Sermon Note: The Home of God

Introduction

This week, we gather for All Saints Sunday, a time to remember those who have entered life eternal over the past year and reflect on God’s promise of resurrection. Our scripture readings today remind us that God is not distant but makes a home with us. In John 11, we witness Jesus deeply moved by grief as he raises Lazarus, giving a foretaste of the resurrection hope we share in Christ. The passage from Revelation 21 points to the ultimate fulfillment of that hope: a new heaven and new earth where mourning and pain are no more, and God wipes away every tear.

In both texts, we see a truth we must carry with us: God is with us in our sorrow, but sorrow does not have the final word. I have quoted Frederick Buechener before, saying “The worst thing is never the last thing.”  Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, invites us to live in this hope now, knowing that even in the face of death, God’s new creation is already breaking in.

Illustration Video

Why this video?

In this powerful scene from Coco (2017), Miguel plays the song “Remember Me” for his great-grandmother, Mama Coco. Throughout most of the film, Mama Coco has been silent and motionless, seemingly lost in her memories. However, as Miguel sings, she begins to move, sing along, and remember her father. This transformation reflects the themes of love and remembrance—showing how connection can bring life and healing, even across generations and even through grief. This moment echoes Revelation’s promise that God’s presence makes all things new.

Video Discussion Questions

1. How does Miguel’s song help Mama Coco reconnect with her memories?
2. What does this scene teach us about the importance of remembering loved ones who have passed?
3. How does music or storytelling create connection across generations?
4. What emotions come through as Miguel sings? How do these emotions reflect both grief and joy?
5. In what ways can remembering someone help you find hope or healing?

John 11:32-34 (NRSVue)

³²When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. ³⁴He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵Jesus began to weep. ³⁶So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” ³⁷But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

³⁸Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Revelation 21:1-6a (NRSVue)

¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ²And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;
⁴he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”

⁵And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.”

Scripture Discussion Questions

1. What is the significance of the “new heaven and a new earth” in Revelation 21:1?
2. What does Jesus’ weeping tell you about his relationship with Lazarus and the people around him in John 11:35?
3. What does Jesus’ prayer in John 11:41-42 reveal about his relationship with God?
4. How does the raising of Lazarus point to Jesus’ resurrection?
5. “Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone’” (John 11:39a). What might the “stone” represent in your life, and how are you called to remove it?
6. Grief and hope often sit side by side. On All Saints Sunday, we allow space to honor both. Grief is not a sign of doubt but an expression of love. We mourn the losses in our lives, and we hold onto hope for God’s coming kingdom and the renewal of all things. What is one way you will bring hope or healing to someone experiencing loss or despair this week?
7. How can you live out hope and renewal in your daily life (see the Weekly Action below)?
8. What helps you hold on to both grief and hope without letting one overshadow the other?

Weekly Action

This week, consider reaching out to someone you know who is experiencing grief, loss, or loneliness. It could be through a phone call, a card, or even a small act of kindness. Offer them your presence, listening ear, or words of encouragement—an act of love that reflects the hope of God’s new creation. Just as Jesus wept with Mary and Martha and still brought hope through resurrection, we too can be companions to others on their journey, embodying God’s healing presence.

Prayer

Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the promise of a new heaven and a new earth, where you will dwell with us forever and for the gift of resurrection and new life. Fill our hearts with compassion and hope. Guide us to be instruments of your healing in the world. Strengthen our faith and empower us to live as witnesses of your love and power. Amen.

Disclosure: This Sermon Note was created by LJUMC staff with the support of AI tools.