12 April 2020
Text: Mark 16:1-8
In the name of +
Jesus. Amen.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Christians
have been greeting each other this way for hundreds of years. It is said in every language. And it summarizes the entire Christian faith
in a way that has become how Christians say “hello” to each other.
For
Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s plan. Tempted by the devil, they thought only of
themselves. And their sin brought death
into the world, and everything else that goes along with it: the struggle for
survival, conflicts, violence, and yes, even viruses. None of this is God’s will.
But
for us fallen men, and for the gift of our salvation, God took flesh for our rescue. He kept the Law for us. He fulfilled God’s plan for us. He overcame the temptations of the devil for
us. He did not think of Himself, but in
love obeyed His Father and He saved us! He
conquered death for us at the cross. And
His rising from the dead is a both a victory lap, and a preview for what is to
come for us!
That
first Easter morning, the Marys went to the tomb expecting to find a body. Instead, they found an angel who told them not
to be afraid, who told them that Jesus had risen, who told them to send word to
the apostles who would break the news, the Good News, to the whole world.
For
indeed, to this day, the whole world is afraid. The whole world is confronting death. The whole world needs to hear the Good News
that Jesus left His tomb empty, so that ours too will be empty.
And
no matter what some may say, the services of the Church are “essential
services,” for we have the Medicine of Immortality, and we have the Good News
to share with a frightened and dying world, even as we Christians boldly and
joyfully greet one another:
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Amen.
In the name of the Father
and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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