Easter Vigil Sermon: 3 April 2010

This Is the Night

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, saints of God: now we join with angels and archangels, with cherubim and seraphim, with apostles and martyrs, with all the company of heaven and all the saints on earth, to give voice to all creation as together we proclaim, “This is the night!” How holy is this night. How blessed is this night. For this night is the climax of salvation history. Every past act of God points toward this night and every future act of God radiates outward from this night. It is both the last of the first days and the first of the last days, the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end – the alpha and the omega.

This night we tell the story – the story of creation and fall, of God’s good and very good creation ruined by our failure to bear God’s image, by our refusal to be God’s instruments of grace and life in his world. Why is there evil in this world? Why corruption? Why pain and sickness and loneliness and despair and death? Why plague and famine, slavery and poverty? What is wrong with God’s good creation? I am and you are and we are, all of us together, as it is written:

“There is no one who is righteous,
not even one;
there is no one who has understanding,
there is no one who seeks God” (Rom 3:10-11, NRSV).

Adam, Cain, Lamech: generation after generation we spiraled downward into corruption and dissolution. We did this, for this is your story and mine.

We knew God but we did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but became futile in our thinking and darkened in our senseless minds. Claiming to be wise we became fools; and we exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles (cf Rom 1:21-23).

The LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created,” (Gen 6:5-7a, NRSV).

But God had mercy on our father Noah – a righteous man, blameless in his generation – and preserved him, along with his family, through the great flood. Yet sin survived the flood as well, carried by the very hope of our kind, Noah, who in hung-over rage cursed his son Canaan to slavery and began anew man’s downward spiral toward the hubris of Babel and the alienation of person from person, nation from nation.

But God had mercy on our father Abraham.

“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:1b-3, NRSV).

This is the covenant, the promise God made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever: election, nation, land, blessing.

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ (Gal 2:16, NIV).

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob: each carried the seed of blessing and each carried the thorn of sin. The ones chosen to be the means by which God would put to rights the world were themselves part of the problem: blessing and curse, freedom and slavery. And slavery came as the house of Abraham went down to Egypt and was ruthlessly oppressed with forced labor by Pharaoh who made their lives bitter in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields (cf Ex 1:11-14).

But God had mercy on us and raised up for us a deliverer, Moses, who commanded Pharaoh in the name of our God, “Israel is my firstborn son. Let my son go that he may worship me” (cf Ex 4:21-23). But Pharaoh would not, so God struck him again and again – ten times God struck Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm until the pride of Ham, the firstborn sons of Egypt, lay dead, and Israel, the firstborn son of God, was driven from Egypt with the riches of the land and the blessing of the people, until the might of Egypt lay drowned on the shore of the Red Sea, until our fathers and mothers, former slaves all, could sing together,

I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted;
the horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my refuge;
the Lord has become my Savior (The Song of Moses, BCP 85).

To Sinai we came, to Sinai where our God called us a holy nation, a kingdom of priests to serve him; to Sinai where God gave us his commandments; to Sinai where we bowed the knee before idols made by hand; to Sinai where we sat down to eat and rose up to play; to Sinai where we traded glory for shame; to Sinai where we inherited the curse of the Law and not its blessing.

But God had mercy on us nonetheless and brought us into a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the land promised on oath to our father Abraham. There we became fat and arrogant – a stubborn and stiffnecked people – and rebelled against our God, prostituting ourselves before the gods of the peoples of the land. And God punished us, delivered us over to our enemies, yet forgave our sins when we called upon him: again, and again, and again.

But God had mercy on us and raised up for us a man after his own heart, David, son of Jesse, sweet psalmist and king of Israel. And to David, the LORD Almighty said,

I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.

The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son (2 Sam 7:8-14, selections, NIV).

But David, even David, turned from the Lord and embraced Bathsheba, embraced the lust and sin within him and within us all. Confronted and beguiled by the prophet Nathan, David pronounced his own condemnation; “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die” (2 Sam 12:5)! David rightly placed himself and all men under the righteous judgment of God.

But God had mercy on us and sent us prophets who again and again called us to repent and return. And though we were faithless, God remained faithful. Though we were false, God remained true. Again he made covenant with us, a covenant through the promised seed of Abraham. He says,

“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

This is what the LORD says – the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel – to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you” (Is 49:6-7, NIV).

