Circle of Life
from Helen
Today is passion Sunday, it is the last Sunday before holy week begins. This means we are nearly there, holy week and Easter are just around the corner. Passion Sunday is the Sunday when we remember Jesus going into the time before His death.
It seems strange to be thinking of Jesus going to His death this early on, in our readings we have heard of God bringing life out of death and yet we are thinking of Jesus journeying to the cross – it makes no sense !
To me the answer is in the Disney film the Lion King, my favourite Disney film by the way. The film begins with the music ‘The circle of Life.’ This is a great opening and it shows all the animals in the film coming to see the head of the Lion Pride Mufasa offering his new born cub Simba for everyone to see reminding them that something new has happened something that will change their lives.
This new thing is something that we heard about in our reading from the book of EzekieL (37:1-14). In this reading Ezekiel was led by God to a valley of dry bones and he was told by God to watch as God brought life to these dry bones. This was God showing Ezekiel that out of death He can bring something new, a new life, into the old, dry and dead God breathed life.
The circle of life began again for the dry bones and it came from God breathing life into the situation.
In our gospel reading (John 11:1-45) we heard the incredible story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Again, God breathing new life into a situation. There are quite a few things we can notice about this passage to do with both the circle of life and the circle of love.
Firstly, Jesus waited after hearing the news about Lazarus, to be honest I think most of us at hearing such sad news would rush straight to the family of the person who had died. Mary and Martha showed their faith in Jesus when they said that if He had been there it would not have happened. Jesus waited though. It was as if He knew what He was going to do and was making sure that Lazarus was definitely dead so that when He raised him from the dead no one could say, ‘well, Lazarus had only been knocked out.’ Jesus waited long enough for Martha to say that Lazarus’ body would be smelly by now.
Jesus breathed new life into what was already definitely dead. The circle of life again – God breathes new life in and things change.
Jesus had a discussion with Martha which showed that He wasn’t just able to believe like Martha in eternity but He was the resurrection. He didn’t just believe in the resurrection, He was the resurrection.
Jesus was close to the family as a whole, and so it makes perfect sense that when He saw Mary He sat and wept with her. It was as if for one moment Jesus put aside the knowledge that He could save Lazarus and thought of His loss. Jesus didn’t arrive all guns blazing and superhero like but as one who understands what it is to grieve and as one who understands and offers love.
Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb. It really must have been quite a shock for a dead man all wrapped up to suddenly come out of the tomb and walk towards Jesus. Jesus was in control, He had the power to breathe and bring life. He responded to the circle of life with love. Love which He offered to Lazarus and His sisters. Love which He offers to us all.
What Jesus did for Lazarus is exactly what happened to Him. He was dead, really dead there was no doubt about it but He rose. Jesus offered life, He is the resurrection and the life. Jesus breathes life into everything and that life is all because God loves us, each and every one of us. No matter who we are God loves us.
That is the main bit about the circle of life. God gives and is life, God invites us to know Him so that we can experience the joy of being part of the circle of love. The thing with this circle is that it has no end it just keeps growing and growing as we enter into relationship with God.
So what does all of this mean? Well, God brings and gives life to us. When we are having a difficult time, when we are hurting we can know that God calls us to join with Him in His circle of life both now and in eternity and also that no matter where we are God calls us to be in the circle of love. Of course, this also means that we need to share the good news that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
There is always hope, because Jesus lives so we know that He will never leave us. Jesus went to death for us and as we get ready to start our journey with Jesus to the cross next week so we can know that it was all for us so that we might be part of the circle of life and love and so others can join as well by us telling them about Jesus.
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