Life and hope - raising of the widows son at Nain

Our gospel today (Luke 7:11-17) has the incredible account of the widow’s son being raised from the dead in a town called Nain. Nain was a small town about 14 miles from Nazareth, and it remains today a small town of about 1500 residents. And yet, in this small unremarkable place, Jesus did something spectacular. He raised someone from the dead.
As the funeral procession was in progress Jesus saw the mother – and he had compassion. And the people praised God for his power, and life in Nain perhaps went back to how it was before… or perhaps it didn’t – we don’t know.
To get the full importance of the story we have to remember that this was a widow and the man who had died was her only son – she was totally dependent on him and without him, life would be a constant struggle. She would have no money, potentially no food and perhaps even more important than that, she would have no place in society.
By giving her son back, remarkable as that was, Jesus had done so much more that day in Nain. He had given this widow her life back too.
To say why Jesus came to live on earth would take hours – there were all kinds of reasons but amongst the most important was to offer hope for people for the future, and an example of how to live now. This widow was without hope and Jesus restored hope. Yesterday I had a little fight with my ipod – it was telling me it was full and I couldn’t put any more music on it.
On there was quite a lot of stuff I didn’t need but it wasn’t easy for me to work out how to get rid of it ! Eventually though I did – getting rid of the things I didn’t need or want allowed me to put in the things I did. It’s a simple story, but so often that can happen in our lives.
We need to assess what we have – what we need – and what we want, and maybe to allow in some of the things we need and want we have to get rid of something else. Yesterday in London was a big rally organised by IF Campaign. For those who haven’t heard, the campaign, supported by many Christians and Christian organisations as well as many others, has been set up to emphasise the point that there is enough food for everyone in the world IF…
IF a number of things happen – things like recognising that each night nearly 1 billion people go to bed hungry, and that each year 2 million children die from malnutrition. And then after recognising those facts, lobbying governments and others to do something about it. Poverty has been considerably reduced throughout the world in the past 10 years but there is so much still to do in order to bring hope and life to people everywhere.
Things like the IF campaign should challenge us all to see where our priorities are in life – things like the hope Jesus brings should challenge us all to see how we enjoy that hope and share that hope.
Jesus came to bring hope and transformation and he left his church to do the same. Apologies to those who were at evensong just over a month ago as I’m going to use a quote I used then from Bishop Tom Wright, who used to be the Bishop of Durham.  He said that 'everywhere St Paul went there was a riot - everywhere I go they serve tea !’
The gospel message is a radical one of transformation, of hope, of incredible love and compassion… and sometimes we can take it for granted. Sometimes the message becomes so familiar that we accept it without praising God and wanting to be part of the hope and transformation that is needed today.
There are people still living without hope – people close to us, and people much further afield. There are people still living as victims of injustice whether it be in this country or further afield. People who are still living without food in a world of plenty. People who are living amidst conflict whether it be in their own personal circumstances or in the middle of a war situation. There are people who are lonely or sick or depressed who need someone to listen to them, to be with them, to pray for them.
There are people who don’t know where to turn who need to be pointed to Jesus. Jesus who, in an ordinary unremarkable place like Nain, did the remarkable and Jesus who continues to do spectacular things in ordinary situations today because he is interested in the ordinary things. He is interested in our everyday lives. He is interested in us. Jesus, who loves and cares for every single one of us, as if we were the only person he loves and cares for.
Sometimes when we look around though we don’t know what to do – situations of distress seem to be too great for us to cope with, and we back away thinking we’d like to help but simply don’t know what to do. But whether it be meeting up with and helping people face to face, or taking out aid or medical supplies, or speaking up in public for justice and peace and hope, or signing a petition, standing in a protest, sending some money to a charity, helping in a charity shop, or offering regular prayer for people who are struggling or any number of other things, we are doing something.
And we need to be doing something. The early church that St Paul knew was radical – involved in transforming lives and in supporting one another and other people too. And that has been the story of the effective church through the centuries – a church that is making a difference, that is offering hope, that is praying for the kingdom of God to transform the whole of our world.
There’s a story of Sir Christopher Wren who was visiting St Paul’s Cathedral as it was being built. He found 3 people doing exactly the same job – shaping a bit of stone. He went up to each of them. He said to the first, ‘Do tell me, what are you doing ?’ And the man replied, ‘Well I am shaping this stone – I want to make it into an arch.’
He said to the second man, ‘What are you doing ?’ and he replied, ‘I’m building the east window’. And he went to the third and asked him the same question and he replied, ‘I’m building a cathedral’. Every one of us has a part to play in building the kingdom of God – in working with him to transform lives and even the whole world.
It is an incredible calling – and there is a role to play for every one of us. God doesn’t just call the young and the healthy, or the older and wiser people, or the prayerful or studious, or disciplined – he calls us all to search out our role and to play a part in transformation.
The Christian journey is a wonderful journey of faith and fellowship. Of faith in a God who can empower us all to do remarkable things in his name, and of fellowship with others whom he gives us to share the highs and lows of our life’s journey. Together we can do incredible things for God using our own gifts and talents – the gifts and talents given to us by God.
We must be sure not to leave it too late to get on board – not to leave it to others thinking they’ll do it better, not to leave our own relationship with God on the back shelf, or restricted to being operational only on a Sunday… There’s a story of two young boys coming home from school. The grandmother of one of them was sitting in her chair reading the bible. The boy was a little embarrassed and whispered quietly to his friend, ‘Don’t worry about her, she’s just swotting for her finals !’
God wants us and God needs us now. Not for him – he can do things without us. But he needs us for our sakes – he needs us because to enjoy the fullness of life that he wants for us all, we need to be caring for people and for the world around us. We were created as beings to enjoy relationships, and whilst relationships can sometimes be difficult, it is relationships that ultimately fill our lives.
Relationships with people, and a relationship with God. Relationships that offer hope and transformation to others, and that offer hope and transformation for us.
In General Booth’s last speech to the Salvation Army, he gave a summary of what really inspired him in his life and work.
‘While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight; while little children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl on the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight. I’ll fight to the very end !’
And he did… Why shouldn’t we?  AMEN