And about this light for the Gentiles, about this one chosen by the Holy One of Israel, the prophet says,

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth (Is 53:4-9, NIV).

And God had mercy on us, for he came, this one, in the fullness of the times. He came, the last Adam. He came, the seed of Abraham. He came, the fulfillment of the Law. He came, the son of David. He came, the hope of the prophets. He came, the anointed of God, the savior of Israel, the light of the Gentiles. He came.

Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross (Acts 2:22-23, NIV).

God have mercy on us. For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. All the promises of God found their fulfillment. All the righteousness of God bore all the sin of the world. God have mercy on us. For we put to death the author of life, the Messiah of Israel, the hope of the world.

And so it all comes down to this, to this night when all creation holds its breath, when all promises are pending, when all hope peers forward in the blackness of night into the darkness of the tomb. This night is the climax of salvation history. Every past act of God points toward it and every future act of God hinges on it. This is the night when all of watching creation – in heaven, on earth, and under the earth – will learn whether Adam’s sin will be forgiven, whether man will be renewed in God’s image and will bear that image before a creation set to rights, whether God’s promises to Abraham will be fulfilled, whether David’s son will receive an everlasting throne, whether the hope of the prophets will be vindicated, whether the Messiah of Israel will become the light of the Gentiles and the Lord of all creation. This is the night. And on this night the One on whom all this depends lies in a tomb – beaten, broken, and crucified for the sake of all.

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me’ (Mt 28:1-10, NRSV).

This is the night: the night of sorrowing women, the night of earthquakes, the night of angels, the night of the empty tomb, the night of fear and great joy, the night of Jesus – suddenly Jesus – risen from the dead and going ahead of us, the night of Jesus saying, “Do not be afraid.” This is the night when Adam’s sin is forgiven and man is reconciled to God. This is the night when man is restored to the image of God, when men and women and children are renewed in nature and vocation, and when nature itself experiences the firstfruits of its liberation from the bondage of corruption. This is the night when God’s covenant with Abraham is fulfilled and the world is blessed through his seed. This is the night when David’s son takes his everlasting throne. This is the night when the prophets are vindicated and the Messiah of Israel is shown to be the light of the Gentiles and the Lord of all creation. This is the night that marks the dawn of the first day of God’s new creation. This is the night of resurrection.

Christ is risen and all is made new.
Christ is risen and death is conquered.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

This is the night!

Amen. Alleluia.

Sermon: Thomas Sunday (19 April 2009)

Sermon: Thomas Sunday (19 April 2009)
(Acts 4:32-35/Psalm 133/1 John 1:1-2:2/John 20:16-31)
Waiting for the Lord

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The church greets us this second Sunday of Pascha, Thomas Sunday, with good and very good news: Christos anesti – Christ is risen! What is our reply? That depends very much on who we are and where we are in the now iconic story of “Doubting Thomas,” a story which began exactly one week prior, on the first day of the week and the first day of new creation.

Very early, while it was still dark, on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene and the other myrrhbearing women approach the garden tomb with spices to complete the anointing of Jesus’ body for proper burial. Ignoring the other women, Saint John tells the story of Mary.

Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:1-2, NKJV).

The displaced stone and the empty tomb greet Mary with good and very good news: Christos anesti – Christ is risen! What is her reply? “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Where we expect to hear, where we hope to hear, “Alithos anesti – He is risen, indeed!” we hear only confusion and doubt. Mary cannot yet say Alithos anesti because she has not yet encountered the risen Christ.

Peter reacts quickly to Mary’s news; he and the disciple whom Jesus loved – almost certainly John – run together to the tomb. John, probably younger and certainly faster than Peter, reaches the tomb first, but hesitates to enter.

And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes (John 20:5-10, NKJV).

The linen cloths and the napkin, neatly folded and lying by itself – and only an eye-witness account would contain such seemingly trivial detail – these greet the Apostles with good and very good news: Christos anesti – Christ is risen! What is their reply? Silence. Where we expect to hear, where we hope to hear, “Alithos anesti – He is risen, indeed!” we hear only the faintest stirrings of faith, these overwhelmed by confusion: they did not yet know the Scripture. Peter and John cannot yet say Alithos anesti because they have not yet encountered the risen Christ.

