Sermon: Easter Day Mattins 2014

Preacher:

Date:

Sunday 20th April 2014

Service:

Mattins

Readings:

Exodus 14:10-18; 14:26-15:2

Revelation 15:2-4

Listen:

Download Recording (MP3, 11.9M)

Resurrection made it onto the front page of The Guardian yesterday; well, onto the front page of the sports' section at least.

The Resurrection of Portsmouth FC.

 

The revival of this once bankrupt football club is in large part due to the commitment of the local community.  The transformation depended on a sense of place and sense of history; in also relied on a vision for outreach and building new connection. Pompey is once again a source of local pride; the fans chant we will never die with determination, conviction and hope.  

The sports' editor chose the word resurrection to capture the turn from financial failure to a more optimistic future. But resurrection is not a reversal of fortunes through human endeavour.

Resurrection is the assurance of love, forgiveness and hope at a cosmic scale: in Christ, God's redemptive power defeats sin and death; in baptism we die and rise with him; in the Spirit, we live with new hope.

The hashtag EasterMeans has been used by Christians to say something about the meaning of resurrection  in the realm of Twitter: love wins, creation made new, light overcoming darkness, Jesus lives, joy and hope, freedom. 

Perhaps we associate Easter with eggs, chickens and bunny rabbits - all of which signal new life.  The chocolate egg still captures something of the mystery and power of resurrection: a hollow shell calling us back to the empty tomb; an abundance of chocolate pointing us to the promise of life in all its fullness.

Yesterday, on Holy Saturday, our youth group used that time of waiting and expectation to consider what Easter means to them. They remembered the pain, suffering and betrayal that accompanied Jesus' death on the cross; they spoke about the women who found an empty grave; they expressed the breaking in of light and joy, forgiveness and new life.

It might seem odd then that neither of today's readings mention the resurrection: no garden, no tomb, no tears, no risen Lord calling by name; we don't hear misunderstanding wonder and confusion of resurrection morning.  This narrative 'gap'  creates a different sort of space. Space to consider God's purposes for the whole world: resurrection as fulfilment of promise.

We are caught up in the full sweep of salvation history: of God's steadfast love drawing us back into right relationship with him and restoring us to live rightly with all creatures.

The readings take us back to the calling of God's ancient people the Jews; they lead us forward to a time when all nations will worship. Both readings resound with songs of praise; our songs echo that  joy today as Alleluias resound in this building; on our hearts and lips.

The Disney retelling of the story of Exodus, The Prince of Egypt, had the tagline: The power is real; the story is for ever; the time is now.

The power is real: the people of Israel owed its freedom entirely to God; the story continues to be retold and to unfold.  The time is now - God's power breaks into human lives, revealing his steadfast love.

When the people of Israel looked back and saw the  Egyptians pursuing them, they cried out in fear.  At that moment, the constraints of slavery seemed to them preferable to death; they didn't quite believe that liberation was really possible.   Yet God was with them:  they walked onwards into a future they could not envisage; into God's future.  There on the banks of the Red Sea they sang of God's glory, strength and might.

That song of praise resounds in the book of Revelation: it is a book full of vibrant kaleidoscopic imagery, it overloads our imaginations with light and colour, sea and fire.  It evokes a future where God's promise from the beginning of all time will be fulfilled. A new song of redemption is heard: victory, amazing deeds, justice and truth. 

For God alone is holy.

All nations will come and worship.

Today we have a foretaste of that vision: of justice, hope and peace.

God is love.

Father, Son and Spirit: one God.

Creating, redeeming, sustaining: one act of generous love poured into our lives, calling us to be his people.

The hope that inspired ordinary people to follow Jesus; the vision that drew young and old to listen to him; the voice that spoke words of compassion and healing; the love that touched lives is far more robust than anything we can do for ourselves. He alone is God with us; overcoming power of death.

Resurrection is about hope, conviction, vision and transformed community; but unlike the resurgence of a football club resurrection is not something we bring about.   Our song is not a grim determination to survive; but the Alleluia that all has been accomplished. Our restoration is not for sporting season; rather we glimpse the way things are destined to be for all eternity. Our sorrows, our betrayals, our tears and our bewilderment are born by God, and transformed into joy.  We are assured that we are loved: now & always.

Today we remember and celebrate that God has not given up on us; that God's love is stronger than sin and death.  What looked like a lost cause is just the beginning of transformation breaking in; even in the midst of frailty and uncertainty. We  are to agents of God's reconciling love: practicing habits of forgiveness, building trust, deepening bonds of affection. Love calls us our of darkness into light:  to embrace that service which is perfect freedom.  Our acts of justice and compassion become moments of resurrection hope and glory.

Israel was brought out of Egypt.

Easter is now: hope overwhelms death; new lift bursts forth; we now live in the light of eternity.

All nations will worship.

Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the end, Alpha and Omega, all time belongs to him, and all ages. Amen.

Let us pray:

May the light of Christ, rising in glory, banish all darkness from our hearts and minds. Amen.