[Jesus] cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth.
Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11: 43-44
It is a centuries-old tradition in many Christian denominations to lift up the first Sunday in November as All Saints Sunday. Our gatherings remind us that death does not have the final say in our lives, and that each one of us leaves an indelible imprint on the lives of those around us. We proclaim that even in the harsh silence of suffering and death, that God not only holds us in our sorrow, but that God weeps alongside us.
If you celebrated an anniversary alone this year, God wept alongside you. If you learned more than you want to know about a debilitating disease, or if your dreams were buried as the remains of a friend were lowered into the ground; God was there, weeping with you.
The beautiful story of Jesus’ friend being raised from death reminds us of how God comforts us in those moments when it seems as if there is no life left within us. We read that after Jesus weeps over Lazarus and restores his life, he turns to the people who witness this and tells them to unbind him. He’s inviting them to come close and to physically touch Lazarus, no matter how uncomfortable it makes them. He’s inviting them to not look away, but rather to lean in and see that there is new life even though their friend was dead.
God steps into this broken world in order to bring life from death, but it’s up to us to unbind those in our midst who can’t yet see resurrection at work within and around them. We are called to not turn away from the stench, the hatred, the violence, the prejudice, and the hunger that surrounds us.
We are compelled to actively seek out those who are desperately seeking the abundance of God’s love, but who are afraid of being cast aside because they are addicted, abused, imprisoned, or were simply born on the wrong side of a wall. We are called to unbind this world by proclaiming that there are no conditions to God’s grace, and by living out that unconditional love in the community that surrounds us.
Each one of us has a unique story to share, and within each of our narratives are episodes of separation and loss. But here’s the thing: God doesn’t just weep alongside us, God resurrects us each day that we are on this earth in order to use us to unbind those who can’t yet sense that God is working through them as well. If you think about it, isn’t this what it means to be a saint? Isn’t it the very definition of being a saint to recognize that God resurrects us and then promises to do great things through us? This is what God does. This is who God is. We are God’s saints because of our identity as God’s beloved, no matter how deep our brokenness.
So, who showed you what it means to be a beloved and blessed child of God? Who unbound you just when you needed it most? Who taught you the joy of quilting, fishing, reading, or to throw a curveball? Who hid their tears when you left home for college, to get married, or to join the service? Who took the risk of hiring you when you had no experience? Who reached out when your addictions spiraled out of control? Who invited you into their home when you needed someone to pour your heart out to?
The saints in our lives are those who model God’s compassion and care for this world so that we can catch a glimpse of God’s love for us. Through their words of encouragement and compassion, they reveal the love that is resurrected within us each day that we are alive on this earth. Without such a love, I don’t know how we would ever have the courage to even get up in the morning.
All Saints Sunday reminds us that we share the bond of God’s blessedness with people in all times and in all places. We are connected to the saints, both those living among us and those who have passed away, because God declares each one of us to be holy and blessed. And so we live as resurrected people, sent into the world in order to unbind it. We honor our saints by loving our neighbor, and by being the light of The Christ to those who live in darkness.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month’s contributor is Tom Murray of the Lutsen Lutheran Church and Baptism River Community Church of Finland.
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