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St. Andrew's Church
An Anglican Church • Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Preached by
Stuart Pike
Rector
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Easter Vigil A 2008
Matthew 28: 1-10
22 March 2008
St. Andrew's Church, Grimsby
Tonight's worship is, I think, my favorite of all the year. It is so packed full of meaning and all of its symbolism really resonates with me.
We begin with the Church in darkness (the darkness of the empty tomb.) We wait outside and start a new fire - a symbol of life and light flickering just outside the dark place of grief and death.
Notice that the fire is outside the tomb. Jesus has escaped: he is free. He is out there where we live. Later on in the scriptures, we will hear of how he meets his disciples around another flickering fire on a beach in Galilee - the way they used to be, in a place familiar to them.
But for tonight, we take the flame of this new fire to light the Paschal candle - the Easter Candle - the New Life candle, and we enter the darkness of the empty tomb. At first it is only one tiny little flame in all the darkness of this great tomb. It seems so small and insignificant.
But then, the acolytes light their torches from the paschal candle and as the people follow they each light their tapers from those torches. The people flow into this tomb and it is filled with light. The empty tomb is transformed into a Church. The light shines in the darkness and a miraculous transformation happens. It is a transformation that is a reflection of our own lives.
Without this miracle of Easter, we would be a people without a direction to follow. We might even be a people which had no hope for the future - we might even be a people which believed that our physical world and our physical lives were the best which we could hope for. There are many people in the world like that.
But the miracle of Easter transforms us into a people of faith and hope and life. Each one of us carries a candle of this light and life.
At this service we enter once again into the deep mystery by which we were transformed. We renew our own baptismal vows and covenant and seal that covenant with the water sprayed on us from the baptismal font.
The drops of water falling on us take us back to our beginning as Christians. The chilling spray re-members us into the body of Christ. We remember who we are and what our calling is.
We, the baptized, are the ones who believe in the God of the Trinity: God our Father, creator of everything that is; God called Jesus, the human son of God, who walked into our lives and into our nature and showed us how to follow him; and God the Holy Spirit the breath of God which blew over the surface of the chaotic waters of creation, and churned them into form and substance according to her purpose. She is the God who blows into our staid and dusty lives and changes our directions and our minds to this day - and keeps us a people renewed and changing and moving.
We, the baptized, are the ones who are covenanted to come together in worship and repentance and renewal. We are the ones who covenant to seek and service Christ in all people, to tell of his wonderful news of life and to respect the dignity of every human being.
We, the baptized are the ones who followed Jesus into his death, that we might rise with him to everlasting life. We went down under the waters of baptism and we have returned to new life. All the reading of tonight service, which tell of God's plan of salvation for his people, are made complete in this last Gospel story: the story of the ultimate victory of good over evil, of light over darkness, and of life over death. As baptized people, this is our story.
It is we, the baptized people, who live this victory and tell of its power. Without you, this building would simply remain an empty tomb. With you and your light it is the Church, for you, collectively are the Church.
But let us not be confused about our purpose and our calling. We come to this beautiful building to be reminded and remembered as the Church. But Jesus burst out of the tomb to be free, and, likewise, our purpose as the Church is out there: in our lives. To take our light outside and to shine in the darkness: to love and to lead, to bring people back with us, that they too might believe and be baptized and tell the astounding news of life and light to a world which so desperately needs to hear this message.
The Gospel story says that the women, the two Marys left the amazing scene of the angel at the tomb. They ran with fear and great joy. They were so joyful that it was fearful! And it was as they were doing what was commanded them that they meet Jesus - in the midst of their task. And it is there, in the midst of our task - as we bring the light of joy out of this Church and into our lives that we will meet the person of Jesus as well. Alleluiah, Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! Amen.
