Easter Sunday

The Challenge of Faith

Readings: Isaiah Acts 10:34-43; Ps 118:1-2, 14-24; Mark 16:11-8

Through baptism we have been joined to Christ in his death so that we can begin a new life. That is the bold claim of Easter! What a message of hope it is. It is the message we acclaim with joy as we ring bells and shout joyful alleluias.

But is it true? Can I dare to believe it? How do we know that Easter happened? How do we know the truth of the resurrection? There is only one answer to that. We believe because we have encountered the risen Christ in the experience of the Church.

But when I read the gospel it raises all sorts of questions for me. The women are heading back to the tomb. They are grief stricken at the events of the past few days. Their beloved leader has been executed like a common criminal. His followers have scattered in fear. They themselves are heading to the tomb with a sense of futility. They had seen with their own eyes the huge stone that had been rolled into place across the entrance to the tomb. “Who will roll away the stone for us? They murmur to one another. It is a formidable obstacle. They could have given up and gone back home. They could have given up hope. Yet they needed to do something. And so they gathered together the spices needed for embalming and headed to the tomb.

And when they got there, the stone had been rolled away. They went in, wondering how it had been moved. All sorts of things must have gone through their minds. Who could possibly have removed the stone? What further indignity had the authorities heaped on their beloved leader? They must have been filled with fear. And yet they dared to enter the tomb.

And they were greeted by a man. “Go and tell his disciples and Peter that he is going to Galilee,” he tells them as if it is an everyday occurrence. And what is their reaction to his message? Awe and shock! Terror stricken, they flee from the tomb. They run and hide. They tell no one. What kind of a message of hope is that? What are we to take away with us from their response to the empty tomb?

I must say that I can understand their reaction. It is the normal reaction of people faced with the death of a loved one, right from the need to be doing something to the shock and disbelief at what their eyes are telling them. Following a death there is nothing to do, and yet there is so much to do. Nobody goes to work. Nobody is hungry. Nobody has anything to say. Helpers feel helpless and in the way. There are so many things to attend to. Legal matters! The funeral! Music! Choosing the casket! Finding a burial spot! There are people, relatives and friends, to inform about the death. There are dozens of phone calls to make. The reception needs to be arranged.

And through all of that busyness you are trying to grieve. You need to feel anything through that sensation of numbness that overwhelms you. The death of a loved one brings you face to face with the reality of death. Life is not easy. Facing the death of someone you love is overwhelming. The hardest thing of all is facing your own death. We struggle to exist knowing that death is the one constant in our existence. We even joke about it – death and taxes. That is one of the many ways we have of coping with the knowledge that we will all die. We live in the present, refusing to even think about tomorrow. Or we live our lives in a kind of dream world where we don’t have to face reality

We began our Lenten journey with the symbol of ashes. It reminded us not only of our sinfulness, but also that we are mortal. Our Lenten journey has taken us from ashes to the cross, to the empty tomb. We look for hope. And Easter gives it. Easter proclaims that Christ is risen. Easter proclaims that death has been conquered. Once and for all! It gives us hope in life.

But back to that question, do I dare believe it? Consider the people who were eyewitnesses to the Resurrection. The holy women, those same women who scattered in fear when they saw the empty tomb! They became part of a Church alive in Christ. They had one of those ‘aha’ moments that are scattered throughout our lives. They got it. They began to understand the message of the empty tomb. They really got it! And in that ‘aha’ moment Easter entered their Good Friday world. It transformed them. It changed their grief and sorrow and pain into joy.

And it isn’t just the women who were transformed by the event. There is Peter, brash Peter who swore never to abandon Christ, but who denied ever knowing him. He became so fearful for his life that he ran away. But Peter became the rock that Jesus knew him to be. He preached Christ crucified; he proclaimed Christ risen from the dead.

And what is true of Peter is true of all the disciples of Jesus. Something so astounding happened that they began to proclaim their newfound faith in the risen Christ. Their fear turned to enthusiastic, spirit filled proclamation.