By now Mary has returned to the garden. She thinks herself alone there and is surprised first by angels and then by Jesus, himself, though at first she does not know him.

She turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her (John 20: 14b-18, NKJV).

First the angels, then later Jesus, greet Mary with good and very good news: Christos anesti – Christ is risen! And now, in her cry of “Rabboni!” and in the words she carries to the Apostles – “I have seen the Lord!” – Mary finally responds – and she is the first to do so – Alithos anesti – He is risen indeed! Now, and only now, can Mary proclaim Alithos anesti! because she has now encountered the risen Christ. The reality of his presence compels her to proclaim, “He is risen, indeed!”

Later, on the evening of this same day – the first day of the week – Jesus appears to the disciples as they sit huddled in fear behind closed doors. “Shlama alookh,” he says, “Peace be among you,” as he shows them the marks of victory on his hands and side. Again he says, “Shlama alookh,” as he breaths on them the Holy Spirit and sends them forth in his name. This is a moment of new creation when God, as he did once in the Garden, breathes again the breath of life – his very Spirit – into man, re-forming man in his own image and re-making man a living being. Jesus greets the disciples with the good and very good news: Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Now, and only now, can they proclaim Alithos anesti! because they have encountered the risen Christ, because He has spoken peace in their hearts, because he has filled them with his very Spirit and has renewed them in the image of God.

For reasons left unexplained Thomas is absent from the assembly when Jesus first appeared to the disciples. When he returns – apparently later on that same first day of the week – his companions greet Thomas with good and very good news: Christos anesti – Christ is risen! But what can Thomas reply? Certainly not Alithos anesti! because he has not yet encountered the risen Christ. So, he responds as he can, genuinely: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25b, NKJV). This is not willful, stubborn disbelief in spite of sufficient evidence. This is the humble admission that Thomas is no different – no better, no worse – than Mary Magdalene, Peter, John, and all the other disciples – none of whom could say Alithos anesti – He is risen, indeed! – until they had encountered the risen Christ.

Scripture passes over the next week in silence, but our thoughts need not be silent. We are no strangers to anxious waiting, to that strange human mixture of disbelief and hope-against-hope: the pending medical results, the birth of a first child, the rapidly approaching end of an aged parent. I am not certain what Thomas did, though I think I have a reasonable idea. But I know what I would have done. In Thomas’ position I would have remained with the community, badgering them again and again for every detail of every appearance: “What did Jesus say, again? How did he look? Was he angry or disappointed or pleased? Did he say where he was going or when he might return? Did he mention me?” I would have searched my memory for every word Jesus ever spoke to me or to you or to the crowds: What have I missed? What am I not seeing? I would have poured over the ancient texts – the Law and the Prophets and the Writings – and the ancient rites of the faithful, looking for hints and clues and insights. I would have prayed – the Psalms of my people and my own words – often in inarticulate groans and sometimes in utter silence, and almost certainly with fasting. I would have let my heart break with longing for an encounter with the risen Christ and I would have settled for nothing less.

One week Thomas waits, until this day – Thomas Sunday – when Jesus once again appears behind the same closed door. After his now familiar greeting of “Shlama alookh,” peace be among you, Jesus turns his attention solely to Thomas. “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:27, NKJV). This is a moment for the human heart to burst asunder with the joy of every good thing in all creation, with the joy of every glad tiding ever spoken, with the joy of the good and very good news: Christos anesti – Christ is risen! And now, finally, Thomas, too, can respond, Alithos anesti – he is risen, indeed! “My Lord and my God,” is how Thomas words it, but it is all the same: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

It is not incidental – it is by God’s grace – that immediately following this account of Thomas, John writes in his Gospel:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name (John 20:30-31, NRSV).

This account of Thomas was written for us, John says, for all who never had or never will have – this side of kingdom come – the chance to see the risen Lord in his glorified body. Thomas serves as metaphor – as the patron saint, if you like – for every Christian, because our experience so parallels his own.

