20 April 2025

20 April 2025 - Easter Sunday

Transcript

Reading:  

Romans 6: 3, 9

Write:  

Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus  were baptized into his death? … We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.

Reflect:   

There is an old tradition that on Easter Sunday at the start of the sermon the priest tells a joke. The reason for that is because when Jesus rose from the dead it was the biggest joke God pulled on Satan. So with that in mind I have a joke for you to start.

A husband and wife, and his cranky mother-in-law went on vacation to the Holy Land. While they were there, the mother-in-law passed away.

The undertaker told them, “You can have her shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury her here in the Holy Land for $150.”

The man thought about it for a while and told the undertaker he would just have her shipped home.

The undertaker asked, “that is very nice of you to want your mother-in-law near you at home. But… why would you spend $5,000 to ship your mother-in-law home when it would be wonderful to be buried here and spend only $150?”

The husband said, “A man died here about 2,000 years ago. He was buried here and three days later, he rose from the dead. I just can’t take that chance.”

Friday night, I referenced Mel Gibson’s movie on the Passion. Rumor has it that he has started work on the sequel that he will call the Resurrection. That should be good! But what I referenced was a scene that depicted Satan’s defeat when Jesus died. The scene was an overhead shot at Satan, on his knees, screaming because he knew he was defeated. This is what we celebrate this weekend. When Christ died, death died. When Christ was buried, the grave became irrelevant. When Christ rose from the dead, the victory was… almost complete. What remains is for all of us to die, to be buried, and to rise again in Christ. This happened for each of us in Baptism. (And it will happen for you in just a few moments.)

But it is not yet complete for any of us. We see the gradual transformation in our lives as we defeat sin and grow in His Holiness that sets us apart from the rest of the world.

Because Jesus can die no more, as St. Paul reminds us, he leads us from death to life as well. Pay attention! The only death that is dangerous for any of us is the death of sin – or the death insin – but that death has already happened because of Baptism! Saint Augustine said: “[Jesus] effected a wonderful exchange with us, through mutual sharing: we gave him the power to die, he will give us the power to live.” What remains for us is the first part of my quote from Romans: we have to be aware that we were baptized into his death.

Again, as St. Paul tells us: “As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.”

(Tomorrow our reading from St. Paul is from Colossians.) St. Paul tells us that we are to “think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” And then the end of the reading: “When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.” Let me repeat that: “When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.”

The gospel readings for the Easter vigil and for Easter talk to us about the amazement – no, not amazement but astonishment – that the disciples experienced on that Easter morning. We will hear for the next couple of weeks the amazing stories of Jesus’ Resurrection. This year we will not have the story of the road to Emmaus for the Sunday readings. But, remember what the two disciples said: “were not our hearts burning within us as he spoke to us on the road?”

But I would leave you with one final point regarding Emmaus. The story tells us that they knew him in “the breaking of the bread.” That was a code phrase in the early church for the Eucharist! The Acts of the Apostles uses that phrase. This is something I have been thinking through the season of Lent because of the readings I have been doing. Did Jesus, as he broke the bread, say to these two disciples “this is my body”? I’m guessing, but I think that’s what he did! The gospel tells us that is how they knew him: in the breaking of the bread. That is why they ran back to Jerusalem.

Here, in this Easter season, can we recognize him in the breaking of the bread? It is because he rose and ascended to the right hand of the Father that he was able to do what he said he was going to do in being with us until the end of time. That is the gift of the Eucharist. That is why we give thanks here now on Easter Weekend. And, you remember that Eucharist is Greek for Thanksgiving, right?

As we once proclaimed during the Eucharistic prayers: “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again!” This is our faith. This is the faith of the church. And we are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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