Hello,
“See what love
the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what
we are.” 1 John 3:1
Yesterday when I
went to church, this verse was one of the readings assigned to be heard by
worshippers around the world who celebrated All Saints Day. It is the tradition in many churches to name
those who have died over the course of the past year on All Saints Day. In so doing Christians gather their tears and
their grief and enfold them in God’s powerful claim, “neither life nor death
can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8)
To the naked eye
death seems so very powerful. It has the
power to empty the chair at the table from which a life warming smile emanated every
day. It has the power to steal the
embrace that sealed you with companionship as you faced every day. It has the power to arrest a heart from both
beating and caring. It has the power to transform
the presence of someone to lean on into a cane of memories to help you stand
up. It has the power to end…end
everything. To the naked eye death seems
so very powerful.
Although it may
not have been heard as loudly as the singing inside of churches yesterday who
bellowed out “For all the saints, who from their journey rest….”, there was a
resounding chorus swirling around outside of those churches, “Listen to those
fools!” Fools. That is the name that those who see the world
with a naked eye only call those of us who stand in the shadow of death and
sing of light. Weak and simple
minded. Afraid to face reality. Fools, that is what many in the world have
named us who sang in church yesterday.
Fact is, I know
that for myself, I have not foolishly and fearfully closed my eyes when it
comes to the power of death. I am fully
aware of death’s terminating power.
Thing is, I don’t only take in the world with naked eyes. I also take in the world with opened ears,
ears that I have not cleared out and cleaned, but ears full of the world’s
noise have been battered with a sonic ram from the cross that held Christ and
the tomb that couldn’t hold him. Cleared out and cleaned out by Christ himself
so that I might hear the name that God has given me. “Child.”
With the eternal tenacity
of a stubborn two year old clinging onto their bedtime blanket, God clings onto
you and me with the same unyielding word, “Mine.” It is an interesting turn that God makes. God works on our sight through our ears. It isn’t that Christians are afraid to look
at the real world and the power of death.
Christians look at the world through the magnifying power of God’s word,
a magnification that sees the cracks in death that came about when death quaked
at the opening of the Easter tomb….magnification that sees the ray of light
piercing its way from that tomb through the darkness….magnification that sees
the specks of hope and peace forming with metastasizing power. God has worked through my ears to make my
sight more powerful than the naked eye.
It is easy to see
how powerful death is. It is great to
see how powerful God is. Though those
who see only with the naked eye may dub me “fool”, I find that name to be
overwhelmed by the name that has battered its way to my ears, “Child of God.” And so I sang and sing with divinely powerful
eyes, with gusto and hope, “For all the saints who from their journeys rest….”
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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