Calamity!

I give thanks to God for the life and the freedom that we enjoy in this place, may we never take it for granted.

This is Memorial Day weekend.  Not to be confused with Veterans Day.  Veterans Day honors all who served in the armed forces, who offered their lives, their service to their country.  Memorial Day is a day to honor those whose lives were lost in service to our country.

John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Whenever I hear or read of the actions of those who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor, I hear things that show the recipient had more regard for the safety and well-being for others than for themselves even to the point of death.  That is extraordinary.  We all have a natural instinct to survive. When that is set aside for love of another, it is something to be honored.

But that is how we find life. We put our trust in one who gave his life for everybody and we live as he lived.

(The story of my neighbor Ann and the Brayls)

The unavoidable fact of life is death. Each one of us, in our time, will face it. It’s all around us. Life moves all too quickly and one day you realize that these years on this planet are all too short.  It is all too easy to fall into the trap of holding on to life and holding on to temporary things.  Things of this world cannot bring happiness and life.  Temporary things can only disappoint.

In This passage of the story of Noah everything on the earth has died except Noah, his family and all the creatures on the Ark. There is death all around this is a bleak part of the story.

Again we can too quickly read past passages of scripture like this and not even notice what is happening.  Scripture says everything that was on the earth died.  Perhaps that’s too big to wrap our minds around.  What if it said everyone in the city died?  Or “everyone you know except those on your boat has died?” Death seems to have victory at this point. To be in that situation to experience that kind of loss must have been devastating.

 But this is God’s story.  This is a story about how God saves.  God is in control.

The Young Disciples and I talked about lions for a little bit. Lions are just lions.  Lions are creatures on this planet that have their place.  They are impressive cats. They are dangerous and beautiful. No special meaning or mention was given to lions being on the ark. The lions that were on the ark were just lions. But I want to talk about the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus.  He is the one who is with us. He is the Author of Life who is with us as we find ourselves surrounded by death.

Judah was one of the sons of Isaac.  When Isaac was near death he had his sons gather around him and he blessed them each.  

To his son Judah he said:

 “Judah, your brothers will praise you;
    your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
    your father’s sons will bow down to you.
⁹ You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
    you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
    like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come
    and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
¹¹ He will tether his donkey to a vine,
    his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
    his robes in the blood of grapes.
¹² His eyes will be darker than wine,
    his teeth whiter than milk.

We believe this to be prophesying about Jesus.

In Matthew chapter 1. 14 generations from Abraham to David. 4^th in that linage is Judah.

Then 14 generations to the time of the exile, then 14 generations from the exile to the Messiah, Jesus.

Many years after Jesus death the apostle John was in exile on the island of Patmos and had a vision which is recorded as the book of Revelation in our Bible.  Part of that vision was of what was happening in the heavenly realm.

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. ³ And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. ⁴ Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits^[a] of God. ⁶ Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.  Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

We could spend years dissecting the book of Revelation but what I want to point out this morning is that Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is able to do what no one on earth or in heaven can do.  He is the one who has been slain and he is the one who has triumphed over death.  He is the highest authority.  He is our King.

It is in Jesus Christ that we find life.  Jesus is our ark in the midst of the flood.  Jesus promises abundant life.

Jesus died for our sin.  In our baptism we share in Christ’s death so that we can share in his life.

Perhaps the flood is the baptism of the earth. What was steeped in death is now made new. A new order of things is established so that we can trust in God. Trusting in God means letting God save you from the temporary.

The only way to escape the things that hold you back is to die to them. We have to be spiritually re-born in Christ and trust in him.

So how is it with you today?  Do you know that you are part of a bigger story?  The temporary things of this life are not for us to cling to but to used to bless and transform this world, to be used to point to God.

So I invite you to fully participate in the life that God gave you.  Celebrate, love each other but don’t hold too tightly to the things of this world.  Cling only to Jesus Christ.  Let the flow through your hands as blessings to others.