My Thoughts Trinity God Words of Wisdom Easter kenneth.ashigbey April 9, 2012 0 Comments

Rev Fr.Akesseh Sermon on Easter

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

There is twofold significance to this solemn Easter Vigil,

A.On the one hand, it is the prayerful memory of the mirabilia Dei(Great works of God), in the re-presentation of key texts from the Sacred Scriptures, from creation to the sacrifice of Isaac, to the passage through the Red Sea, to the promise of the New Covenant.

B.This evocative vigil is the trusting expectation of the complete fulfillment of the ancient promises. The memory of God’s work reaches its climax in the resurrection of Christ.

1.There are four sets of symbols that run through Easter Vigil: light and darkness, life and death, slavery and liberation, water that destroys life and life-giving water.

Lets dwell a little more on the first set: light and darkness. We started this celebration in darkness for a very important reason. It is to help us reflect on what it means to be in darkness, both physical and spiritual. It is also meant to bring out the contrast between light and darkness. This contrast between darkness and light washighlighted in the fire-lighting ritual that is only a preparation for the lighting of the new Paschal Candle.

In blessing the fire we prayed: “Make this new fire holy, and inflame us with new hope”, and then again before the procession into the Church, we prayed, “May the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds”. So our fist reason for the light of Christ that we celebrate in the resurrection vigil is to first of all dispel the darkness in our hearts and minds.

We entered the darkened church and shuffled down the aisles to our places guided only by the light of the Easter Candle, the light of the risen Christ. We reached out and lit our tapers from that candle and saw the darkness in the church pushed back by the invading brightness. This is a sign that Christ has conquered the darkness of this world. Indeed light shines forth in darkness and darkness cannot of overcome it. That lighting symbolizes the dispelling of our spiritual darkness by Christ, the Risen Lord.

The first three readings from Genesis and Exodus points out to physical and spiritual darkness and how the word of God brought hope in such darkness.

So what we celebrate tonight is the victory of light over darkness; good over evil. Our candlelight pushed away the darkness: a sign that with the light of Christ we can overcome darkness. This celebration must therefore fill us with a two-fold confidence: the dispelling of our darkness and the darkness of the world. It must fill us with new strength. It must revitalize us. We must carry with us and in us the risen Christ!

We celebrate The Greatest Story Ever Told: Jesus died and rose again! Because of that we are people of resurrection; Easter people; People of hope; People carrying within us, and into the world, the light of Christ. Because He lives I can face tomorrow. Remember the words of the Risen Lord: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). Certain of his presence, you shall fear no difficulty and no obstacle.

2.The elaborate liturgy we celebrate tonight invites us not only to remember the history of God’s saving works and blessings upon all creation, but also to recall our personal participation in that mystery, the participation in the newness of life, that began with our baptism into Christ. Today we shall renew our baptismal promises holding our candles. Paul’s words in Romans 6 invite us to recall the most important day of our life, the day we were formally incorporated into Christ through baptism.

Brothers and sisters:

Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus

were baptized into his death?

We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,

so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead

by the glory of the Father,

we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,

We shall also be united with him in the resurrection.

We know that our old self was crucified with him,

So that our sinful body might be done away with,

That we might no longer be in slavery to sin….

Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin

And living for God in Christ Jesus.

The joy of Easter should lead us to a newness of life (RIP vs HIR: He is Risen) this is where our Lenten Observances come in. we should die to something in us. Do not go to the same old you!!! Live in newness of life. Live for God in Christ Jesus. Be a new husband, father, wife, child, and sibling. Easter is about newness.

3.In the gospel we read when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. These women had followed Jesus from Galilee and ministered to his needs (Mark 15:40) They were at the foot of the cross at the time when the apostles had chickened out. They knew where the body was laid. They were going to perform a duty out of love for Jesus. Their love was rewarded. Let us be consistent in doing good So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. (Gal 6:9)

4.When Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome set off to the tomb. They were saying to one another,” Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? For it was very great, more than they with their united strength could move. They should have thought of this before they came out, and then discretion would have bid them not go, unless they had those to go with them, who could do it. And there was another difficulty much greater than this, to be got over, which they knew nothing of, to wit, a guard of soldiers set to keep the sepulcher; who, had they come before they were frightened away, would have frightened them away. But their gracious love to Christ carried them to the sepulcher; Note that They who are carried by a holy zeal, to seek Christ diligently, will find the difficulties that lie in their way strangely to vanish, and themselves helped over them beyond their expectation. This is a time to press on in our good desires. Think of the end and not the obstacles. Press on towards the goal! The stone at the entrance of the tomb did not prevent their going. Press on and in the power of the resurrection every stone lying at the entrance of the tomb will be removed. Be motivated, be zealous, be passionate about what you so, look at the end not at the going, whether there are foreseen obstacles or not, keep going and the stone will be rolled away.