Year A
\nPsalm 118:1-2, 14-24
\nActs 10:34-43
\nMatthew 28:1-10<\/p>\n
Easter Sunday<\/em><\/p>\n During the forty days of Lent\u2026 we did not sing or say Alleluia<\/i>\u2026 our joy was replaced by waiting\u2026 during the forty days of Lent\u2026 we reflected on our brokenness\u2026 and we bore the ashes of\u2026 and remembered our mortality\u2026 during the forty days of Lent\u2026 we sought our cross and how to bear it\u2026\u00a0remembering that Christ\u2019s yoke is easy and his burden is light\u2026 during the forty days of Lent\u2026 we anticipated our new lives in Christ\u2026<\/p>\n But we are living in a kind of imposed diaspora\u2026 choosing physical distancing to protect each other\u2026 so there was no Easter Vigil last evening\u2026 no new fire\u2026 no lighting of the Paschal candle\u2026 there was no chanting the Exsultet\u2026 there is no Alleluia banner\u2026 or white Alleluia frontal on the Table from which we make Eucharist\u2026 no Easter lilies placed around it\u2026 and both how things are\u2026 and how they are not\u2026 feel not only unfamiliar\u2026 but uncomfortable\u2026 though we may take some Wisdom\u2026 some solace\u2026 from a question in the Passover Hagaddah\u2026 which the youngest child asks during the evening Seder\u2026 mah-neesh-tahnah\u2026 ha-lie-la-hazeh\u2026 mee-kahl-ha-lay-lote\u2026 Why is this night\u2026 different from all other nights\u2026<\/p>\n Tonight will be the fifth night of Passover\u2026 and those of you who were here eight years ago may remember me talking about my family\u2019s Passover Seders\u2026 that at our celebrations\u2026 we sang a song called Dayanu<\/i>\u2026 which recounted the things God had done for us\u2026 there are fifteen stanzas\u2026 five about leaving slavery\u2026 five about miracles\u2026 and five about being with God\u2026 if God had brought us out of Egypt\u2026 Dayanu\u2026 <\/i>if God had executed justice upon the Egyptians\u2026 Dayanu<\/i>\u2026 had executed justice upon their gods\u2026 had slain their first born\u2026 had given to us their health and wealth\u2026 had split the sea for us\u2026 had led us through on dry land\u2026 had drowned our oppressors\u2026 had provided for our needs in the wilderness for 40 years\u2026 had fed us manna\u2026 had given us Shabbat\u2026 had led us to Mount Sinai\u2026 had given us the Torah\u2026 had brought us into the Land of Israel\u2026 had built the Temple for us\u2026<\/p>\n And the singers proclaim Dayanu<\/i>\u2026 after each stanza\u2026 and Dayanu <\/i>means\u2026 it would have been enough\u2026 if God had done just that first thing\u2026 it would have been enough\u2026 if God had done just the first two… or the first three\u2026 it would have been enough\u2026 if God had done NO more than that\u2026 it would have been enough\u2026 man\u2026 talk about not taking God\u2019s gifts for granted\u2026<\/p>\n And when Paul wrote Ephesians 1:3-14\u2026 he didn’t have this song to go by\u2026 because it\u2019s only about one-thousand years old\u2026 but Paul can\u2019t help himself either\u2026 but recount all the things that God has done for us Christians\u2026 blessed us in Christ\u2026 chose us before the foundation of the world\u2026 destined us for adoption\u2026 forgave our trespasses\u2026 made the mystery of his will known to us\u2026 gave us an inheritance\u2026 marked us with the seal of the Holy Spirit\u2026 and redeemed us through his blood as his own\u2026<\/p>\n Laurel Mathewson\u2026 co-vicar at St. Luke\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Diego\u2026 wrote\u2026 in the reading from Acts\u2026 Peter\u2019s wonder that gentiles could be accepted without first adopting Jewish practices\u2026 is worth trying to translate\u2026 this is the pivotal awakening to a church that is for every nation\u2026 the repercussions of this moment\u2026 and the insistent advocacy of Paul\u2026 give birth to Christianity as a faith where you do not have to [ first become someone you\u2019re not\u2026 ethnically\u2026 culturally\u2026 or linguistically\u2026 to be at peace\u2026 with the God known first\u2026 by the people of Israel\u2026<\/p>\n What is disconcerting\u2026 but understandable too\u2026 is how this pandemic has taken the wind out of some of our sails\u2026 it has given us the need to be reminded of the words in scripture\u2026 words which are offered over and over again\u2026 Be not afraid<\/i>\u2026<\/p>\n It\u2019s what the Angel Gabriel said to Mary at the Annunciation\u2026 and when Jesus was born\u2026 there were no artificial douglas firs\u2026 no ornaments\u2026 no garlands of lights\u2026 but it was still Christmas\u2026 for those who remember their