Wake Up!            Pentecost 3c          June 10, 2007

On my recent trip to England, we visited London for three days. It was a great city, with many great sights to see like Big Ben, the Tower of London, the British Museum, just to name a few. But one sight we tried to find was Charles Dickens, House. We walked following th signs, but they didn’t lead us to it. It was getting late, and we had to give up our search. Maybe the next time we get to London, I’ll allow enough time to hunt it down.

Another person we met had been to Dickens’ house. He said that it was a rather ordinary old house. London is full of many old houses! The only thin extraordinary is that Dickens had lived there. As a minister, I am keenly aware that most of his stories always have a message about the social gospel. By that I mean that he constantly is talking about the distance between those who are on the way up, and those who are on the way down.

His most famous work, and perhaps the most famous novel of all times is called “The Christmas Story.” I doubt there isn’t one person here who has not at least heard the story of Tiny Tim, the crippled boy, and Mr. Scrooge. Mr. Scrooge is haunted by his own conscience, the ghosts of Christmas past and future that convinces him that he will die alone if he does not show compassion.

Charles Dickens wrote another story that has a message about the distance between the rich and the poor. Let me read the first few lines, and see if you can name this story.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the winter of despair . . . "

This is the beginning of Charles Dickens' classic novel, "A Tale of Two Cities." Dickens' novel tells about life in Paris and London in the last half of the eighteenth century. In both cities, life was very good for some but very bad for others. The contrast was striking.

So I often wonder, what is it that makes life seem so very good for some, but very bad for others? Certainly the economy has a lot to do with it. People that can’t afford food, clothing and shelter have a very difficult life just trying to survive. It is true that money can't buy everything, but it can buy many things. Money buys food, housing, clothes, all the things it takes to make life livable. A brighter man than me once wrote, I've been rich and I've been poor, and I'll tell you, rich is better. In Fort Worth, we are at a crossroads. We have many nice, livable neighborhoods. We have people who have made extraordinary wealth, the recent influx of natural gas money has added even more wealth to those who own large tracts of land in the area. But we also have many neighborhoods that are poor, unsafe, and struggling just to pay for food and utilities.

In comparison to Fort Worth, my own hometown is even more divided between rich and poor. There are places like my home town, Atlantic City, where money flows in from the 13 casinos that are based there. Yet in that same city, about half the residents live in deplorable conditions. To use Dickens words, "It is the best of times. It is also the worst of times.” For all its wealth, Atlantic Cities living conditions are terrible. The contrast with a place like Jonesboro is striking. Now I understand that this is an economic and political problem, and I will leave the economic decisions to the business people and government. I have opinions about that, just like you. But the basic assumptions we have about justice and peace, the value of human life is what the Bible and the story of Jesus teach us.

In the seventh chapter of Luke, we find this striking contrast, the story of two crowds. In the first part of the chapter, Jesus healed a centurion's servant. We can presume that the Roman centurion was quite wealthy, with several servants. When Jesus miraculously healed his servant, crowds of people were excited about this, and they followed him to a city called Nain.

As Jesus and the exuberant crowd entered the city, they met another crowd going in the opposite direction. Unlike the happy and excited crowd coming with Jesus, they were a funeral crowd. They were making their way out of the city to bury a widow's only son. What a contrast! To use Dicken's words, for one group, it was the "season of light." For the other, it was the "winter of despair."

In the churches, I often see this kind of contrast. One Saturday morning, there was a wedding. In the wedding, there was the joy of the love and hope that a man and woman had found in each other. You didn't have to hear the words they spoke to each other, you could see it in there eyes, by watching how they embraced each other once they made their vows. "For better for worse, in sickness and in health," they vowed lifelong devotion. The couple leaves in a flurry of bird seed, a symbol of fertility and life. For them, their friends and family, it was the best of times, "the season of light ."

That same afternoon, we had a funeral crowd. A young man had been killed in an accident. His wife and two young children sat there stunned, unable to fathom this tragedy. For their friends and family, it was the worst of times, "the winter of despair. "

There is this irony in life, like the changing season of the year. We all experience the winter of despair, and the season of light at various times in our life. There are times when we are satisfied and happy with life in our families, as if it will go on forever. But then suddenly we can experience some kind of loss that leaves us stunned and sorrowful. Grief, followed by denial, anger and indignation, are all rolled over and back into the confused state of the soul.

In Jesus ministry, he saw the two crowds, the wedding crowd and the funeral crowd met at the city of Nain and the contrast between the two. The crowd that followed Jesus heard him speak and act with the authority of God in both places, the rich and then the poor. After Jesus healed a centurion's servant they were wondering if he would be the messiah, one to save the whole country and end all suffering.

When the Jesus crowd saw the funeral crowd, no doubt they were ready to let the funeral procession pass by. It was a common courtesy back then, just as it is today. Jesus however, would not let that happen. He did not move aside as expected. Instead, when he saw the young man's mother, his heart went out to her. He told her not to cry, and then touched her son's coffin. He said, "Young man, get up!" He got up and immediately began to talk. Jesus gave the young man back to his mother. Now her tears were no longer tears of sorrow, but tears of joy.

At first, the crowd was afraid. Who wouldn't be once a dead man suddenly springs back to life! But then their fear turned to excitement and praise. So now the two crowds could join together in a celebration of life and praise of God and Jesus. A transformation had taken place in these crowds. Jesus had demonstrated he can conquer sickness and death.

The good news of Jesus can make that same transformation for each of us. The cross of Christ demonstrates that Jesus has power over all the evil in this world, even over death. His winter of despair came when he died on the cross. He died unjustly and violently. He was beaten and humiliated. His was a treatment not fit for any human being, much less the perfect Son of God. All evil was defeated when Jesus rose that first Easter morning. He forgave our sin. Today our faith is centered a new day, the season of love and light has begun.

We are the crowd following Jesus. We have a hope and joy that cannot be taken away. No longer are we rocked to and fro between good times and hard times in our lives. We can live life knowing that the dead are asleep in Christ. We have the promise that a new day is dawning when Jesus Christ will wake those who are asleep. We can choose to live knowing his righteousness and goodness will prevail over the forces of sin, death and evil.

Our funeral services are celebrations of the new life we have in Christ. I recently heard about a funeral service in a black church that transformed tears of sorrow into tears of joy. As usual the preacher offered words of comfort to the family, and assured them of God's presence in spite of death. But then he went to the casket, and said, now its time to say good night, so good night. With a loud bang, he shut the casket lid and said, "We know God's going to give you a great morning. " Then the choir sang a song called, "In That Great Getting Up Morning." A transformation took place as a spirit of joy and thanksgiving filled the air.

We Lutherans might not be as dramatic as that church, but we can have that same transformation in our hearts. When we keep with the Jesus crowd, we will keep the faith, the certain trust and hope, no mater what season on life we are in. We too can keep the faith that the dead are not lost. Even though we cannot wake them from their sleep, Jesus will. We know that Jesus has come to our city. As we turn to Jesus, and drink his cup, we too can turn our winter of despair into the season of light. Amen