What about us? It is difficult for us to understand the terror of those first Christians. But it was well founded. They were in danger because of their allegiance to Christ. It is such a far cry from our experience of Easter. For us it means alleluias, special music, people we have not seen since Christmas, chocolate bunnies and Easter eggs. Those are not things that bring about terror or amazement. How do we recapture a sense of the wonder and awesome mystery at the heart of the Christian faith? Are we so anaesthetized by familiarity that we cannot fathom such feelings? Can we capture moments when that sense of awe breaks through? There must be moments on our journey when we say ‘aha’ and the light goes on. For a fleeting moment a door opens and we realize the beauty and the glory of the mysteries of Christ. We feel a sense of astonishment at the sheer grace and goodness of God. Those are moments to treasure and to keep. Those are moments that transform our lives.

Mark’s Easter account is full of Good News. It is good news that needs to be shared. They are to go to Galilee to meet the risen Christ. The resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith. And yet the ‘how’ continues to defy us. It is after all about going to Galilee. It is after all about meeting the risen Christ. It is not about proving through historical evidence or contemporary analysis. It is by living and acting on the basis that it is true despite any feelings or emotions or scientific evidence to the contrary.

The truth of the resurrection does not depend on me, on where I am, on my feelings. I can run away in fear. I can find myself unable to understand what is happening. But sometime I will stop running. Then I will see the face of Christ in those around me. I will boldly proclaim that Christ is risen. Alleluia!

Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed, alleluia

Easter Sunday, Year C

It’s Just Too Good!

Readings: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12

The women got up early and headed for the tomb. They went despite their fear and apprehension at all that had taken place over the last three days. They were filled with disappointment at what might have been. They were filled with grief over the death of the one they had come to love and trust. Others had run away in fear and confusion: but they were drawn to the tomb. They had some unfinished business. Because of the approach of the Sabbath, Jesus’ body had not been properly prepared for burial. They came bringing spice prepared for that purpose.

They knew what to expect. They had stood at the foot of the cross while others simply fled. They had watched as the life ebbed out of Jesus. When you watch someone die, the reality of death stays with you. They had received his body when the soldiers took him down from the cross. They had lovingly laid him in the tomb and watched, dumbfounded as a huge stone was rolled into place. And yet, they could not help but feel that this dead man was more alive than all of them put together.

And our God is a God of surprises! When the women arrived at the tomb they saw that stone was rolled away. When they entered the tomb Jesus’ body was nowhere to be found. The tomb was empty.

“Why look for the living among the dead?” they were asked. “Why, indeed! He is not in the tomb! He is risen!

And they believed it. They remembered what Jesus had told them. They did not just believe it. What they believed, they proclaimed. They went and told the others. “Christ is risen!” they proclaimed. And two thousand years later we still echo those words.

In the 1920’s Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to Kiev to address and anti-God rally. For an hour he ridiculed the Christian faith until it seemed that there was nothing left to believe. Then he invited the people to ask questions. An Orthodox priest rose and asked to speak. He turned, faced the people, and gave the Easter greeting, “Christ is risen!”

What do you suppose happened? All the people rose to their feel. “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” they replied, loud and clear.
Belief in the resurrection is the greatest sign that it happened. The women at the tomb saw and believed. It cannot have been easy for them. Faith in the resurrection was risky business for the early Christians. People gossiped about and plotted against those who believed that Jesus rose from the dead. The idea was so absurd and laughable that Christians were ridiculed and shunned, even persecuted for their beliefs. But that did not stop the faithful from spreading the message that Christ indeed was risen from the dead.

It has not stopped in over two thousand years. When asked, ‘What do you believe?’, Christians still respond, ‘Christ is risen!’ Though today we live in a world that is often indifferent to faith it is still possible to proclaim, “Christ is risen”, and have millions of people all over the globe respond, “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

What you say yourself in reply to the question is a choise you must make. You can argue with me and say that you cannot believe because there is not enough evidence, but we believe because we take it on very good authority.

