St Luke 7:11-17/1 Kings 17:17-24/Psalm 30/Ephesians 3:13-21
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
There was but one tree in Eden of which Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat; the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But that which was pleasing to the eye brought death to both body and soul. And when man and woman sunk their teeth into that fruit the Serpent’s venom coursed through their veins.
In mercy the Lord kept them from now eating of the Tree of Life. And in His compassion He exiled them from Paradise; sent them away and barred the gate. Infected with sin, and infecting all their children after them, Adam and Eve, and all humanity began the slow march toward the grave; a procession of death.
You take up their train. For indeed all life is lived graveside. Whether in the death of children, like the women in our readings this morning, or in the burial of their husbands, for they were also widows, they were well acquainted with death. So are you. The uncontrollable illnesses and diseases of loved ones, the ailments of your own body, the daily sorrow of living in a fallen world, these are but symptoms, signs of our dreaded enemy.
Through it all we mask our pain, we hide our grief before others. We may become angry at God like the widow at Zarephath; fearful that we are being punished for past sins. We might try to get lost in the crowd like the widow at Nain. We try to move on. And like our first parents we are groan under the curse, dying to live, but dying just the same.
Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. And so it is that this procession of death, lead by a young man, the only son of his mother, followed by a considerable crowd, is met by another procession.
And Saint Luke is a masterful story-teller; he sets the scene better than any big-budget director or cinematographer. Two processions. One of death. Out front the only son of a widowed mother, a crowd with her. As they slowly, somberly carry his corpse from the city the weeping and mourning fills the air. She has her close friends with her, snugly around her, offering comfort and consolation.
This procession of death is confronted with another – a procession of Life. At the lead, Jesus, the only begotten Son of the Father, the first born of Mary, His mother. His disciples are gathered about Him. His living Word fills the air. A great crowd went with Him. The scene is set. The rivalry as old as the Garden of Eden. Death and Life.
And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her. He had mercy. He was moved within His guts for her plight. He beholds this daughter of Eve and this son of Adam, suffering under the curse of death and His heart breaks for them. For He is the very heart of the Father, the Mercy-Seat of compassion and love.
He speaks a word of comfort to the widow, Do not weep. This no mere condolence. This is mercy from He who is very God of very God! This is compassion from the One who in love expelled Adam and Eve, who covered their shame and nakedness with garments of skin, and who promised, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall crush your head, and you shall strike His heal.
And He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think! He went and touched the coffin of the dead man. This is not just solidarity or empathy. By touching the beir He makes Himself unclean, He places Himself alongside the dead man. Jesus feels in His guts the effect of sin and death upon you – He takes it personally. He is moved with compassion for you. And He is the only One capable of doing something. He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak.
The crowds stood in awe of this action. Death and Life contended. The victory was with Life! They glorified God saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited His people!” Indeed God is with us, for Jesus is Immanuel, the God who in compassion comes to His children and redeems them. He is more than a prophet of God, He is the God of the prophets.
For the same Word of the Lord that raised the widow of Zarephath’s son, is the very Incarnate Word who raised this widow’s son! Elijah prayed, O Lord my God, let this children’s life come into him again, but Jesus said, I say to you, arise. And in some of the sweetest Gospel words, Jesus gave him to his mother.
This is the One who conquers death. Who undoes the curse of the Fall. For this procession of Life, lead by Jesus, Life itself, Life in person, does not stop at Nain. It marches, He marches, to Jerusalem, to the very location of the Mercy-Seat, and He makes the all sufficient sacrifice of His Body and His Blood upon the Cross.
Jesus touched this man’s coffin and by doing so He placed Himself inside, in place of the dead man. Death and life contend. And the victory remains with life.
Jesus has also touched your death. He came, in the flesh and blood of Adam and Eve, in your flesh and blood. He placed Himself under the curse and felt the Serpent’s piercing venom. He became for you Sin and Death and the Curse. And in His Cross, death and life have contended. There He touched your death.
But the victory remained with Life. For as the Psalmist sang, I will extol you, O Lord, for You have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord, my God, I cried to You for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
Beloved, that is Christ! He prays this Psalm. He cried to the Father. He was brought up from the dead. He was restored to life. And according to the riches of His glory He grants you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being. For Christ dwells in your hearts through faith! And in Him you also pray this Psalm!
For in Holy Baptism, He who touched your death, gave you His life! You were buried with Christ Jesus through Baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead, so too are you brought out of death to life. The baptismal font is your bier, your coffin. There, Jesus, who took your place at the Cross, gives you His place in resurrected life. Baptized into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, it is as if Jesus said to you, “Dear child, I say to you, arise.” And He lifted you alive from your watery grave and gave you to your mother the Church.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy Name. He has turned your mourning into dancing, your uncleanness to righteousness, your death to life. He has loosed your sackcloth and clothed you with gladness.
And indeed joy continues to come with the morning. For the Sun of Righteousness who has risen shines His light upon you.
Beloved, Jesus met the procession of death at the gate of the town. He conquered that bitter foe; He has silenced your last enemy, death is defeated. The victory remains with Life and is given to you for free! The young man and his mother passed back through that gate to their home.
My dear ones, today the Gate of Paradise is opened to you once more. The Tree of Death has been uprooted and torn down. A new tree has been planted in its place. The true Tree of Life; the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are given to eat from this tree, for you are rooted and grounded in love, the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.
Come, in our Lord’s mercy and compassion for you, and in faith receive the Medicine of Immortality, the antidote to Satan’s deadly poison, the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. And where there is forgiveness of sins, there is always Life and Salvation.
To Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
There was but one tree in Eden of which Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat; the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But that which was pleasing to the eye brought death to both body and soul. And when man and woman sunk their teeth into that fruit the Serpent’s venom coursed through their veins.
In mercy the Lord kept them from now eating of the Tree of Life. And in His compassion He exiled them from Paradise; sent them away and barred the gate. Infected with sin, and infecting all their children after them, Adam and Eve, and all humanity began the slow march toward the grave; a procession of death.
You take up their train. For indeed all life is lived graveside. Whether in the death of children, like the women in our readings this morning, or in the burial of their husbands, for they were also widows, they were well acquainted with death. So are you. The uncontrollable illnesses and diseases of loved ones, the ailments of your own body, the daily sorrow of living in a fallen world, these are but symptoms, signs of our dreaded enemy.
Through it all we mask our pain, we hide our grief before others. We may become angry at God like the widow at Zarephath; fearful that we are being punished for past sins. We might try to get lost in the crowd like the widow at Nain. We try to move on. And like our first parents we are groan under the curse, dying to live, but dying just the same.
Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. And so it is that this procession of death, lead by a young man, the only son of his mother, followed by a considerable crowd, is met by another procession.
And Saint Luke is a masterful story-teller; he sets the scene better than any big-budget director or cinematographer. Two processions. One of death. Out front the only son of a widowed mother, a crowd with her. As they slowly, somberly carry his corpse from the city the weeping and mourning fills the air. She has her close friends with her, snugly around her, offering comfort and consolation.
This procession of death is confronted with another – a procession of Life. At the lead, Jesus, the only begotten Son of the Father, the first born of Mary, His mother. His disciples are gathered about Him. His living Word fills the air. A great crowd went with Him. The scene is set. The rivalry as old as the Garden of Eden. Death and Life.
And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her. He had mercy. He was moved within His guts for her plight. He beholds this daughter of Eve and this son of Adam, suffering under the curse of death and His heart breaks for them. For He is the very heart of the Father, the Mercy-Seat of compassion and love.
He speaks a word of comfort to the widow, Do not weep. This no mere condolence. This is mercy from He who is very God of very God! This is compassion from the One who in love expelled Adam and Eve, who covered their shame and nakedness with garments of skin, and who promised, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall crush your head, and you shall strike His heal.
And He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think! He went and touched the coffin of the dead man. This is not just solidarity or empathy. By touching the beir He makes Himself unclean, He places Himself alongside the dead man. Jesus feels in His guts the effect of sin and death upon you – He takes it personally. He is moved with compassion for you. And He is the only One capable of doing something. He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak.
The crowds stood in awe of this action. Death and Life contended. The victory was with Life! They glorified God saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited His people!” Indeed God is with us, for Jesus is Immanuel, the God who in compassion comes to His children and redeems them. He is more than a prophet of God, He is the God of the prophets.
For the same Word of the Lord that raised the widow of Zarephath’s son, is the very Incarnate Word who raised this widow’s son! Elijah prayed, O Lord my God, let this children’s life come into him again, but Jesus said, I say to you, arise. And in some of the sweetest Gospel words, Jesus gave him to his mother.
This is the One who conquers death. Who undoes the curse of the Fall. For this procession of Life, lead by Jesus, Life itself, Life in person, does not stop at Nain. It marches, He marches, to Jerusalem, to the very location of the Mercy-Seat, and He makes the all sufficient sacrifice of His Body and His Blood upon the Cross.
Jesus touched this man’s coffin and by doing so He placed Himself inside, in place of the dead man. Death and life contend. And the victory remains with life.
Jesus has also touched your death. He came, in the flesh and blood of Adam and Eve, in your flesh and blood. He placed Himself under the curse and felt the Serpent’s piercing venom. He became for you Sin and Death and the Curse. And in His Cross, death and life have contended. There He touched your death.
But the victory remained with Life. For as the Psalmist sang, I will extol you, O Lord, for You have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord, my God, I cried to You for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
Beloved, that is Christ! He prays this Psalm. He cried to the Father. He was brought up from the dead. He was restored to life. And according to the riches of His glory He grants you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being. For Christ dwells in your hearts through faith! And in Him you also pray this Psalm!
For in Holy Baptism, He who touched your death, gave you His life! You were buried with Christ Jesus through Baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead, so too are you brought out of death to life. The baptismal font is your bier, your coffin. There, Jesus, who took your place at the Cross, gives you His place in resurrected life. Baptized into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, it is as if Jesus said to you, “Dear child, I say to you, arise.” And He lifted you alive from your watery grave and gave you to your mother the Church.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy Name. He has turned your mourning into dancing, your uncleanness to righteousness, your death to life. He has loosed your sackcloth and clothed you with gladness.
And indeed joy continues to come with the morning. For the Sun of Righteousness who has risen shines His light upon you.
Beloved, Jesus met the procession of death at the gate of the town. He conquered that bitter foe; He has silenced your last enemy, death is defeated. The victory remains with Life and is given to you for free! The young man and his mother passed back through that gate to their home.
My dear ones, today the Gate of Paradise is opened to you once more. The Tree of Death has been uprooted and torn down. A new tree has been planted in its place. The true Tree of Life; the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are given to eat from this tree, for you are rooted and grounded in love, the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.
Come, in our Lord’s mercy and compassion for you, and in faith receive the Medicine of Immortality, the antidote to Satan’s deadly poison, the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. And where there is forgiveness of sins, there is always Life and Salvation.
To Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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