Life!

Easter Vigil
April 11, 2009

The Reverend Paul Abernathy

“So we must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”^[1]

The Easter proclamation, “Alleluia! Christ is risen!” is the allegation of an incredibility. Something beyond belief.

The incredibility is not the miracle, which, for most, lies at the heart of Easter. That Jesus, after being executed, came back to life. Yes, resurrection is miraculous. But that doesn’t explain the overwhelming significance that people have made of it over two millennia. Even in the first century, accounts of awakenings from death were common. Thus, even then, the proclamation of Jesus rising from the grave would not have been new news.

Easter’s incredibility isn’t about Jesus, but us. For if the miracle is all about his rising from the dead, his new life, then why should we celebrate?

You might say, “But Paul, that’s the point. It’s all about our immortality. As Jesus lives forever, so will we!” Fair enough, but Jesus rising from the dead doesn't necessarily mean that it will happen to us. For all the New Testament witness that Jesus, in his humanity, was just like us,^[2] clearly he was a special case. And even if his rising does mean the same for us, immortality or living forever isn’t a very pleasant prospect. This life as it is in this world as it is is not something I wish to endure forever!

Yet, immortality is a wonderful idea precisely because it envisions a life and world other than this where all is well, where love and justice are victorious. But here and now, little is ever well, all is never well, and to the cry for love and justice the persistent answer from the mouths of worldly principalities and powers and, at times, from our own lips is “No!” So, given what we know, what reason is there to imagine anything other than this?

In asking this question, we behold Easter’s incredibility. Easter proclaims that once in this life and world the last word was not “No,” but “Yes,” not death, but life!

As I read the gospel story, Jesus came to proclaim the nearness of God’s presence: “The kingdom of God is at hand!”^[3] Jesus not only proclaimed it, he personified it. Wherever he went, whatever he said and did, in him love was embodied and justice enfleshed.

Then, he was murdered. This world shouted “death” to God. A death that for the first disciples was the last word. But as Mark tells us, “early on the first day of the week when the sun had risen”^[4] something incredible happened. Exactly what, I don't know. But whatever it was, for those first disciples it meant that once in this life and world love and justice prevailed. To the world's constant cry, “Death!” God answered with the indefatigable declaration, “Life!”

Easter is incredible because it proclaims life! And if we dare receive this word, then we must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

If we dare confront and confess the truth about the continuing brokenness of this world and our lives where little is ever well and all is never well…

If we dare hope even for a moment that God's first word of life at the dawn of creation that breathed into being all that is will be God's last word at the close of this age bringing into being all that will be…

If we dare live each day as if this is so, therefore, daily daring to love justly and to just love…

Then to the cry, “Alleluia! Christ is risen!” we will know how to say, “We are risen indeed! Alleluia!”

[1] Romans 6.11. The epistle text appointed for the service is Romans 6.3-11.

[2] Hebrews 2.17

[3] See Matthew 4.17 and Mark 1.17.

[4] Mark 16.2. The gospel passage appointed for the service is Mark 16.1-8 (including the Shorter Ending of Mark).