Like Thomas we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who, from their own experience, proclaim Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Alithos anesti – He is risen indeed! The apostles, the five hundred who at one time saw Jesus, the five thousand on the day of Pentecost filled with the Holy Spirit, the fathers of the early church, the holy martyrs of persecutions past and present, the desert abbas and ammas, the saints throughout history – Romanos, Anne, Hermione, Barbara, John the Forerunner, Catherine, Mary Magdalene, Macarius, Augustine, Francis, Silouan – and modern elders like Paisios: all these and countless others proclaim Christos anesti. All these speak with one voice, “We have seen the Lord.” Some days we find the testimony of their words and their lives compelling and we are moved to cry out, for their sakes if not our own, Alithos anesti – He is risen indeed! But, other days, we are like Thomas listening to Peter and the rest, caught between hope and disbelief, able only to say, “Unless I see…unless I touch.” On these days we rely on the faith of others; we let them speak for us or we echo their certainty when we lack our own. On these days we take great comfort in Jesus’ words to Thomas: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29b, NKJV). On these days, like the man who sought healing for his demon-possessed son, we call out, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24, NKJV).

On these days we wait for Jesus to appear, to make himself known to us: beyond doubt, beyond words, beyond doctrine, beyond belief. On these days the song we sometimes sing expresses our longing well:

Open our eyes, Lord,
we want to see Jesus,
to reach out and touch him,
and say that we love him

Open our ears, Lord,
and help us to listen,
open our eyes, Lord,
we want to see Jesus (Open Our Eyes, Bob Cull).

So, what do we do on these days – during the long week between resurrection and appearance? We do what the church tells us; we do what the saints tell us. We do what those who have experienced the risen Christ tell us. We take our place as part of the worshipping community, part of the body of Christ. We engage in the work of the people, the liturgy, and we treasure the sacraments. We ask the saints around us – saints on earth and saints in heaven -- what they know of Jesus, where they’ve seen him last, and what they were doing when he appeared to them. We devote ourselves to the ancient texts – to the Scriptures and the writings of the saints, to the accounts of their lives. We pour over them as if our lives depend on them, for indeed they do. We discipline ourselves to say no to the world and to ourselves so that we might say yes to the Lord. We fast and we pray, striving to pray continually; the saints say that such prayer leads to Jesus. We treasure faith and doctrine but we learn never to be content with either; it is Jesus we want and we determine never to settle for less. We do all these things because Jesus appears to those who do – in his own time and in his own way, but he appears. We do these things because, like Thomas, we are determined to say our own “Alithos anesti! My Lord and my God!”

Let us pray.

Everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with firm and certain faith in your Son’s resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in your sight; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

PODCAST OF THIS SERMON

Christos Anesti! Christ is risen!

Greetings in the name of the risen Christ!

The following link to youtube.com is an audio/video of the ancient hymn of the church, Christos Anesti (Christ is Risen), sung around the world on Pascha (Easter). Rejoice in the listening! At Trinity Church we will gather in the darkness of this night, light candles from the new fire, and process to the church singing this glorious hymn.

CHRISTOS ANESTI LINK

A rough transliteration of the Greek follows, as well as a translation.

Christos anest ek nekron
thanato thanaton patisas
ke tis en tis mnimasi zoin
hari samenos.

Christ is risen from the dead
trampling down death by death
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

May you have a most blessed Pascha!

Easter Vigil Homily (11 April 2009)

Easter Vigil: 11, 12 April 2009
(John 20:1-18)
Rejoice and Sing: Christos Anesti

Glory be to God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – now in this world
and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Beloved of God and my beloved, as the darkness of this night is dispelled by the flames of the paschal candles I greet you with the ancient proclamation of the church, with the proclamation that dispels all darkness: Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed! This is not the night for lawyers to quibble over marriage contracts and debate pre-nuptual agreements. This is the night for the wedding party to rejoice and sing, for the bridegroom has arrived, and we, as wise virgins with lamps trimmed and glowing, are invited to the feast. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed! This is not the night for weary slaves to dread another dawn and the making of bricks without straw. This is the night for free men and free women to rejoice and sing, for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us, and the Paschal Lamb who was slain has risen victorious from the grave, trampling down death by death. And we, as sons and daughters and slaves no longer, are being led forth by the mighty hand and outstretched arm of our God Almighty. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed! This is not the night for the race of man, the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve, to bewail their fallen state – their corruption and alienation. This is the night for the image-bearers of God to rejoice and sing, for Christ, the new Adam, has made all creation new, restored the divine image in man, and reconciled man to God. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed!

Once we sang the song of exiles, or held our tongues in silence because we could not sing.

