Yes – its one of those ambiguous questions. Does it mean – how do you feel about dying in general – or how do YOU feel about DYING TODAY?
Every day of every week people are born and people die. I guess we are more aware of death than every before. It used to be a taboo subject – like everyone did it and nobody talked about it.
Now you get books on dying with style. We talk about a SEND OFF at a funeral. We measure a life by QUALITY – “he had a good innings” we say, using the metaphor of cricket.
I remember as a child how someone said of my father’s life HE HAD A GOOD INNINGS. He died at the age of 60, and I was 11. My immediate thought was WHO BOWLED HIM OUT? 60 seemed too early to retire from life.
The Christian Faith has a specific view about death.
In fact the whole thing is really about a death. The death of one man to end all deaths.
It is about God becoming one of us and dying.
He died for us. Christians believe that he didn’t stay in the tomb. We worship on Sundays, the first day of the week, because we believe that he was raised to life on the Sunday. We baptize people as a symbol of dying and being raised to life again. We eat bread and drink wine remembering his sacrificial death.
We bury or cremate our dead with these words: Jesus said:
"I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die;”
Ich bin die Auferstehung und das Leben. Wer an mich glaubt, wird leben, auch wenn er stirbt.
ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή. ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, κἂν ἀποθάνῃ, ζήσεται·
ego sum resurrectio et vita qui credit in me et si mortuus fuerit vivet
Ek is die opstanding en die lewe; wie in My glo, sal lewe al het hy ook gesterwe;
Io sono la risurrezione e la vita; chi crede in me, anche se muore, vivrà;
Myfi yw'r atgyfodiad a'r bywyd. Pwy bynnag sy'n credu ynof fi, er iddo farw, fe fydd byw
I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die;
Easter is a celebration of this truth. When you stand at a grave, or go into a crematorium, it makes an enormous difference to believe and know that it’s not the end, but a beginning of a wonderful new life. Faith in Jesus is an amazing thing. We live differently because we will die with gratitude for this life, and the life to come.
Amen.
Friday, 14 March 2008
Friday, 7 March 2008
Roll back the stone
Sunday 8 March St John’s in the city Communion Service
Readings:
Psalm 116 (responsive reading)
Ezekiel 37:1-11
Romans 8:6-11
John 11:1-45
A little girl hurt her finger and went to her dad for sympathy. She got no response – the standard kind of thing when dad is preoccupied with his own affairs. So she went to see mum to complain about dad. Mum replied, “Oh, is it still hurting then?” The child said, “no, but daddy didn’t even say Oh!”
Just a little TLC and sympathy goes a long way. We need to know that someone is listening!
When heaven is silent, we are sometimes in a worse position than the little girl. We feel abandoned and desperate quite often in our lives. Prayers are simply not answered. Even the clichéd idea that God might be saying “wait” doesn’t seem to make a difference.
The readings today capture that kind of sense of hopelessness quite well. In Ezekiel the dry people of God are given a voice: “our bones are dried up and our hope is gone, and we are cut off.”
And then there are our favourite girls – Mary and Martha – in a place of mourning, producing our kind of “if onlys” – both say to Jesus, “Lord if you had been here…”
And then there is the fascinating declaration of Thomas to the disciples: “Let us go also that we may die with him…” Whether this refers to going with Jesus into a dangerous situation in Judea, or whether Thomas is suggesting that they all go and die with Lazarus, is debated. Either way, it’s pretty gloomy stuff.
So what do you make of it? In this account Jesus seems to delay deliberately for two days before responding to the requests from his friend’s messengers. Of course it is likely that Lazarus had already died when he got the message. Even so, we don’t get the impression that Jesus was busy with anything extraordinary in those days.
He kind of “tarries” if you know what I mean. Like kids at school who hang around avoiding that difficult lesson they don’t want to face….
He certainly created some stress in the lives of those two sisters. No email text or phone messages then. No quick emergency responses.
