Easter Sermon
(4/8/12) John A. Baldwin
Alleluia! The Lord is Risen! The
Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
A Western visitor to Communist
China in the early 1970's was witness to an astonishing moment. During a meal
in someone's home, a person lifted a glass of wine & said in a low voice,
"We remember". The visitor knew instantly that what was being
remembered was something which couldn't be spoken about openly, but which was
still alive & vibrant underground, namely, that on the night before he
died, our Lord Jesus Christ lifted a glass of wine & said "This is my
blood, which is poured out for many."
When there was a thaw in the
Chinese government's ban on religious life some years later, it was revealed
that, despite severe repression, the Christian faith had continued quietly in
house churches. Today it is estimated that there are well over 40 million
Christians in China, perhaps even as many as 130 million. What kept the
Christian faith alive in very dangerous times was "memory" of the
saving events in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without that
"memory" Christianity in China might well have perished.
Yet, thus it has always been. As
Christians, down through the centuries, we are people who remember. Every time
we gather together to worship, we make time to recall the life of Jesus, his
wisdom & insight into who & what we are, his sacrificial love &
compassion, his call to discipleship, and his invitation to lead lives
connected to & nourished by God.
On Easter morning we relive the joy,
wonder, and awe of the women & Apostles as they hear the incredible news
that their beloved teacher & friend, has passed through the ravenous jaws
of death, and has emerged triumphant on the other side of tragedy. Without our
annual remembrance on Easter morning, our weekly remembrance in the celebration
of the Holy Eucharist, and our daily remembrance in prayer, reflection &
study, our faith grows dim and flabby, and sadly, for some, dies altogether.
Amidst the stress & challenges
of our daily grind of work, school, or household routine it is all too easy for
our memories to fade...for us to lose sight of the power of the Gospel's “Good
News”, of a loving, merciful God; of forgiveness & redemption; of healing
& wholeness; of the joy & power of life in Christ; and of the promise
of everlasting life.... news that seems “too good to be true” at times, yet is.
The early disciples, and the
Israelites before them, recognized how vital it was that the meaningful
encounters with God they'd experienced be remembered
and passed on to generations yet
unborn. The Seder meal, vital to the life of a faithful Jew, is centered on
remembering the Exodus from Egypt. The Holy Eucharist, vital to the life of a
faithful Christian, is centered on remembering the Last Supper of Jesus had
with his Apostles, and his exhortation to continue celebrating this meal in
remembrance of Him. We must...we have to...remember these events
in the drama of salvation, lest we lose touch with the God who created us, and
who redeemed us in Jesus Christ.
Memories are precious to us. When
asked what we would try to save if our house were on fire, many would answer
“our photographs', which call to mind, times in our lives we don't want to
forget. Being remembered on our birthdays & anniversaries is very important
to most of us, because it says we matter and are loved. Losing our memories to
Alzheimers or Dementia is sometimes more tragic than death itself. Memories can
sustain us through times that are tough and troubling. They can remind us of blessings,
and give us hope for blessings still to come. Even painful memories are
important because they serve as reminders of times we've fallen short of the
grace of God....of times when we've yearned for something more and better.
Yet, memory is something we take
far too much for granted. In reality, we're often not really very good at it.
Events capture our attention briefly, but quickly fade in a few days, weeks, or
months. Who really remembers where the last riveting news story took place once
the media has moved on to something new?
Having been on TV myself several
times over the past 3 weeks, and even on the front page of the Virginian Pilot,
I am realistic enough to know that my “15 minutes of fame” will soon fade away,
and be forgotten. The public has a very short-term memory, and that can be kind
of scary.
Without an ongoing attempt to know
and remember the living Christ in prayer and scripture, we are vulnerable on
the one hand to skeptics who water down faith to nothing more than simple moral
rules of conduct, and on the other hand to fanatics who misrepresent Jesus in a
very narrow way for those too lazy to encounter Jesus ourselves.
Memory for Christians is essential
to our faith. The memory of our sins & short-comings reminds us of our constant
need for forgiveness. The memory of the life, death & resurrection of Jesus
Christ reminds us of the refreshing good news of God's love and grace.
So on this Sunday morning, let us
remember. Let us allow the joy of Easter to pour over us, reliving the wonder
of that holy moment at the Garden tomb and the events which followed; recalling
moments of joy and blessing we have experienced in our lives; and rejoicing in
the promise of new life and hope in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Alleluia! The Lord is Risen! The
Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
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