Sermon
– Easter Sunday – Year C
Hallelujah, the Lord is risen!
On Palm Sunday we cheered him.
On Maundy Thursday we
remembered him.
On Good Friday we jeered and
crucified him.
And,
today, Easter Sunday, our high holy day, we celebrate his resurrection.
Indeed,
our lord is risen!
Yet,
what a journey to that point.Those who were closest to Jesus and others who
were faithful followers of his. As they scattered, each to their own thoughts …
I wondered how they would answer the question, “So, how was your week?” as
unknowing friends might ask. Unknowing friends, may not be aware that as their
rabbi was taunted, tortured, and crucified their world was turned upside-down …
and not for the better. They scattered, Peter denying Jesus three times,
others, hiding in that upper room. They had given their lives for naught (or so
they thought). Where to go? How do we escape this? What to do? Even the news …
the good news of the resurrection by the women on Easter morn was even more of
a challenge … unbelievable to their ears. “These words were to them an idle
tale” the Gospel tells us.
God
did a new thing.
This new
direction was the promise of God.
You
see, we come to this morning and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the
messiah, the Christ, who has indeed turned the world upside-down, on its ear
(so to speak) for the better. He came to teach us … to give us an example of a
God life … a good life … by which we are to live. He reminded us of the love of
God … Love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your might and
with all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Very simple. Very
simply stated with includes everything we need to know in order to go forward. The
old has become new yet once again; new in its simplicity.
God,
through Jesus, gave the extreme example to show us the way. And God continues
to show us the way … in new ways as we struggle and strive to live into God’s
intentions for us.
We are called to be unconditionally loving
servant leaders who show radical hospitality to all. No exceptions.
This a
new era of understanding as to what will be like to follow Jesus … not as
princes of the church, but as servants of the people. Look at our world. Look
at our country. A world divided. A country consumed by divisive politics. Love
the lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your
might; and love your neighbor as yourself.
This
week Pope Francis chose to wash the feet of Muslims … a new thing. All around us there are good things happening
… and, this morning, we are invited to be part of those good things happening.
We are here to celebrate that, yes, it is possible to live another way. We are
here because we believe that. We believe that the resurrection of Jesus is
about the resurrection within each of us.
During
this holy time, many of us have become closer to God and to one another during
our Lenten Bible Study, using ancient scripture in a way that brought life to
those words in our day to day lives and having the courage to share our stories
with one another.
During
this time we have reached out to others in an attempt to find our role as
Jesus’ disciples in this time, this new time, to bring that love to our neighbors.
We are discovering how to love one another so that it shows for the whole world
to see. We are re-discovering what it means to be followers of Jesus in this
new day and age and how to take our place at the table in order to do so.
Yes,
the risen Christ, is our hope … hope for a new light to dawn. It is real. It is
palpable. I can feel it in the air. Can you?
I
invite you to ask God this morning … this morning of the resurrection … just
how God intends to use you in this new Spring of your life. How will you
manifest the resurrection in your heart and in your mind and in your soul as
you leave this holy place this morning?
And
this, dear ones, is the good news of Easter morning. You are invited, yet once
again, to a new beginning.
And we
can pray that this good news be felt in all corners of the world this
particular Easter … in a world divided, a country divided … with God’s help,
love can and will overcome all.
Alleluia!
The Lord is risen! Thanks be to God.