Easter vigil 2008

He is Risen proclaims the good news that in God, no darkness can be permanent, nothing, not even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Being “in Christ” by grace, through faith, affirmed by the sacrament of baptism, we are marked as Christ’s own forever. God will never forget you, leave you, or abandon you, no matter what. Being baptized in Christ you are now part of God’s spiritual team – called to bear witness to the hope we have in the resurrection of Jesus.

I am increasingly persuaded that God’s team is a lot more like a soccer team than a football team. In soccer, it takes a team to win a game. It is ok to move the ball back as well as forward toward the goal. Players pass the ball, move it quickly from player to player, repositioning the forward to score the goal. Soccer creates space, in a willingness to be patient and to develop trust in other players. At times it feels that all the motion is not going anywhere….but then suddenly something happens and a pass sets up the perfect shot at the goal. The whole field is in play – all the time.

Soccer provides a metaphor for our understanding of reconciliation. On the hard wood of the cross, God drew all within his saving embrace. The death and resurrection of Jesus makes reconciliation with God a gift of God’s grace. Reconciliation reunites humanity with God but it also makes reconciliation among people possible. We promise in our baptism to respect the dignity of every human being and to work for justice and peace. In the world in which we live, that is a lot like being the rookie on the varsity team. We may sit on the bench more than we play in a game but we are always at practice, learning new skills, improving our understanding of the game, and growing into good players. We need to be part of something much larger than our individual selves when we participate in the work of the kingdom of God. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us the gifts necessary to keep the ball in play.

Being recipients of God’s love and redemption means we are invited and called to share our faith in ways that brings peace among people, justice in action corrects injustice. We may have to consciously work at learning to respect the dignity of every human being. There are surely some who will make this work difficult. We must be willing to forgive. Even nations can do this as the work of the Truth and Reconciliation committee in South Africa has shown us. In one on one relationship we may assume that anytime we apologize the other person will accept our word and immediately forgive us. That does not always happen. Sometimes people are so hurt by our words and actions that it takes years to heal. Even then, we cannot force one we have offended to accept us. We must be patient and sometimes respecting the other means allowing them space.

Being willing to wait, to watch, to stay in the game is the art of discipleship. One of the best disciples was Mary Magdalene who in the early predawn hours went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus but found the tomb empty. Sad and alone, Mary pleaded with the “gardener” to tell her where they had taken his body, when the risen one said, “Mary” and she fell at his feet saying, “Rabboni” (teacher). Mary Magdalene has rarely received the praise and honor she deserves. All four gospels tell us that she was the first to see the risen Christ. She ran to tell the other disciples – she did work of evangelism. Mary was faithful, staying at the foot of the cross throughout the horror of the crucifixion, and the first to experience the resurrection. Peter, James and John are recognized as leaders in the early Christian Church but it is hard to find much historic evidence of Mary Magdalene’s legacy. While the gospels retain her as a witness to the resurrection, she quickly falls from view in the emerging church. Mary is a good example of being willing to give 100% for the team. The church might never have evolved as it did without her testimony and while we may feel she has not received proper credit, the real focus of the game, the goal of Christian faith has survived and thrived. Mary for one ran and told her friends: He is Risen!

Tonight we are adding two new members to the St. Paul’s Christian team; Benjamin and Elizabeth. Join with us in renewing your own baptismal vows. Rejoice with us as we celebrate the victory of Christ risen from death. Recognize in the baptism our dying to sin and rising to life in Christ. Celebrate with Benjamin and Elizabeth as they are marked as Christ’s own forever. As we receive them into the household of God, remember that we are all promising to confess the faith of Christ crucified, to proclaim his resurrection, and that all of us will share in his eternal priesthood.