baptisms\u2026 it may not have felt like much\u2026 but you were still grafted on to the body of Christ\u2026 men and women are ordained to the priesthood\u2026 and may feel no different\u2026 those who practice Centering Prayer may not have flashy experiences\u2026<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not about how we feel\u2026 it\u2019s about what God does in us\u2026 it\u2019s about the sacrament\u2026 the sacred moment\u2026 and it may not feel like Easter in all the ways we\u2019re used to\u2026 but that doesn\u2019t matter\u2026 what matters\u2026 is what God has done for us in Christ\u2026<\/p>\n Why then do we question\u2026 that the God from whom\u2026 and through whom\u2026 and in whom\u2026 life comes\u2026 ex nihilo<\/i>\u2026 out of nothing\u2026 why do we doubt that this same God can bring life out of death\u2026 which at least is something\u2026 God set the Israelites free not only from the tyranny of slavery\u2026 but in Christ Jesus God sets us free from the tyranny of death\u2026 in our funeral eucharist\u2026 we proclaim\u2026 life is changed\u2026 not ended\u2026 and when our mortal body lies in death\u2026 there is prepared for us a dwelling place eternal in the heavens<\/i>\u2026<\/p>\n Let\u2019s remember\u2026 the two Marys came to the tomb while it was still dark\u2026 while the first day of the week was still dawning\u2026 intending to fulfill all righteousness\u2026 but also\u2026 maybe\u2026 without realizing it\u2026 looking for hope\u2026 the Angel told the women that Jesus had been raised and was going ahead to Galilee\u2026 so they ran to tell his disciples the Good News\u2026 and Jesus met them\u2026 and told them not to be afraid\u2026 it is Easter\u2026 and we can again say\u2026 Alleluia! Christ is risen!<\/strong>\u2026 because that\u2019s what Easter people do\u2026<\/p>\n So let\u2019s remember\u2026 during the forty days of Lent\u2026 we did not sing or say Alleluia\u2026 but this morning\u2026 God has done the heavy lifting\u2026 God has turned the world upside down by destroying death\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>and there is new life bursting outside\u2026 and hope remains deep in our hearts\u2026 our church is empty this morning\u2026 but so was the tomb\u2026 and whatever we do today\u2026 whoever we\u2019re with\u2026 however we celebrate\u2026 whatever we eat\u2026 whatever we have or don\u2019t have\u2026 (like chocolate bunnies or yellow peeps)\u2026 however these FaceBook Live liturgies are\u2026 however many watch them\u2026 it will be Dayanu<\/i>\u2026 it will be enough\u2026 Amen\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year A Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 Acts 10:34-43 Matthew 28:1-10 Easter Sunday During the forty days of Lent\u2026 we did not sing or say Alleluia\u2026 our joy was replaced by waiting\u2026 during the forty days of Lent\u2026 we reflected on our brokenness\u2026 and we bore the ashes of\u2026 and remembered our mortality\u2026 during the forty days of Lent\u2026 we sought our cross and how to bear it\u2026\u00a0remembering that Christ\u2019s yoke is easy and his burden is light\u2026 during the forty days of Lent\u2026 we anticipated our new lives in Christ\u2026 But we are living in a kind of imposed diaspora\u2026 choosing physical distancing to protect each other\u2026 so there was no Easter Vigil last evening\u2026 no new fire\u2026 no lighting of the Paschal candle\u2026 there was no chanting the Exsultet\u2026 there is no Alleluia banner\u2026 or white Alleluia frontal on the Table from which we make Eucharist\u2026 no Easter lilies placed around it\u2026 and both how things are\u2026 and how they are not\u2026 feel not only unfamiliar\u2026 but uncomfortable\u2026 though we may take some Wisdom\u2026 some solace\u2026 from a question in the Passover Hagaddah\u2026 which the youngest child asks during the evening Seder\u2026 mah-neesh-tahnah\u2026 ha-lie-la-hazeh\u2026 mee-kahl-ha-lay-lote\u2026 Why is this night\u2026 different from all other nights\u2026 Tonight will be the fifth night of Passover\u2026 and those of you who were here eight years ago may remember me talking about my family\u2019s Passover Seders\u2026 that at our celebrations\u2026 we sang a song called Dayanu\u2026 which recounted the things God had done for us\u2026 there are fifteen stanzas\u2026 five about leaving slavery\u2026 five about miracles\u2026 and five about being with God\u2026 if God had brought us out of Egypt\u2026 Dayanu\u2026 if God had executed justice upon the Egyptians\u2026 Dayanu\u2026 had executed justice upon their gods\u2026 had slain their first born\u2026 had given to us their health and wealth\u2026 had split the sea for us\u2026 had led us through on dry land\u2026 had drowned our oppressors\u2026 had provided for our needs in the wilderness for 40 years\u2026 had fed us manna\u2026 had given us Shabbat\u2026 had led us to Mount Sinai\u2026 had given us the Torah\u2026 had brought us into the Land of Israel\u2026 had built the Temple for us\u2026 And the singers proclaim Dayanu\u2026 after each stanza\u2026 and Dayanu means\u2026 it would have been enough\u2026 if God had done just that first thing\u2026 it would have been enough\u2026 if God had done just the first two… or the first three\u2026 it would have been enough\u2026 if God had done NO more than that\u2026 it would have been enough\u2026 man\u2026 talk about not taking God\u2019s gifts for granted\u2026 And when Paul wrote Ephesians 1:3-14\u2026 he didn’t have this song to go by\u2026 because it\u2019s only about one-thousand years old\u2026 but Paul can\u2019t help himself either\u2026 but recount all the things that God has done for us Christians\u2026 blessed us in Christ\u2026 chose us before the foundation of the world\u2026 destined us for adoption\u2026 forgave our trespasses\u2026 made the mystery of his will known to us\u2026 gave us an inheritance\u2026 marked us with the seal of the Holy Spirit\u2026 and redeemed us through his blood as his own\u2026 Laurel Mathewson\u2026 co-vicar at St. Luke\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Diego\u2026 wrote\u2026 in the reading from Acts\u2026 Peter\u2019s wonder that gentiles could be accepted without first adopting Jewish practices\u2026 is worth trying to translate\u2026 this is the pivotal awakening to a church that is for every nation\u2026 the repercussions of this moment\u2026 and the insistent advocacy of Paul\u2026 give birth to Christianity as a faith where you do not have to [ first become someone you\u2019re not\u2026 ethnically\u2026 culturally\u2026 or linguistically\u2026 to be at peace\u2026 with the God known first\u2026 by the people of Israel\u2026 What is disconcerting\u2026 but understandable too\u2026 is how this pandemic has taken the wind out of some of our sails\u2026 it has given us the need to be reminded of the words in scripture\u2026 words which are offered over and over again\u2026 Be not afraid\u2026 It\u2019s what the Angel Gabriel said to Mary at the Annunciation\u2026 and when Jesus was born\u2026 there were no artificial douglas firs\u2026 no ornaments\u2026 no garlands of lights\u2026 but it was still Christmas\u2026 for those who remember their baptisms\u2026 it may not have felt like much\u2026 but you were still grafted on to the body of Christ\u2026 men and women are ordained to the priesthood\u2026 and may feel no different\u2026 those who practice Centering Prayer may not have flashy experiences\u2026 But it\u2019s not about how we feel\u2026 it\u2019s about what God does in us\u2026 it\u2019s about the sacrament\u2026 the sacred moment\u2026 and it may not feel like Easter in all the ways we\u2019re used to\u2026 but that doesn\u2019t matter\u2026 what matters\u2026 is what God has done for us in Christ\u2026 Why then do we question\u2026 that the God from whom\u2026 and through whom\u2026 and in whom\u2026 life comes\u2026 ex nihilo\u2026 out of nothing\u2026 why do we doubt that this same God can bring life out of death\u2026 which at least is something\u2026 God set the Israelites free not only from the tyranny of slavery\u2026 but in Christ Jesus God sets us free from the tyranny of death\u2026 in our funeral eucharist\u2026 we proclaim\u2026 life is changed\u2026 not ended\u2026 and when our mortal body lies in death\u2026 there is prepared for us a dwelling place eternal in the heavens\u2026 Let\u2019s remember\u2026 the two Marys came to the tomb while it was still dark\u2026 while the first day of the week was still dawning\u2026 intending to fulfill all righteousness\u2026 but also\u2026 maybe\u2026 without realizing it\u2026 looking for hope\u2026 the Angel told the women that Jesus had been raised and was going ahead to Galilee\u2026 so they ran to tell his disciples the Good News\u2026 and Jesus met them\u2026 and told them not to be afraid\u2026 it is Easter\u2026 and we can again say\u2026 Alleluia! Christ is risen!\u2026 because that\u2019s what Easter people do\u2026 So let\u2019s remember\u2026 during the forty days of Lent\u2026 we did not sing or say Alleluia\u2026 but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=726"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":743,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726\/revisions\/743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}