"Only One Way Out" - John 11:23-44 - March 21, 1999

Most everyone has worked one of those mazes where you follow the right path to find your way out. As you move your pencil through the maze you keep running into dead ends until you find the one path that sets you free.

Life is a lot like living in a maze. We continue to take wrong turns which lead nowhere and often retrace our steps until we can find our way. It can be very frustrating. Sometimes we never do find our way out. Those are the times we are stuck and feel like a prisoner with no escape.

Today I want to help set you free. I believe that no matter how difficult the maze you live in may seem, there is always a way out. Not even death can stand in the way of your life’s journey.

Today’s story of the raising of Lazarus illustrates that. Lazarus was apparently at the end of his life’s journey. He was presumed dead and then entombed. You can sense the helplessness of his family who had given up all hope. Nothing could bring Lazarus back. It was too late.

For Jesus, however death does not have the last word. There is no obstacle large enough to prevent the power of God from setting anyone free. Jesus is confident that God will act and God does. "Lazarus will rise again," he states. Jesus then goes to the tomb, tells them to roll away the stone that is blocking the entrance and calls for Lazarus to "come out." Lazarus then comes from the tomb and Jesus tells them to "unbind him and set him free."

For Lazarus there was only one way out. He had to hear the voice of God and respond. Two things had to happen. First, Lazarus had to be tuned in to the voice of God. Second, he had to respond by stepping forward. It almost seems too simple. Why can’t we be free of the things in our life that enslave us? Why do we continue to remain a prisoner with no escape in sight?

Before I respond to those questions I need to make a comment about the character of Martha in this story. Remember Martha? She was the sister that was too preoccupied to hear the teachings of Jesus. Here she appears again, impatient about the fact that Jesus did not respond immediately to her concern. "Lord, if you had come sooner, my brother would not have died." Martha, the busy one, was laying a guilt trip on Jesus. With a little more work, her brother’s death could have been prevented.

Many of us are a lot like Martha. Her answer was that if you just work a little harder you can accomplish anything. That may be true in part, but it wasn’t how Jesus approached this difficult predicament. He waited and came when he was ready. He would not be boxed in.

One way to be free is to avoid being in a maze in the first place. I was listening to a motivational speaker recently, Suze Orman, who wrote, "The Courage to be Rich." She said that one of the first things we need to do in our lives is get rid of the clutter. When our lives are disorganized, overbooked or overstocked there is no opportunity for the voice of God to be heard. By removing the clutter from our lives we open the lines of communication and make room for the presence of God.

Here in the Sidney Community, the city is conducting their annual bulk pick up. During the last week we have experienced mountains of junk stacked at the curbs. People have rid their homes of things they no longer need. I have seen televisions, washers and dryers, old tires, furniture, toys etc. Sometimes we need to do the same with our lives. That may mean resigning from a few clubs or groups. It may mean cutting out an extracurricular activity. People’s schedules are so full there is no time for rest and relaxation. And it is during those quiet moments when God can be heard.

A colleague of mine is publishing a book which is about his 40 years of experience in the ministry. One of the chapters is entitled, "Just say no." Pastors are like everyone else. We tend to take on more assignments than is humanly possible. My colleague is trying to help those ministers of the future by telling them to keep their responsibilities to a minimum.

Many of you do a good job of keeping the clutter out of your lives. But, occasionally you get stuck or trapped and it appears that there is no way out. This story illustrates that there is nothing that can hold us back. No tomb is strong enough. No pit is deep enough. No mountain is high enough. There is always one way out. It is really a two-step process.

First, there is the call, the voice of God is calling us away from whatever imprisons us. We don’t hear the call because we aren’t listening. What we hear is not logical or it comes from an unlikely source. The voice of God is easy to recognize but difficult to hear. It is a voice that calls us from the past and calls us to the present. It calls us from our old habits and invites us to try new ones. It calls us from apathy and indifference to caring. It calls us from despair to hope. It calls us from darkness to light. It calls us from loneliness to community. It calls us from captivity to freedom.

The voice of God can come in many forms. For example, it is not uncommon for me to receive inspirations about sermons in my sleep. The thoughts are usually very clear, so much so that they wake me up. After I hear them I rehearse them and memorize them. When morning comes I write them down on paper.

God speaks to us in a variety of ways. God stirs our souls with revelations that can happen just about anywhere, but normally when we are alone or quiet. God also speaks to us through other people. It is those voices we have to trust and discern. The media of the message or "call" is not important. What is important is the message.

I believe God is calling us when we are presented with an opportunity. It might be a new job. Perhaps it is a special event or a new relationship. But many would ask, "How do I know if the opportunity is genuine?" It is real if it gives you the potential to grow and can lead to fulfillment. I had a casual encounter with a parishioner recently who had just been laid off. She was thinking about going back to school and furthering her education. She was feeling a "tug" or "pull" in that direction. It appeared as a genuine opportunity.

I believe God is calling us when we are called to peace. Everyone faces times of crisis and chaos. Those are the times we are pulled in many directions, times when we’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. Those are the moments of our lives when we need a retreat or sanctuary or rest. People today don’t know how to relax. They don’t schedule time off. Instead they fill their leisure time with activity. This is especially true in relationships. When one spouse is watching a game on TV and the other is reading a magazine on the sofa, this does not lend itself to quality conversation or intimacy. Quality time together demands one another’s undivided attention and devotion.

How do we know if we are being called to peace? It is when the call or voice of God invites us to wholeness and oneness with God. It is being sensitive to the presence of God in everything we do, 24 hours a day.

The story of the calling of Lazarus is a call to faith. When we respond to the call of faith it leads to new life, renewal, regeneration or resurrection. To hear the call to faith is the most difficult. It is always the most compelling but also the most irrational.

To respond to that call is very scary. It means change. It means stepping into the unknown. Imagine how fearful it must have been for Lazarus to step out of that dark cave into the light in the midst of his friends and neighbors, not to mention many bystanders and strangers. The voice of God was one that he knew and trusted and therefore he responded.

After we hear the call we too must respond. But out of fear we hold on to what we know. It is safer to stay in hiding and remain in our caves than venture into foreign territory. Just as Jesus called Lazarus from the grave he calls you from whatever entraps you. You can be free. You can experience life anew. Are you listening? If so, are you willing to come out?

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio