“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:3-11

“When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.” Mark 16:1-8

This service has it all.  This night really is the pinnacle of the church year.  It is the theological heart of the three day paschal remembrance we call the “Triduum.”  We start with a pillar of fire, we read ancient stories of faith, we have a baptism, we invite you to a feast, and we hear the good news of the resurrection.  For forty long days we have been preparing for this moment, and tonight we are finished with the waiting.  This is what we have been waiting for, this is why we sit in vigil tonight.  A vigil is a sitting and waiting.  The true meaning of a vigil is a period of purposeful sleeplessness and devotional watching.  Some families sit in vigil when a family member dies.  They sit and wait, often in silence, for there is nothing to say, for the deceased is deceased.  Tonight we watch the events of the empty tomb and we wait for what we know is to come – Christ has been raised, has conquered sin and death, and we watch for opportunities and for new paths to follow that lead us to that day when we share in the resurrection.

In 1994, a Colorado city council decided that “Dead End” signs were too depressing – they needed to carry a more uplifting message.  They decided that all of the “Dead End” signs would be replaced with new signs – signs that said “No Outlet.”  One resident said, “Every time we would drive onto the road to our condo, there’s that “Dead End” sign….it just isn’t very pleasant.”  Now I agree that no one likes to see a dead end sign when they are hoping to find the right path to their destination.  Nothing kills your enthusiasm more then a “Dead End” sign.  And yet, dead ends are a part of life.  In fact this phrase “dead end” is such a part of our vernacular today.  Sometimes we find ourselves in a dead end job, a dead end career, or even a dead end relationship.  All of these examples mean there is “no hope for the future.”  For those who nailed Christ to a cross and laid him in a tomb, well they thought and believed that the cross was a dead end not only for Jesus, but for his followers as well.  And they believed that once Jesus was dead and gone, his influence on others would die with him.  The cross, after all, was the ultimate “Dead End” of the first century.  If you were crucified, there literally was no hope for the future.  So when the women set out that dark Easter morning, they knew they were heading to Christ’s “Dead” body – his “Dead End”.  They had experienced their own long vigil, a sleepless night of grief, watching and hoping against all hope that somehow the events of the last 24 hours were just a dream – that Jesus was not dead.  But how could that be?  Crucifixion meant “No Outlet”.  Jesus was gone, gone for good along with their hopes and dreams for the future.

Let me ask you a question?  When is a “Dead End” not a “Dead End”?  When is death not an end to life?  When G-d steps in is the answer.  When G-d decides the route, the path, the journey: then a virgin gives birth; then the lame walk; then the blind see; then the dead rise to new life.  When G-d steps in, dead ends become “new beginnings”.  On this night, we laugh in the face of death.  In Christ, death is no longer a “dead end”.  This is true because through the resurrection of Christ, we have the promise that we too will share in his resurrection.  Death is now the gateway to new life, not just the gateway to a grave. Faith in Christ’s resurrection brings us hope and joy that the end of our lives will not be, well “The End”.  But it is “The End” of my sermon.  Christ is Risen.  He is Risen Indeed. Alleluia.

Pastor Dave

“When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew — Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, ‘Here is your King!’ They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.’ Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews”, but, “This man said, I am King of the Jews.” ’ Pilate answered, ‘What I have written I have written.’ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.’ This was to fulfil what the scripture says,

‘They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.’
And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:13-30

The Seven Last Words of Christ refer to the final seven phrases that Our Lord uttered as he hung on the Cross. These phrases were not recorded in a single Gospel but are taken from the combined accounts of the four Gospels. Many Good Friday services will give brief sermons on each of these phrases. That is what I have done for you today:

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34)

When Jesus was hanging on the cross he asked for forgiveness for the people who were responsible for this great evil, and he gave a reason that they should be forgiven. He said it was because they were ignorant of their deeds. If knowledge and experience was the key to happiness and morality then we would be the most virtuous people who ever lived. But we are not the most virtuous – we are as sinful as any who have lived – we are not innocent.

Our Lord’s Passion was so horrific because He was so innocent. Sinning against someone of infinite virtue brings with it infinite guilt, but as He hung there on the cross he asked that the offenders be forgiven. Through our sins we too are equal parties in Passion, but we have an equal opportunity to be forgiven. And it is through our participation with the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism, along with repentance and forgiveness that we receive the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

“Truly I tell you today you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk 23:43)

Our Lord’s second last words were in response to the good thief who said “remember me, Lord, when you come into your Kingdom.” When you compare the good thief with the bad thief you discover that the difference between them is in their wills. One recognized the injustice of Christ’s crucifixion and asked to be forgiven; the other mocked Jesus. The good thief is rewarded for his repentance.