I know the feeling – that sense of anguish when someone is sick or close to death.
Many of us have been there. There is this dull kind of ache within. And if the trauma is sudden, and we’re waiting for the ambulance, we can hear the sirens going off, but they seem to be delayed around the corner somewhere – taking forever – the stress is enormous. I still get stressed by the sound of those sirens. My heart begins to thump in my chest.
There are some struggles and challenges that seem to take forever to resolve. Much like trying to find a new minister I suspect. And in our personal lives, having prayer answered, trying to beat depression, trying to have our faith restored when we’ve been through one of those long dry desperate periods. Hoping and waiting to see that our children have sorted their problems out. Or our grandchildren.
We feel a bit like Isaiah the prophet and want to cry out “O that you would rend the heavens and come down”. (Isaiah 64:1)
Give me a break, God. Cut me some slack!
In John’s Gospel, the mighty works done by Jesus are there to bring people to faith in Him.
It is Martha, the sister who is presented elsewhere as too busy doing chores and as the complaining sibling – tell my sister to help me Jesus – it is Martha who goes out to meet Jesus with her “if only” speech. “If you had been here my brother would not have died.” Despite this, after their conversation about the resurrection, Martha says: “Yes, Lord, I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world.”
It is the Christ, the Son of God, coming into the world, who sustains us and keeps us.
It is God – in Christ – reconciling the world to Himself – who comes to the tomb of Lazarus.
It is God – in Christ – who literally “groans in himself” (CEV – terribly upset) Profoundly moved – groaning within – Jesus (who) comes to the tomb. (vss 33 and 38)
Does he sigh? Does he groan out loud? What happens in this moment is hard to grasp.
Perhaps it is the attitude of people towards death – their grief and fear – that moves him.
Perhaps the knowledge that he too would die in such a desperate way on the cross causes this emotional response.
It is God – in Christ – of whom we read: “Jesus wept.” He certainly mourns with those who mourn.
The solution in this account is a radical one. You have to roll the stone away. It is risky and a smelly business. And Jesus is the one who has to speak – calling forth the dead.
In the Ezekiel passage today the prophet has to speak to the dry bones. They are told to hear the Word of the Lord! (37:4)
So what is the Word of the Lord to your situation and to mine?
Jesus – even when he seems far away and out of reach – knows and understands. Even if we are like God’s people of old - saying” our bones are dried up and our hope is gone, and we are cut off.”
God speaks! He renews us. The same spirit that ultimately raises Jesus from the Dead – says Paul to the Romans – dwells in us – and brings life to our mortal existence.
It is the Sovereign Lord who breathes life into the dry bones who have no hope and feel cut off! That’s us, I guess.
Sometimes we feel that we are too far gone – that nothing can change our circumstances – because we ourselves are just not up to it!
The next time you feel like that, just remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
Mary Magdalene was, well you know
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer...........AND
Lazarus was dead!
Don’t you give up on God. They didn’t, and He certainly didn’t give up on them.
Or to put it another way, listen to a black American preacher on this:
"If all the sleeping folk will wake up; and all the lukewarm folk will fire up; and all dishonest folk will confess up; and all the disgruntled folk will cheer up; and all the depressed folk will look up; and all the estranged folk will make up; and all the gossiping folk will shut up; and all the dry bones will shake up; then we can have a revival." How about it?
Or we can simply break bread today – and remember the extent of Jesus’ suffering for us. We are not alone! We need to hear his voice too! It’s ok to roll the stone away!
Readings:
Psalm 116 (responsive reading)
Ezekiel 37:1-11
Romans 8:6-11
John 11:1-45
A little girl hurt her finger and went to her dad for sympathy. She got no response – the standard kind of thing when dad is preoccupied with his own affairs. So she went to see mum to complain about dad. Mum replied, “Oh, is it still hurting then?” The child said, “no, but daddy didn’t even say Oh!”
Just a little TLC and sympathy goes a long way. We need to know that someone is listening!
