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First of all, on behalf of the clergy and staff of Incarnate Word, I want to wish you a very holy and happy Easter! To our parishioners, I hope this lent and this time of rejoicing in Christ’s victory offers you countless grace and hope. To our visitors, please know we are happy to have you with us and you are welcome anytime!
I recently read about a story, a rather tragic one, about a man, his wife, and his ever-challenging mother-in-law who went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. While they were there, the mother-in-law passed away. This sort of thing is a nightmare when it happens at home; even more so when it occurs in a foreign land. The mortician told them, “You can have her body sent home for $10,000, or you can bury her here in the Holy Land for $150”. The man thought about it for a while and told the mortician she must be taken taken home for the funeral. The undertaker asked, “Why…. why would you spend $10,000 to fly your mother-in-law home when it would be wonderful to be buried here in the place which is considered holy to so many, all the while saving lots of money?” The man replied immediately, “A man died here 2000 years ago. He was buried and three days later, he rose from the dead.” “I just can’t take that chance.”
It is good to have a laugh, hopefully many of them on Easter Sunday. It is a day of joy and celebration and that spirit is reflected in the flowers, the decorations in church and at home, the joyful music, the Alleluias, even the Easter outfits, and for some, fancy hats, which all proclaim our joy in the renewal of the world. The celebration of Easter stands in stark contrast to our commemoration of Good Friday. Just two days ago, there were no flowers, no alleluias, no triumphant music. There was simply the Cross.
And yet, both Good Friday and Easter, as well as Holy Thursday, are bound together as one celebration, the celebration of the Paschal Mystery. Before Jesus’ sacrifice, mankind had lost the ability to enjoy eternal life. Humanity’s sin to push God out of our lives, destroyed that relationship. The rejection of God allowed the devil to have free reign over the earth.
But God never gave up on us! In the fullness of time, when all the pieces were in place, Jesus came as the new Adam, the one who would choose life. Through a mystery beyond our understanding, Jesus’ death was the means for restoring life to us. Jesus rose from the dead and became the source of redemption to all who believe in Him. He is infinitely more than a good guy, a miracle worker, social reformer, or wise teacher. He is Savior, Redeemer, and King of Kings! This is why we call out Alleluia. We are dead no more, but alive in the Lord.
It is necessary and helpful for us to be reminded often of the Easter Miracle and what it means for us. We have a very short attention span and we quickly move on to the next thing that piques our interest or needs to be addressed. It is possible for us to go weeks, months, and years without reflecting on how close we came to complete and utter disaster as a human race. Without God’s intervention, we would have no remedy for the sin, suffering, and darkness which afflict us. With the Rising of Jesus that first Easter, the war between good and evil, life and death, light and darkness, took a decisive turn. In fact, at that moment, the war was won for God and for those who love him. All that remain are the final battles. But the result is certain. God, and those who follow him, will be triumphant. Coming soon is a world of endless joy, peace, and goodness.
That is the source of our joy today and that is why we celebrate the resurrection every Sunday. Easter marks the moment when everything changed. Even though the perfection of what Jesus started is not here quite yet. Even though we must endure the sufferings and injustices of an imperfect world; we know that this pain is temporary and soon all things will be brought in line with God’s perfect plan. One of the great saints of our Church, St. Augustine, had a phrase he liked to use which was, “happiness in hope. He used it a number of times in his great work, The City of God, to describe the Christian attitude in life. It is true we have to do everything possible to bring peace and justice to the world, this is our way of serving Christ’s presence in the poor and downtrodden. We certainly have to protect the lives of those who have been conceived but are not yet born. We cannot turn our backs on people who are suffering, whether they be Americans or people in another country. We have to demand that those in leadership use their authority justly and for the good of others. And yet, we know that in the end, our society cannot provide lasting happiness for anyone. Human society can only provide lasting happiness if it is united to God, if it is a City of God.
We Christians have eternal life as our happiness and hope. Easter is the celebration of that hope and a reminder of our destination. Our hope is that we will share in the fullness of the New Life Jesus won for us. Our faith provides sanity, direction, and purpose to our lives. Sickness, death, turmoil, unemployment, and all sorts of other crises enter our lives, but our faith in the Resurrection gets us through it all by allowing us to have happiness in hope. No one can take the Risen Savior from us. No one and no situation, no matter how terrible, can take His Presence from us.
This then is the Gift of Easter Sunday! May the life of the Risen Lord flow through our veins, so every thought, word, and deed of our lives may shout out: Jesus lives and can die no more! May we all be happy in the hope of eternal life and may this be the best and most joy-filled Easter yet!
