Today, on this fifth Sunday of Lent, we hear all about God offering us new life.
We hear the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:12-14) assuring the Jewish people being held in captivity by the Babylonians that God would “open their graves”, restore them to their homeland, and “put his Spirit in them” so they could live anew.
In his letter to the early Christian community in Rome (Romans 8:8-11) we hear Paul emphasize the importance for us to dispose ourselves to God so that God’s Spirit might dwell in us so that we might be lifted up to newness of life in Christ.
And in today’s gospel (John 11:1-45) we hear of the miracle of the raising of Lazarus. And the key is to realize that we are not just talking about God’s power to lift us up at the end of our lives, but to realize that we can experience the power of Christ’s resurrection every day of our lives. If we have faith in God and trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can experience his saving power each and every day. By turning to God and putting our lives in his hands we can be lifted up out of anything that separates us from God. We can be lifted up out of our anxieties, worries, and other daily preoccupations. We can be lifted up out of disappointment, discouragement, and despair. We can be lifted up out of those “worldly” desires that sometimes cause us to place God’s desires second. We can be lifted up out of those all too human tendencies that cause us to sin.
God loves us and is faithful to us – always! He promises to lift us up to a new life. This promise is for right now! This is why Jesus came to walk among us, to teach us, to serve us, and to die for us. This is why he sent his Spirit to dwell in us. Jesus is the resurrection and the life for all of us. Jesus is offering us a newness of life right now! It’s ours for the taking. All we need to do is remain open to the working of God’s Spirit dwelling within us.