When heaven is silent, we are sometimes in a worse position than the little girl. We feel abandoned and desperate quite often in our lives. Prayers are simply not answered. Even the clichéd idea that God might be saying “wait” doesn’t seem to make a difference.
The readings today capture that kind of sense of hopelessness quite well. In Ezekiel the dry people of God are given a voice: “our bones are dried up and our hope is gone, and we are cut off.”
And then there are our favourite girls – Mary and Martha – in a place of mourning, producing our kind of “if onlys” – both say to Jesus, “Lord if you had been here…”
And then there is the fascinating declaration of Thomas to the disciples: “Let us go also that we may die with him…” Whether this refers to going with Jesus into a dangerous situation in Judea, or whether Thomas is suggesting that they all go and die with Lazarus, is debated. Either way, it’s pretty gloomy stuff.
So what do you make of it? In this account Jesus seems to delay deliberately for two days before responding to the requests from his friend’s messengers. Of course it is likely that Lazarus had already died when he got the message. Even so, we don’t get the impression that Jesus was busy with anything extraordinary in those days.
He kind of “tarries” if you know what I mean. Like kids at school who hang around avoiding that difficult lesson they don’t want to face….
He certainly created some stress in the lives of those two sisters. No email text or phone messages then. No quick emergency responses.
I know the feeling – that sense of anguish when someone is sick or close to death.
Many of us have been there. There is this dull kind of ache within. And if the trauma is sudden, and we’re waiting for the ambulance, we can hear the sirens going off, but they seem to be delayed around the corner somewhere – taking forever – the stress is enormous. I still get stressed by the sound of those sirens. My heart begins to thump in my chest.
There are some struggles and challenges that seem to take forever to resolve. Much like trying to find a new minister I suspect. And in our personal lives, having prayer answered, trying to beat depression, trying to have our faith restored when we’ve been through one of those long dry desperate periods. Hoping and waiting to see that our children have sorted their problems out. Or our grandchildren.
We feel a bit like Isaiah the prophet and want to cry out “O that you would rend the heavens and come down”. (Isaiah 64:1)
Give me a break, God. Cut me some slack!
In John’s Gospel, the mighty works done by Jesus are there to bring people to faith in Him.
It is Martha, the sister who is presented elsewhere as too busy doing chores and as the complaining sibling – tell my sister to help me Jesus – it is Martha who goes out to meet Jesus with her “if only” speech. “If you had been here my brother would not have died.” Despite this, after their conversation about the resurrection, Martha says: “Yes, Lord, I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world.”
It is the Christ, the Son of God, coming into the world, who sustains us and keeps us.
It is God – in Christ – reconciling the world to Himself – who comes to the tomb of Lazarus.
It is God – in Christ – who literally “groans in himself” (CEV – terribly upset) Profoundly moved – groaning within – Jesus (who) comes to the tomb. (vss 33 and 38)
Does he sigh? Does he groan out loud? What happens in this moment is hard to grasp.
Perhaps it is the attitude of people towards death – their grief and fear – that moves him.
Perhaps the knowledge that he too would die in such a desperate way on the cross causes this emotional response.
It is God – in Christ – of whom we read: “Jesus wept.” He certainly mourns with those who mourn.
The solution in this account is a radical one. You have to roll the stone away. It is risky and a smelly business. And Jesus is the one who has to speak – calling forth the dead.
In the Ezekiel passage today the prophet has to speak to the dry bones. They are told to hear the Word of the Lord! (37:4)
So what is the Word of the Lord to your situation and to mine?
Jesus – even when he seems far away and out of reach – knows and understands. Even if we are like God’s people of old - saying” our bones are dried up and our hope is gone, and we are cut off.”
God speaks! He renews us. The same spirit that ultimately raises Jesus from the Dead – says Paul to the Romans – dwells in us – and brings life to our mortal existence.
It is the Sovereign Lord who breathes life into the dry bones who have no hope and feel cut off! That’s us, I guess.
