“Staying Dead? God Won’t Allow It!” All of our scriptures this week deal with death. The way each one deals with death is interesting. Ezekiel talks about the “dry bones.” The Psalmist refers to “the depths.” Paul reminds us to set our minds on the Spirit (life) instead of flesh (death). And Jesus stuns the witnesses around him by raising Lazarus from the dead! The upshot of all this is that God simply does not allow the possibility of “staying dead!” Now, that phrase can take on many different meanings. So, let’s look at how the implications of death affect each of us; and just why God won’t allow it.
Monday, April 11 -
Ezekiel writes that God brought him out into the middle of a valley of dry bones. Whether this is a literal or a figurative valley…, either one would be a scary place to be. We have all found ourselves in that valley when some of life’s problems seem to mount up and begin to stink up our lives. As we look around we feel much like Ezekiel must have felt as he stood in that very dark place. But, just as God told Ezekiel what to do, if we pay attention, God will tell us what to do also, to make our way out of those dark valleys. Remember, God won’t allow this kind of “staying dead!”
Tuesday, April 12 -
The funeral liturgy tells us, “In the midst of life we are in death…” God tells Ezekiel that God will put the Spirit within and he shall live. I think God gives us that same promise on a regular basis. Sometimes we are too distracted to hear that message. We need to be receptive to the Holy Spirit’s intervention in our lives in more ways than we can sometimes name. But, when we are willing to receive it, we’ll KNOW that because of God we’re more in the midst of life, no matter how much death we feel around us!
Wednesday, April 13 -
As Psalm 130 begins the psalmist is in the deepest trenches of despair. He prays for God to hear his voice; to be attentive to his supplications. He confesses his own iniquities, then acknowledges God’s forgiveness. His mood swings to an assurance mode, knowing that God is with us, no matter how dark the situation. He admits that patience is needed as he utters, “I wait for the LORD…more than those who watch for the morning. If you remember putting in a dark night of the soul, you will remember how long it seemed until morning. Then remember, God DID INDEED bring the dawn and would no longer allow the “death” associated with the long night…!
Thursday, April 14 -
The apostle Paul juxtaposes “flesh is death” over “Spirit is life and peace.” He goes on to say, “For this reason the mind that is set on [death] is hostile to God and does not submit to God’s law…” “But,” he writes, “you are NOT in [death] since the Spirit of God dwells in you…” God does not allow us to stay dead in many of the ways we might prefer to do so. When we are not open to the Spirit’s indwelling in our lives we are buying in to death. God won’t allow it for those who know God and know of God’s love in our lives.
Friday, April 15 -
John 11 could be called the precursor to Easter. The people on hand the day that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead were very fearful of what they might witness after the guy had been dead for so long. The same could be said for the way the disciples felt on that first Easter morning. The lesson for us in either of the stories is that God would not allow death to have a hold. Some might say, what about all that have lived and died since then, or even before? We know that because of what Jesus did for Lazarus AND for us, we will know ETERNAL life with God. Staying dead? God WON’T allow it!!!