Mar 22, 2026
What is resurrection—and what does it mean to truly live “in the
Spirit”?
In this powerful Lenten sermon from Grace Cathedral in San
Francisco, Malcolm Clemens Young explores the raising of Lazarus
(John 11) and the deeper meaning of resurrection—not just as life
after death, but as a transformed way of seeing and living now.
Drawing on the Gospel of John, contemporary historian Ana Racquel
Minian, Jon Levinson, Kevin Madigan, Athanasius and early Christian
witness, this sermon wrestles with a pressing ethical question: Is
it ever acceptable to cause someone to suffer for the sake of the
greater good?
From the tears of Jesus at Lazarus’ tomb to modern immigration
detention policies, this message challenges us to reject systems
that justify cruelty—and instead embrace the liberating,
life-giving Spirit of Christ.
✨ Themes include:
* The meaning of resurrection in John’s Gospel
* “I am the resurrection and the life” explained
* Christian ethics and the danger of utilitarian thinking
* Immigration, human dignity, and moral responsibility
* What it feels like to live “in Christ”
Like Lazarus, we are called out of our tombs—unbound and set
free.
📍 Grace Cathedral, San Francisco📅 Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year A)
The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, CA 2G6
5 Lent (Year A) 11:00 a.m. Eucharist
Sunday, March 22nd, 2026
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 130
Romans 8:6-11
John 11:1-45