ To take pictures and to video Him”, which was essentially the warning sent to the children of Israel through Moses, “I will break out against you“.
“After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.” On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.” The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.””
Exodus 19:14-22, 24 NIV
So the God of Abraham, who came on earth in human form is a God from whom power flows. Even “ terrible “ power! Which is how we ought to interpret the “power that went out of Jesus”, when the woman with the issue of blood, “ touched the hem of his garment“. The gospel reading for last Sunday. And the same power that raised “ Tabitha cum” from the dead. This as the Kingdom of God is about power and not talk, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures:
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”
1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV
And as walked and listened to the Lord, this revelation entered the discussion.
“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.””
John 7:38 NIV
Streams of living waters is in fact as we know The Holy Spirit, the promised power from on high which came at Pentecost. The gift of the Resurrected Christ who lives in us by faith. Think again then about what Jesus told Mary above about those who believe in Him, He who is the Resurrection and the life, will never die. And further, as Jesus told Jairus, the leader of the Synagogue, and the woman with the issue of blood, “ Don’t be afraid, only believe”. So we who are in Christ, out of us will flow with power to heal, and power to glorify the God of Abraham, streams of living waters. In every situation, according to the will of God. This why we have the hope declared in the other alternate reading above. As the steadfast love of the Lord in Christ Jesus never ceases. Not even in the physical death that our loved ones experience. Not in the troubled circumstances that we find ourselves when “ bloodshed follows bloodshed” is reported in the news every morning. When news of gore and death attend our eyes and ears from Israel and Gaza and Ukraine and Haiti and Congo and the Sudan, “ every morning”. And John Wesley’s song comes to mind, as “ even the vilest offender who truly repents ( who leaves the company of the devil) that moment from Jesus, a pardon receives. This is our hope. This is our message for the “ sin sick world”. That the steadfast Holy Love of the Lord, fully manifest in Christ Jesus, never ceases. And it is new every morning. So that because of the shed blood of Jesus, we can enter into the very presence of this Holy God, with confidence and ask for mercy for this troubled nation. So yes we celebrate that Shelly and Sherika and Oblique Seville and others are on form and heading hopefully for glory in Paris. But this morning we give thanks to a Holy God for life and life everlasting in Christ Jesus. Even in the midst of the mourning for the death of a loved one.
The Response
Lamentations 3:21-33
This I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for one to bear
the yoke in youth,
to sit alone in silence
when the Lord has imposed it,
to put one’s mouth to the dust
(there may yet be hope),
to give one’s cheek to the smiter,
and be filled with insults.
For the Lord will not
reject for ever.
Although he causes grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not willingly afflict
or grieve anyone.
O Jesus remind us every minute of the day, that you rescued us from death and evil and sin, so that we may not be lukewarm but on fire for you and help to renew the church and renew the nation(s) where “ there is so much trouble in the land”. Even after and perhaps because of the “ Great Debate”.
danielgodsurelywilldeliver 