One of my favourite writers, C. S. Lewis, writes the following in his book, The Case for Christianity. “Don't be scared by the word authority. Believing things on authority only means believing them because you've been told them by someone you think trustworthy. Ninety-nine per cent of the things you believe are believed on authority. I believe there is such a place as New York. I haven't seen it myself. I couldn't prove by abstract reasoning that there must be such a place. I believe it because reliable people have told me so. The ordinary man believes in the Solar System, atoms, evolution, and the circulation of the blood on authority -because the scientists say so. Every historical statement in the world is believed on authority. None of us has seen the Norman Conquest or the defeat of the Armada. None of us could prove them by pure logic as you prove a thing in mathematics. We believe them simply because people who did see them have left writings that tell us about them: in fact, on authority. A man who jibbed at authority in other things as some people do in religion would have to be content to know nothing all his life.”

And if it seems to good to be true, look for the signs of resurrection around you. Like the women on that first Easter morning, we frequently find ourselves heading into the tomb, to places and circumstances where we expect to find only death. It is truly difficult to believe in the resurrection when all around us we are experiencing death. There are the environmental issues that the world faces. Is our planet facing extinction? Many people seem to thing we cannot possibly do anything about it. We must simply learn to cope with environmental changes. We need to prepare ourselves better for the natural disasters, which are inevitable.

Do not assume death in any situation. Expect the possibility that God has been here before you. Even a small rolling away of stones indicates resurrection. People are becoming more aware of the need for stewardship of our resources, of their need to conserve God’s amazing creation.

Are there signs of Resurrection in this community of faith? There certainly are! For over a year, this congregation has been without a permanent priest. Yet it has been a time of spiritual growth and renewed excitement for the faith. There is a dedicated leadership that works hard on behalf of this congregation. So many people participate in the life of the parish. There is a strong sense of community. You are meeting your financial obligations. You are welcoming new people into the community.

Are there signs of Resurrection in your personal lives? Is God taking you in new directions? Look at what God is doing in your life! Look at where God is leading you!

At the heart of the resurrection is the one who participated in it, who died for it, and who, in a way we will never understand and must accept in faith, moved through death to us to build the kingdom of God in our own lives and in our society and time.

And if the message of Easter is simply too overwhelming to believe consider this story.

A young boy was an avid fan of both Captain Kangaroo and Mister Rogers. He watched both of their television shows. Then one day it was announced that Mister Rogers would be making a guest appearance on Captain Kangaroo. The little boy was ecstatic. He could hardly wait. He kept asking, “Is it today that Mister Rogers will be on Captain Kangaroo?”

Finally the day arrived. The family all gathered around the television. The boy watched for a time and then surprisingly got up and wandered from the room. His father was puzzled. He followed him and asked, “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“It’s too good,” the boy replied. “It’s just too good!”

Jesus is not in the tomb. He is risen from the dead. That is the Easter message. And it is too good!

Christ is risen, Alleluia! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
I

Easter, Year C

It’s Too Good!

Readings: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12

The women got up early and headed for the tomb.  They went despite their fear and apprehension at all that had taken place over the last three days.  They went filled with disappointment at what might have been.  They went filled with grief at the death of the one they had come to love and trust.  But while others had run away in fear, they were drawn to the tomb.  They had some unfinished business.  Because of the approach of the Sabbath, Jesus’ body had not been properly prepared for burial.  They went bringing the spices that they had prepared for that purpose. 
 
They knew what to expect.  They had stood at the foot of the cross when the others had fled.  They had watched as the life ebbed out of him.  When you watch someone die, the reality of death stays with you.  They had received his body when the soldiers took him down from the cross.  They had lovingly laid him in the tomb and watched, dumbfounded as a huge stone was rolled into place.  And yet, they could not help but feel that this dead man was more alive than any of them. 
 
And our God is a God of surprises! When the women arrived at the tomb the stone was rolled away.  When they entered the tomb, they did not find Jesus’ body.  The tomb was empty. 
 
“Why look for the living among the dead?” they were asked.  Why, indeed! He is not in the tomb.  He is risen!

