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!”