1 By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, *
when we remembered you, O Zion.

2 As for our harps, we hung them up *
on the trees in the midst of that land.

3 For those who led us away captive asked us for a song,
and our oppressors called for mirth: *
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song *
upon an alien soil (Ps 137:1-4, BCP 1979)?

Once we sang the song of exiles, or held our tongues in silence because we could not sing, for we were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12, NKJV).

But now in Christ Jesus [we] who once we far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Now, therefore, [we] are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom [we] also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the spirit (Eph 2:13, 19-22).

Now we sing the song of citizens. Now we cannot hold our tongues in silence.

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
then were we like those who dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are glad indeed (Ps 126:1-4, BCP 1979).

This is the night to rejoice and sing. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed!

Once we groaned in the bondage and corruption of all creation, groaned with the labors of birthpangs, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Now we rejoice for Christ dwells in us and though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus dwells in us, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to our mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in us (cf Rom 8:9 ff). This is the night to rejoice and sing. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed!

Once we were deaf to the song heaven, to the praise which resounds continually around the throne. But on this night the tomb is opened and so, too, are our ears opened to hear

the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, [we hear] saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever” (Rev 5:11-13, NKJV).

This is the night to rejoice and sing. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed!

This is the night, when all who believe in Christ are delivered from the gloom of sin, and are restored to grace and holiness of life. This is the night to rejoice and sing. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed!

This is the night, when Christ broke the bonds of death and hell, and rose victorious from the grave. This is the night to rejoice and sing. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed!

This is the night, when wickedness is put to flight, and sin is washed away. This is the night to rejoice and sing. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed!

This is the night, when the fallen are restored to innocence and those who mourn to joy. This is the night to rejoice and sing. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed!

This is the night, when earth and heaven are joined and man is reconciled to God. This is the night to rejoice and sing. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed (Exsultet, adapted)!

Let no Christian remain silent on this holy night. Let all heaven and earth together rejoice and sing. Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed!

The Day of Resurrection! Let us be illumined, O ye people! The Passover, the Passover of the Lord! From death unto life, and from earth unto heaven hath Christ our God brought us over, singing a song of victory!

Christ is risen from the dead!

Let us purify our senses and we shall behold Christ, radiant with the light ineffable of the Resurrection, and shall hear him say, in accents clear: Rejoice! as we sing the song of victory.

Christ is risen from the dead!

For meet is it that the heavens should rejoice, and that the earth should be glad, and that the whole world, both visible and invisible, should keep the Feast. For Christ is risen, the everlasting joy!

The Day of Resurrection! Let us be illumined, O ye people! The Passover, the Passover of the Lord! From death unto life, and from earth unto heaven hath Christ our God brought us over, singing a song of victory!

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down Death by death, and upon those in the tomb bestowing life (Easter Service, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America).

Tonight, the wise ones of this age, the skeptics will shake their heads in wonder that gullible ones still cling to myths of resurrection. They will doubt, but we will rejoice and sing, for Christ is risen from the dead, the everlasting joy!

Tonight, the academic theologians will debate atonement theories and the role of resurrection in our salvation. They will debate, but we will rejoice and sing, for Christ is risen from the dead, the everlasting joy!

Tonight, the merchants will hawk their wares: cards and chocolate bunnies and crème-filled eggs – resurrection as commodity. Wait one day and you can have resurrection on sale. They will take their profit, but we will rejoice and sing, for Christ is risen from the dead, the everlasting joy!

Tonight, the world will turn as always – though we know everything has changed – the world will turn as always and turn blind eyes and deaf ears, oblivious to the glory and power of God in the resurrection of Christ. They will ignore the resurrection, but we will rejoice and sing, for Christ is risen from the dead, the everlasting joy!

Lift up your heads, O ye people,
and be lifted up, O ye saints of God,
for Christ is risen from the dead
trampling down death by death
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Lift up your heads, O ye people,
and be lifted up, O ye saints of God,
for the Kingdom of God has come
and Christ has begun his reign.

Lift up your heads, O ye people,
and be lifted up, O ye saints of God,
for this night we can rejoice and sing
and give voice to all creation:
Christos anesti – Christ is risen! Al­­ithos anesti – He is risen indeed!

Amen! Alleluia!

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