And they believed it. They remembered what Jesus had told them. They believed it enough to proclaim it. They went and told the others, “Christ is risen!” And we still echo those words.  In the 1920’s Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to Kiev to address an anti-God rally.  For an hour he ridiculed the Christian faith until it seemed that there was nothing left to believe.  Then he invited the people to ask questions.  An Orthodox priest rose and asked to speak.  He turned, faced the people, and gave the Easter greeting, “Christ is risen!”  What do you suppose happened?  All the people rose to their feet.  “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” they replied, loud and clear. 

Belief in the resurrection is the greatest sign that it happened. The women at the tomb saw and believed. It cannot have been easy for them. Faith in the resurrection was risky business for the early Christians. People gossiped about and plotted against those who believed that Jesus rose from the dead. The idea was so absurd and laughable. Christians were ridiculed and shunned, even persecuted for their beliefs. But that did not stop the faithful from spreading the message that Christ indeed was risen from the dead.

It has not stopped in over two thousand years. When asked ‘What do you believe?’ Christians still respond, “Christ is risen!” Today though we live in a world that is often indifferent to faith it is still possible to proclaim, “Christ is risen!” and have millions of people respond, “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

What you say yourself in reply to the question is a choice you must make. And you can argue with me and say that you cannot believe because there is not enough evidence, but we believe because we take it on very good authority.

One of my favourite writers, C. S Lewis writes the following about believing. “Believing things ‘on authority’ only means believing them because you have been told them by someone you think trustworthy. Ninety-nine percent of the things you believe are believed on authority. I believe there is such a place as New York. I could not prove by abstract reasoning that there is such a place. I believe it because reliable people have told me so. The ordinary person believes in the solar system, atoms, and the circulation of the blood on authority – because the scientists say so. Every historical statement is believed on authority. None of us has seen the Norman Conquest or the defeat of the Spanish Armada. But we believe them simply because people who did see them have left writings that tell us about them; in fact, on authority. A person who balked at authority in other things, as some people do in religion, would have to be content to know nothing all his life.”

And if it seems too good to be true, look for the signs of resurrection around you. Like the women on that first Easter morning, we frequently find ourselves heading into the tomb, to places and circumstances where we expect only death.  It is so difficult to believe in the resurrection when all around us we are experiencing death. There are the environmental issues that the world faces. Is our planet facing extinction? Many people seem to think we cannot possibly do anything about Global warming.  We must simply learn to cope with environmental changes.  We need to prepare ourselves better for the natural disasters which are inevitable. 
 
Do not assume death in any situation.  Expect the possibility that God has been here before you.  Even a small rolling away of stones indicates resurrection.  People have become more aware of their need for stewardship, of their need to conserve God’s amazing creation.  The grass roots take on the responsibilities that governments opt out of. 
 
Are there signs of Resurrection in our community of faith?  There certainly are! We have a vision for this parish. We have dedicated leadership that works hard on behalf of this congregation. So many people participate in the life of our parish. We have a strong sense of community. We are meeting our financial obligations. We are a diverse community of faith. That brings so many dimensions to our life together.

Are there signs of Resurrection in people’s lives? Many in this congregation are experiencing difficulties in life. There are those who struggle with employment issues. Relationships can falter. We can experience economic hardships. Once again, do not assume death.  Maybe God is taking you in some other direction in your life.  Look at what God is doing in your life.  Look at where God is leading you. 
 
And at the heart of the resurrection is the one who participated in it, who died for it, and who in a way we will never understand and must accept in faith, moved through death to us to build the kingdom of God in our own lives and in our society and time.

And if the message of Easter is too overwhelming to to believe, consider this little story.

A young boy was an avid fan of both Captain Kangaroo and Mister Rogers. He watched both of their television shows. Then one day it was announced that Mister Rogers would be making a guest appearance on Captain Kangaroo. The little boy was ecstatic. He could hardly wait. He kept asking, “Is it today that Mister Rogers will be on Captain Kangaroo?” Finally the day arrived. The family all gathered around the television. The boy watched for a time and the surprisingly got up and wandered from the room.

His father was puzzled. He followed him and asked, “What is it? Is anything wrong?”

