Cliff Loesch March 9, 2008 John 11:1-45 Awakening      Imagine for a moment that you are Lazarus.  You had been sick and your condition was worsening.  The concerned looks on your sisters' faces were intensifying day by day-even as they assured you that Jesus had been contacted.  Surely he would be here soon-any minute, in fact.  Just hang on.  But time passed and Jesus did not arrive.  Mary and Martha's hope faded away even as Lazarus' life slipped away.  Still, Jesus did not arrive.  There was much grief and a burial-followed by days of mourning.  Finally, four days after the burial, Jesus showed up.  Still overcome by grief, both sisters said to him, separately, "Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died."  It had to be heartbreaking to hear this-even though Jesus had purpose in his actions.  The eleventh chapter of John goes on to tell us that Jesus went out to the tomb where Lazarus had been laid, followed by all the mourners that were there with them.  When he proposed rolling away the stone, Martha protested saying that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  It would not be pleasant.  But Jesus persisted.  The stone was rolled away and Jesus said boldly, "Lazarus, come forth."       Now there are a couple of different ways to look at this scene.  But before we look at the joyful possibilities that are presented by this encounter, let's look at the actual experience itself.  Remember that I asked you to imagine that you are Lazarus.  You suddenly wake up and hear someone calling your name.  You are extremely disoriented and you have no idea where you are.  Furthermore you are wrapped inside a cocoon of some sort-bound from head to toe.  Getting up is no easy task.  But you roll around and manage to stand and then to hobble out toward the light.  Frankly, it doesn't seem like your finest hour-at least not yet.  You are more than aware of the unpleasant smells.  And you are not sure what to expect.  You recognize the sound of Jesus' voice.  Then you hear your sisters talking excitedly.  Then you are aware of a whole group of people out there-and now they're shouting as you emerge from the darkness.  As you are standing there a little dazed by the whole experience Jesus then gives the word to unbind you and let you go.  You realize you are the center of attention.  Everyone is focused on you-and this might not be a welcome idea.  Then several hands reach out and start unwrapping your cocoon-and you're wearing what underneath the grave clothes?  You find yourself standing there exposed and extremely vulnerable-not exactly at your best-in a crowd of people.  But the crowd itself can be divided into two groups.  In the inner circle is a group of supportive friends and family.  They are there to lovingly help you through this experience of awakening.  But the outer circle seems to be simply a crowd of onlookers.  They're just standing there gawking-with their jaws wide open in amazement.      The process of awakening may not always be as cataclysmic as Lazarus' experience.  And transformation is not always so public.  But think about what happened that day.  Think about that outer crowd of onlookers, for example.  Even they were changed.  Something happened to their level of belief, I suspect.  They had an increase in belief.  The text tells us that many who came with Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him.  And their view of the power of God completely changed that day, too.  How many people in this world need an increase in belief?  Perhaps we, too, sense the need for an increase in faith.  And what about the power of God?  An experience where we catch a glimpse of the power of God in our world is an experience each of us likely desires.  When we can see the potential force for good-the power-that the presence of God brings into our world, then we begin to have hope. The world simply begins to look like a more hopeful place when we see that God is present and involved.      This experience that Lazarus had-as awkward and disorienting as it might have been-touched the lives of many people.  And though, indeed, the people in the outer circle benefitted from the experience, think for a moment about the inner circle.  Think of those who lovingly unwrapped his bindings and think of how they were there to support him as he emerged back into life.  And can we ask ourselves how can we be there for others as they go through times of awakening and transition and transformation?  Just as we hope there will be people to help us through our times of change-how can we be there for others?      We should also focus for a moment on Lazarus, himself.  What would that be like to realize that you have some time left after thinking that your time was gone?  What would you do with it?  I have a feeling that Lazarus realized more than most of us how every day is a gift.       There is yet one more part of this story that I want to highlight-and that is Jesus standing outside the tomb calling for Lazarus.  Let me say, first of all, that I have never personally seen a miracle of resurrection like this incident with Lazarus and I don't really expect to.  But this encounter in John is actually one of my favorite passages in the Bible.  Not only does it stretch my faith and challenge me to realize how great is the power of God, but this passage also speaks to me in many other ways as well.  In a metaphorical sense, I ask, in what ways am I dead and in need of awakening?  That's a good question-but it's nearly impossible to know the answer.  If we knew the ways we need to be transformed then the process would already be started.  What are the ways we can't even see that we are yet to be changed and awakened and transformed by the power of God?  God has to reveal it to us.       And how is Christ calling out to us?  Just as Jesus stood there calling for Lazarus to come forth-what is Christ saying to us?  Like Lazarus we might not know what the future holds.  We might not feel ready for this new adventure and we might have trouble doing it on our own.  We might feel intimidated by the crowds of gawkers who stare in disbelief-wondering if we are going to fall flat on our face.  Indeed, falling flat always seems like a possibility-especially considering the struggle of those first steps.  But this passage causes us to consider our need for awakening and it challenges us to listen intently and to respond to the voice of Christ.