Everyone has a cross to bear and in bearing it we become perfected in G-d’s eyes. We should not think of our suffering as a punishment because it is given to us for a reason. The tragedy in the world is not that there is pain, but that it is often wasted. The reason we tend to be such mediocre Christians is because we refuse to let G-d lead us through the good and the bad. When the Virgin Mary heard the voice of the Archangel Gabriel, she did not ask what she needed to do; she said she would allow G-d to do what she needed to experience. We too must be like clay in an artists hands.

“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” ²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” (Jn 19:26-27)

When someone says to you, “You have your own life to live”, remember that you live it along side everyone else. As a Christian, love of neighbor is inseparable from love of G-d. The value of relationships is exemplified in Jesus’ third last words. The tragedy of the Passion united Christ’s family just as tragedies continue to unite people today. As Our Lord was hanging on the cross he united His mother with the family of the disciple whom he loved.

By referring to His mother as “woman” He distinguished her from just being His own mother and gave her to all of us. The night before, Our Lord willed His body to us at the Last Supper. At the foot of the cross he willed us His mother too. Even on the cross, Christ honors His mother.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mk 15:34)

Our culture is increasingly overrun with problems of addiction. Untold numbers of people struggle with alcoholism, pornography, and violence. These are the torments of a world in despair and people who feel increasingly disconnected from each other. Feeling abandoned we might call out the same words the Our Lord did, but His words had a different meaning. The fourth last words of Our Lord come from the first line of Psalm 21. This is the psalm that says, “my bones have been numbered and they have drawn lots for my cloak.”

But while the first half of the psalm is about suffering, the last half of the psalm is about hope. It ends with an acknowledgment that whatever happens, we are assured victory over our enemies.

There was no darker hour for Jesus than His crucifixion, yet He trusted His Father in spite of all the contrary appearances that things would end well. He was not abandoned or forgotten but He had to suffer before claiming His prize. For the person who has hope, there is no obstacle that can’t be overcome. For the person who despairs, there can be only darkness. We must pray in confidence that every prayer of ours will be answered, and even when the answer is no, we have to be mindful that comes from the outpouring of a Father’s love.

“I Am thirsty.” (Jn 19:28)

The fifth last word of Christ echoes Isaiah 55:1, “Come, all you who are thirsty.” Whether you acknowledge it or not, everyone has a thirst for G-d – or at least a thirst for understanding things that are beyond our comprehension. Everyone desires something deeper and seeks someone higher. As Our Lord hangs on the cross, He says that it works two ways. As we thirst for some knowledge of G-d, G-d is always thirsting for a relationship with us. And though we tend to want G-d, we also proof before we will commit to a G- who seems so far away. We fail to realize that it is we who have distanced ourselves from G-d and not G-d who remains distant from us – G-d will always seek us like a shepherd seeks a lost sheep.

G-d thirsts for the souls of even the worst sinners, and while no one can deserve G-d, everyone can receive Him.

“It is Finished” (Jn 19:30)

The expression used by Our Lord can be found three places in Scripture. It is found in Genesis after creation; in Revelation at the end of time; and here on the cross. It means that what was done is now perfected and for Christ it marks the end of His hour. During the wedding feast at Cana Jesus first mentioned His hour. He told his mother that his hour had not come; it was not time to begin his mission. For His hour, which lasted three years, it would be a time of mortification, suffering and death. For us it has to be the same thing.

Many people are frustrated in their lives because they have rejected the cross. Instead of pursuing a relationship with Jesus, they try to fill their lives with worldly substitutes. Instead of embracing the mysteries of religion, they embrace murder mysteries on television. They criticize people and religion for the very things they despise in themselves. They are consumed with themselves – and Jesus says we must deny ourselves to follow him. It is only in surrendering ourselves as Christ did that we become receptive to His grace.

“Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.”  (Lk 23:46)

Our Lord called out His final words in a great voice; meeting death head-on. Rather than wait for death to come and take Him, He used His perfect freedom and chose to die. There are two kinds of freedom. There is a freedom from something and freedom for something. Most people prefer the first kind of freedom because it is easier. Freedom from vegetables, freedom from oppression. The second kind of freedom is much more difficult because it implies a responsibility that can often be a burden. Freedom for the opportunity to choose, freedom for the opportunity to change. To understand the supreme nature of this kind of freedom we have to look at Christ on the cross.

There are only three things we can do with our freedom. We can direct it selfishly towards ourselves; we can scatter it among a thousand trivial things; and we can surrender it to G-d. Uncontrolled freedom will always lead a person into slavery. Those who are empty can be filled, but people who are intoxicated with their own egos have no room for G-d. Only when you have displaced the ego, the “me”, then you can find freedom in Christ. It was His self-giving sacrifice that made possible the Resurrection – and new life possible for all.

Pastor Dave