“It’s too good,” the boy replied. “It’s just too good!”

Jesus is not in the tomb! He is risen from the dead. That is the Easter message.  And it’s too good!

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The Great Vigil of Easter

Disappointment or Gift?

Readings: Acts 10:34-43; Romans 6:3-11; Mark 16:1-8

I remember a birthday. I must have been about eight. I had been dropping hints to my parents for months about getting me a chemistry set. I had my heart set on it. I saw myself as some budding scientist ready to make some amazing discoveries, ready to save the world. I had planned all the wonderful things I was going to do. I had read books about science. I was sure that my parents were not going to fail me.

The day arrived. The whole family trooped into my bedroom bringing brightly wrapped gifts. I had my eye on one package. It looked about the right size. But when I shook it I realized that once more it was clothing. I tried to hide my disappointment as I opened up my other gifts. My mother said, Aren’t you going to open that box?” And so reluctantly I took the wrappings off. I pulled out socks and underwear and a hand knit sweater. And then the light went on for me. There nestled underneath the clothing was what I had been waiting for all along. My disappointment turned to joyful expectation as I thought once again about all the wonderful experiments I was going to undertake.

The holy women heading for the tomb knew what to expect. It had been so exciting to be part of Jesus’ ministry. They had watched the miracle worker. They had hung on his every word. They had heard stories which made their drab lives seem rich and full of meaning. It had raised their expectations to new levels. And then the events of the past three days had shattered all of that. There beloved Jesus had been killed as a common criminal.

But in a state of shock, grief and sorrow they found themselves heading to the tomb. They knew not only the disappointment, but also the futility of going. They had watched as a huge stone was placed across the entrance to the tomb. Yet something drew them there. They carried with them spices for the burial, hoping against hope that somehow they would be able to find the strength to remove the stone. And when they got there they saw that it had already been moved.

Expecting disappointment and then finding the barrier removed filled them, not with excitement, but with fear. Who had removed the stone? Was it a trap? Were the authorities heaping yet more indignities on their beloved leader? But they put it all aside and entered the tomb.

A young man greeted them. “Jesus who was crucified has been raised. He is not here,” he said to them. And then he gave them their mission. “Go tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” It is simply too much for them to take in. They run in terror.

Later they will remember and reflect on all that took place. They will remember the emptiness of the tomb. They will remember the things that Jesus told them about himself. They will find themselves face to face with the risen Christ.

We all know disappointment in our lives. What does it mean to be disappointed by Easter? For many there is a deep disappointment that there is no proof of the Resurrection. “How can you believe such a story?” they say. “You are simply deluding yourself. It comes out of your own fear of death. You’re simply trying to paint a rosy picture, because you don’t want to face the fact that once life is over, that's it." Death is always a disappointment; it is an end to expectations. It leaves behind incomplete plans.

Whether or not Easter is a great gift or a great disappointment depends on our point of view. It is about opening the gift. It is about exploring our faith and opening ourselves to the great possibilities that God places in this world of ours. It is about capturing the moments when a sense of awe breaks through into our lives. It is about digging deeper into that gift bag of expectations, where underneath the socks and the underwear and the ordinary things of life we reach the real gift.

Tonight we bring into the body of Christ two of our children. We have Alyssa, a baby, brought by her parents Maurice and Carol. And we have Sierra, old enough to say the promises, but still needing the guidance of her parents to help her keep her Baptismal Covenant. Their parents and sponsors will promise to bring them up in the faith. It is so fitting that it should happen at Easter, for baptism is an Easter moment. Death and life come together in the waters of baptism.

Hopefully for all of us as we renew our baptismal covenant it is a time of grace and insight. As we complete our Lenten journey, as we read the faith stories, as we reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as we break bread together, let it be a gift. Let it be an ‘aha’ moment in your life when you see clearly the face of Christ, when you realize the beauty and the glory of the mysteries of Christ. Let it be a time when you feel a sense of astonishment at the sheer goodness of God. Let it be a time to treasure and keep as a moment of grace.

Let us see the resurrected Christ in those around us. Let us shout with confidence, “Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!”