Readings: Romans 6:3-11 & Mark 16:1-8

Paul says to the Romans, “But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”  As we celebrate the sacrament of new birth with Joanna and Lauryn that is exactly what we affirm.  Through baptism we have been joined to Christ in his death so that we can begin a new life.   

That is the bold claim of Easter! What a message of hope it is.  It is the message we acclaim with joy this evening as we ring bells and shout joyful alleluias.  Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!   

But is it true?  Can I dare to believe it?  How do we know that Easter happened?  There is only one answer to that.  We believe because we have encountered the risen Christ in the experience of the Church.   

But when I read the gospel for this evening it raises all sorts of questions.  The women are heading back to the tomb.  They are grief stricken at the events of the past few days.  Their beloved leader has been executed like a common criminal.  His followers have scattered in fear.  They themselves are heading to the tomb with a sense of futility.  They had seen with their own eyes the huge stone that had been rolled into place across the entrance to the tomb.  Yet they needed to do something.  And so they gathered together the spices needed for embalming and headed to the tomb.   

And when they got there, the stone had been rolled away.  “Go and tell his disciples and Peter that he is going to Galilee,” a man tells them.  And what is their reaction?  Awe and shock! Terror stricken, they flee from the tomb and tell no one.  That doesn’t sound like much of a message of hope.  What are we to take away with us from their response to the empty tomb?   

Life is not easy.  Facing the death of someone you love is even harder.  The hardest thing of all is facing your own death.  We struggle to exist knowing that death is the one constant in our existence. We even joke about it – death and taxes.  That is one of the many ways we have of coping with that knowledge.  We live in the present, refusing to even think about tomorrow.  Or we live our lives in a kind of dream world where we don’t have to face reality . 

We began our Lenten journey with the symbol of ashes as a reminder of our sinfulness, but also as a reminder that we are mortal.  Our Lenten journey has taken us from ashes to the foot of the cross and now to Easter.  We look for hope.  And Easter gives it.  Easter proclaims that Christ is risen.  He has conquered death.  Once and for all! It gives us hope in life. 

But back to that question, do I dare believe it?  Consider the people who were witnesses to the Resurrection.  The holy women, those same women who scattered in fear when they saw the empty tomb, became part of a Church alive in Christ.  They had one of those ‘aha’ moments.  They got it.  They began to understand the message of the empty tomb.  Easter entered their Good Friday world.  It changed their grief and sorrow and pain into joy.   

And there is Peter, brash Peter who swore never to abandon Christ, but who denied ever knowing him.  He became so fearful for his life that he ran away.  But Peter became the rock that Jesus knew him to be.  He preached Christ crucified; he proclaimed Christ risen from the dead.   

And what is true of Peter is true of all the disciples of Jesus.  Something so astounding happened that they began to proclaim their newfound faith in the risen Christ.  Their fear turned to enthusiastic, spirit filled proclamation.   

What about us?  Joanna and Lauryn have made a commitment to the gospel this evening.  They have entered the waters of baptism.  They have died to sin.  They have begun a new life in Christ.  We have recommitted ourselves to the promises of our baptism.  That makes us new people, focused on new goals, compelled by new motives, committed to new objectives.  We have been reborn.  We are free to love and accept ourselves and to dedicate our lives to loving others.   

So what are you looking for in this new beginning?  What difference is it going to make in your life and in the lives of those you touch?  If we have encountered the risen Christ then it is up to us to boldly proclaim that Christ! He is Lord of all!   

Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed, alleluia!