Word to the Wise
Saturday, April 7, 2012 -
[Romans 6:3-11 and Mark 16:1-7]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.
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of the Lord! Like Christmas, however, the feast is endangered by all the secular symbols - Easter bunny cuteness and egg hunting, etc.. I remember my astonishment at being presented one Easter Sunday with a chocolate cross! The Easter Vigil, if we are willing to make the effort to attend it, offers a wonderful celebration of newness of life and the renewal of our own spiritual life. The words of St. Paul, on which I preached all of my parish missions for the past eight weeks, are the bridge. Baptism unites us with Christ in all his life, death and resurrection! The Lord's resurrection and our baptism are not simply PAST EVENTS, they are PRESENT REALITIES working within us.
As a pastor, I have had the privilege of baptizing or welcoming new members of the church at the Easter Vigil. Their joy is a wonderful thing to witness. The seriousness of their new commitment is a challenge to my own. The richness of the scriptures that are read prior to the baptisms speak to God's plan of salvation from the beginning of creation. All of us, and not just those being baptized and received into the church, are part of that plan. The Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection are OUR lives in Christ, meant to be shared and proclaimed through faith and loving service.
Alas! The length of the Easter Vigil service and our impatient culture are not an easy match. Many of those attending now are relatives of the people to be baptized or received into the church! I urge my beloved congregation to attend, but if that is not possible, then to read the service and reflect on your baptism and how it can be truly a "newness of life" instead of a past event! Christ is truly present in his Word. It is not ancient history that we will be reading, but a living and saving present. "Alleluia!" is not just for Easter!!!! To each and every member of my Beloved Congregation, I wish a profound and blessed Easter celebration. You will all be in my prayers as I celebrate the Eucharist! AMEN