Sometimes we feel that we are too far gone – that nothing can change our circumstances – because we ourselves are just not up to it!
The next time you feel like that, just remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
Mary Magdalene was, well you know
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer...........AND
Lazarus was dead!
Don’t you give up on God. They didn’t, and He certainly didn’t give up on them.
Or to put it another way, listen to a black American preacher on this:
"If all the sleeping folk will wake up; and all the lukewarm folk will fire up; and all dishonest folk will confess up; and all the disgruntled folk will cheer up; and all the depressed folk will look up; and all the estranged folk will make up; and all the gossiping folk will shut up; and all the dry bones will shake up; then we can have a revival." How about it?
Or we can simply break bread today – and remember the extent of Jesus’ suffering for us. We are not alone! We need to hear his voice too! It’s ok to roll the stone away!
March
I was very relieved to hear that Great Britain had a 5.2 earthquake last week. I was beginning to feel that we are the only wobbly islands around. A short update from us all.
Sheilagh's birthday was a hectic time. Thanks for your messages for her half-century! It was a delight to have Diane her sister and young Briggie here. Diane is her youngest sister and such a tonic for us all. She had our kids on the hop and there was lots of laughter.
The birthday celebration was great - a real braai hosted by friends. Sheilagh's sister Diane was generous in every way as she always has been, to all of us. We are grateful that Di and Noel are just across the ditch in Brisbane. At the same time this week Roxanne's trip with her school to China has been confirmed. She has her Visa and ticket and is ready to roll. A small problem is to get her returning visa into NZ renewed after the 1st of April, which means we have been here 2 years!! Amazing. We can now get permanent returning visas - having lived here for two years. Without one for Roxanne, she might get stuck in China! I thought that funny but she was not amused - but somewhat concerned. It takes one day to get the thing sorted and we have 15 days in April!
I have a Pastoral care conference in Tasmania in the week after Easter. So much on - a series of extra services before and after Easter, plus Anzac Day coming up. This is a NZ religious holiday really and happens in the school holidays this year - so we have two of those before school breaks up.
The summer has been hot, dry and long. Rain last night gave the garden a welcomed boost. We are off to St Christopher's shortly for a House service - a student is preaching which is a first on Sundays (they do so regularly at Friday Chapel).
We were musing that we hear less and less from people these days. We are becoming semi-kiwis I guess, living far from so many of our old friends. New Zealand isn't exactly at the hub of things. We read with sadness some of the things happening in SA. It really is a concern.
Thanks for your prayers. Will keep topping up the email list with bits of news. Blessings and love
Robin
Sheilagh's birthday was a hectic time. Thanks for your messages for her half-century! It was a delight to have Diane her sister and young Briggie here. Diane is her youngest sister and such a tonic for us all. She had our kids on the hop and there was lots of laughter.
The birthday celebration was great - a real braai hosted by friends. Sheilagh's sister Diane was generous in every way as she always has been, to all of us. We are grateful that Di and Noel are just across the ditch in Brisbane. At the same time this week Roxanne's trip with her school to China has been confirmed. She has her Visa and ticket and is ready to roll. A small problem is to get her returning visa into NZ renewed after the 1st of April, which means we have been here 2 years!! Amazing. We can now get permanent returning visas - having lived here for two years. Without one for Roxanne, she might get stuck in China! I thought that funny but she was not amused - but somewhat concerned. It takes one day to get the thing sorted and we have 15 days in April!
I have a Pastoral care conference in Tasmania in the week after Easter. So much on - a series of extra services before and after Easter, plus Anzac Day coming up. This is a NZ religious holiday really and happens in the school holidays this year - so we have two of those before school breaks up.
The summer has been hot, dry and long. Rain last night gave the garden a welcomed boost. We are off to St Christopher's shortly for a House service - a student is preaching which is a first on Sundays (they do so regularly at Friday Chapel).
