How many of you remember my Easter sermon from last year?

No one? Huh. Well, I’m a bit disappointed it wasn’t more memorable but I’m also relieved that you won’t recognize that I am repeating myself this year. 

I used to come to Easter looking for and wanting to say something novel, profound, and original. But it’s become increasingly difficult to not repeat myself. How do you get more novel, profound, and original than raising the dead to life? That’s the truth of Easter, isn’t it? What more is there to say? What more can be said?

This year I’m giving up on trying to say anything new about Easter. I’m going to take my cue from the gospel writers.

• Mark says, “He has been raised; he is not here.” (Mark 16:6)
• Matthew says, “He is not here; for he has been raised.” (Matthew 28:6)
• And Luke says, “He is not here, but has risen.” (Luke 24:5)

So what do you imagine I’m going to say to you now? “He has been raised; he is not here.” It’s the only thing to be said on this day. Say it with me, “He has been raised; he is not here.” 

That is the Easter truth. It’s the same this year as it was last year and the year before that. It’s the same Easter truth I have preached to you for the last nineteen years. So let me ask you this:

• What does the truth of Easter look like and mean for you today?
• What difference is Easter truth making in your life today? 

It doesn’t matter who you are, why you are here, what has and has not happened in your life, what you’ve done and left undone, or what you do and do not believe, the story remains true for you today. The only thing about Easter that has changed and is different from last year to this year is you and your life. 

Look at your life over the last year, at everything that has changed and all that did and did not happen, and hear the same old Easter story (Mark 16:1-8) one more time. 

If you’ve ever needed a fresh start, a new beginning, a second chance; remember, it happened “on the first day of the week.” That is your Easter truth.

If you’ve ever lived in darkness, if you’ve ever needed light and warmth, if you’ve ever spent a long night waiting for the dawn of a new day; remember, it happened “when the sun had risen.” That is your Easter truth.

If you’ve ever been stuck, if you’ve ever been in need of freedom and release, if you’ve ever felt entombed and powerless; remember, “they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.” That is your Easter truth.

If you’ve ever had your heart broken by loss and laid someone or something you loved in the tomb, if you’ve ever waited in grief and sorrow; remember, “he has been raised; he is not here.” That is your Easter truth.

If you’ve ever worried about the future, what will happen, where your life is headed; remember, “he is going ahead of you.” That is your Easter truth.

The truth of Easter is never in question. The only question is what we will do with that truth, and what will we let that truth do with us.

And if you are still not sure what this Easter truth might look like in your life, then I have a visual aid for you. His name is Charles. He’s two and a half months old. Look at him and see the miracle of life and all the possibilities before him.

What are your best prayers, hopes, and wishes for him? What is the abundant life you want for him? You’ve just named the Easter truth for him and yourselves. In just a few moments we will baptize him into the truth of Easter and renew that truth in our own lives. 

We often think this day is set aside from all other days, special in a way other days are not. That’s just not true. The baptism of Charles, the new fire, the alleluias, lilies, hymns, icons, shiny brass, candles, white vestments, and unreserved beauty of this day do not separate this day from all other days. Instead, they point to and reveal that resurrection is always and already happening in all other days. This is not the only day of resurrection. It is another day of resurrection. Alleluia. Christ is risen.

That’s the truth of Easter and it’s worth repeating.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.  

Alleluia. Charles is risen. 

Alleluia. You and I are risen. 

Alleluia. We all are risen.

And next year’s Easter sermon? Spoiler alert: “He is not here, but has risen.” (Luke 24:5)

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Image Credit: By נח שלמה – sharon shlomo via the PikiWiki – Israel free image collection project, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.