Sermon; Easter Day 2019

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Welcome to the best day on the Church calendar. This is the day when angels and archangels, seraphim and cherubim, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and the whole host of heaven gather to rejoice and sing, for darkness has been vanquished by our eternal king.

This is the day when we have been led out from the bondage of sin and restored to grace and holiness.

This is the day when Christ broke the bonds of hell and rose victorious from the grave.

This is the day when wickedness is put to flight and we are reconciled to God.

This is the day of new life.

This is the day of holy, joyful, celebration.

This is the day of resurrection.

We have come here today to celebrate this new life. We have come from far and near to bear witness to the resurrected Christ. We have come to testify that life has been changed, not ended.

If you are a long-time member of this parish, welcome to the celebration.

If you are a new member of this parish, welcome to the celebration.

If you are a semi-regular visitor to this parish, welcome to the celebration.

If you are a first-time visitor to this parish, welcome to the celebration.

If you have never set foot inside a christian church but dropped in to see what all the fuss was about, welcome to the celebration.

For this is the day the Lord hath made, let us be glad and rejoice.

Today life has been changed, not ended; and that is what Mary discovered at the tomb. Early on the first day of the week she goes to anoint the body of Jesus; but when she gets there, the body is gone. After a few encounters with angels and disciples, she encounters the risen Christ. She doesn't recognize him for who he is, because life is changed, not ended.

Eventually she understand that this is the risen Christ. That realization causes her to reach out and take hold of him. But life is changed, not ended, and that change causes Jesus to say, “don't hold onto me, but go and tell my brothers . . .”

On this day, Christ is victorious.

On this day, darkness has been vanquished.

On this day, death has been defeated.

On this day, the gates of hell have been broken down,.

On this day, we have been reconciled to God.

On this day, life has been changed, not ended.

On this day, all are welcome to the celebration.

On this day, those who are near and those who are far, those who have spent a lifetime in faithful discipleship and those who are new converts and those who war taking their first steps of exploration gather to say, “Alleluia! Christ is risen!”

On this day, go and announce to people near and far, “I have seen the Lord.”