We were musing that we hear less and less from people these days. We are becoming semi-kiwis I guess, living far from so many of our old friends. New Zealand isn't exactly at the hub of things. We read with sadness some of the things happening in SA. It really is a concern.
Thanks for your prayers. Will keep topping up the email list with bits of news. Blessings and love
Robin
2008
Greetings from Wellington
We are two weeks into the new term here. Summer has been quite excessive for the local conditions. Large areas of NZ are experiencing drought. We have had a touch of rain over this weekend - very light drizzle really. In Australia in many regions the drought there has been broken by extreme flooding. So we are not complaining. If we get floods in Wellington houses tend to fall of hills. Very interesting and quite a problem if you are the house owner.
Some family news. Roxanne is back at school and her China trip looms large. Although they are going in April, we have to scurry around this week as her returning visa here expires at the end of March. I am sure that the Chinese Embassy would not be happy and neither would she as she would get stuck there! Of course schools are often fuzzy about dates. We were told that we would pay and sort out Chinese visas at the end of Feb. Now of course it is required on the 13th Feb. Thank you so much to those who have sponsored her for the trip. Mind you China has had chaos too with flooding, snow and power outages. Let's hope it warms up by April. So one of us will have to go to NZ immigration and ask nicely for a new visa. Roxanne needs a returning visa that is valid before she applies for a visa to get into China! We are entitled to permanent returning visas after 31 March - our second year is coming to an end here. Three more before we can apply for NZ citizenship and then passports.
The rest of us Palmers are doing the usual things required to keep the house in order. In addition to her 4 hours a day at Scots library, Sheilagh sells Avon products. She has a nice little client base in this area which keeps orders ticking over. Lots of lovely incentives for the girls in the family! David has applied for a job but has heard nothing. Chris too has applied for various things. Please pray that someone gives these guys a break and gets them going.
School has started with a bang for me. My timetable is easier this year - which gives more time for pastoral care and counselling. I still have year 1-3 once a week in a mini-chapel and RE lesson which often has old MacDonald had a farm and twinkle twinkle little star chosen by little boys who are not yet 5! Our new RE teacher get to teach most of the prep school once a week and shares the year 10 load with me. I still have year 9 and two year 13s for an ethics program. And a series of chapel services - two on a Friday and a Sunday night at least 3 times a term. The latter involve the parent body as well. My weekly routine includes a Thursday lunch meeting with the international club - about 20 boys from Japan, China, Indonesia and Thailand. They are great kids and we enjoy activities each term - including Laser Force and 10 Pin Bowling and movies. As an African I have a home amongst the internationals!
New Zealand is in an election year. We really do need a new government here and the polls are indicating this as a real possibility. So the local scene is very politicised. We watch the American Primaries with interest. They are desperate for change too!
Thank you for those who sent cards and letters at Christmas. We were very encouraged by the real post which arrived. How do I see 2008? School life will be a lot better I think. I dread the winter as it is really hard to trudge outdoors in the dark. And come home in the dark. Well it could be worse I suppose. Wellington is quite bleak when the southerly blows. I have a decent winter wardrobe of course! Third winter and I should get it right. Wellingtonians know how to take advantage of nice sunny days. We have had some brilliant ones in the summer. Lot's of people walking, cycling and sailing.
Sheilagh reaches her half-century on the 26th Feb. Her sister Diane is coming over from Brisbane to share the event, and will then go on to other family and friends in Christchurch. I don't think we ever imagined this kind of celebration in NZ. We are always grateful to the Lord for his gift of life and the privilege of serving him and been the kind of caring and encouraging people that He desires. I am very blessed to have Sheilagh as my wife and best friend. We celebrate our 24th anniversary this year. A lot longer than our parents were married I guess. So we are blessed. Christopher turns 21 on 5 May - another good reason to celebrate! Hopefully by then he will have some direction.
Thanks for your prayers and friendship. Please pray for Elmarie Hughson and her family. Bob passed away yesterday after a stroke. They lived in Tweni and moved to the UK recently. He was a wonderful man of colour and character, who always made me feel so welcome in his home.
Love from us all
The Palmers
We are two weeks into the new term here. Summer has been quite excessive for the local conditions. Large areas of NZ are experiencing drought. We have had a touch of rain over this weekend - very light drizzle really. In Australia in many regions the drought there has been broken by extreme flooding. So we are not complaining. If we get floods in Wellington houses tend to fall of hills. Very interesting and quite a problem if you are the house owner.
Some family news. Roxanne is back at school and her China trip looms large. Although they are going in April, we have to scurry around this week as her returning visa here expires at the end of March. I am sure that the Chinese Embassy would not be happy and neither would she as she would get stuck there! Of course schools are often fuzzy about dates. We were told that we would pay and sort out Chinese visas at the end of Feb. Now of course it is required on the 13th Feb. Thank you so much to those who have sponsored her for the trip. Mind you China has had chaos too with flooding, snow and power outages. Let's hope it warms up by April. So one of us will have to go to NZ immigration and ask nicely for a new visa. Roxanne needs a returning visa that is valid before she applies for a visa to get into China! We are entitled to permanent returning visas after 31 March - our second year is coming to an end here. Three more before we can apply for NZ citizenship and then passports.
The rest of us Palmers are doing the usual things required to keep the house in order. In addition to her 4 hours a day at Scots library, Sheilagh sells Avon products. She has a nice little client base in this area which keeps orders ticking over. Lots of lovely incentives for the girls in the family! David has applied for a job but has heard nothing. Chris too has applied for various things. Please pray that someone gives these guys a break and gets them going.
School has started with a bang for me. My timetable is easier this year - which gives more time for pastoral care and counselling. I still have year 1-3 once a week in a mini-chapel and RE lesson which often has old MacDonald had a farm and twinkle twinkle little star chosen by little boys who are not yet 5! Our new RE teacher get to teach most of the prep school once a week and shares the year 10 load with me. I still have year 9 and two year 13s for an ethics program. And a series of chapel services - two on a Friday and a Sunday night at least 3 times a term. The latter involve the parent body as well. My weekly routine includes a Thursday lunch meeting with the international club - about 20 boys from Japan, China, Indonesia and Thailand. They are great kids and we enjoy activities each term - including Laser Force and 10 Pin Bowling and movies. As an African I have a home amongst the internationals!
New Zealand is in an election year. We really do need a new government here and the polls are indicating this as a real possibility. So the local scene is very politicised. We watch the American Primaries with interest. They are desperate for change too!
Thank you for those who sent cards and letters at Christmas. We were very encouraged by the real post which arrived. How do I see 2008? School life will be a lot better I think. I dread the winter as it is really hard to trudge outdoors in the dark. And come home in the dark. Well it could be worse I suppose. Wellington is quite bleak when the southerly blows. I have a decent winter wardrobe of course! Third winter and I should get it right. Wellingtonians know how to take advantage of nice sunny days. We have had some brilliant ones in the summer. Lot's of people walking, cycling and sailing.
Sheilagh reaches her half-century on the 26th Feb. Her sister Diane is coming over from Brisbane to share the event, and will then go on to other family and friends in Christchurch. I don't think we ever imagined this kind of celebration in NZ. We are always grateful to the Lord for his gift of life and the privilege of serving him and been the kind of caring and encouraging people that He desires. I am very blessed to have Sheilagh as my wife and best friend. We celebrate our 24th anniversary this year. A lot longer than our parents were married I guess. So we are blessed. Christopher turns 21 on 5 May - another good reason to celebrate! Hopefully by then he will have some direction.
Thanks for your prayers and friendship. Please pray for Elmarie Hughson and her family. Bob passed away yesterday after a stroke. They lived in Tweni and moved to the UK recently. He was a wonderful man of colour and character, who always made me feel so welcome in his home.
Love from us all
The Palmers
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