Greeneville, TN
The Great Vigil of Easter
April 4, 2026
- Genesis 1:1-2:4a [The Story of Creation]
- Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 [Israel's deliverance at the Red Sea]
- Ezekiel 36:24-28 [A new heart and a new spirit]
At The Eucharist
Tonight, we began in darkness. We gathered in the quiet, in the stillness, and we listened to story after story of how God has been at work from the very beginning… creating, delivering, restoring, and saving. Again and again, we heard it... Heard about God making a way where there is no way. About God bringing life out of what looks like death. And about God refusing to abandon God's people.
And then, somewhere along the way tonight, we realized something important. We realized that these are not just old stories. Like I've said before this past week… These are our stories... This is our story.
Because tonight, we don't just remember what God has done… we step into it and become part of it. We were placed... intentionally... into sacred time and space, so that our hearts and minds can be opened again to the saving work of God in Jesus Christ... In his life, in his death, and in his resurrection. And the resurrection of Jesus is everything. Resurrection isn't just one part of our faith; it's the center of it. It's the turning point... It's the lens through which we are called to see the world.
But let's be honest tonight. Seeing the world through the lens of resurrection is not always an easy task. Because we live in a world that doesn't feel resurrected. We live in a world that still very much feels like a Good Friday.
We see violence that takes innocent lives. We see fear shaping decisions and policies. We see division where there should be compassion. We see people shouting past one another instead of listening. We see power used not to lift up, but to tear down.
And if we're not careful, that kind of world can have its effect on us... It can shape us. It can pull us into its fear. It can train us to always expect the worst. It tries to convince us that the darkness is stronger than light.
But tonight stands as a defiant contradiction to all of that. Tonight proclaims that death does not get the last word... Fear does not get the last word... Violence does not get the last word... God does. And God's last word is life.
So tonight, we are faced with a choice. A real choice. We can look at the world through the lens of fear, where everything is about protecting ourselves, and we can live in a world where others are considered threats, and where scarcity and suspicion rule the day.
Or…
We can choose to view the world through the lens of resurrection. A lens that tells us that love is stronger than hate... Community is stronger than division... And hope is stronger than despair. A lens that allows us to see Christ, not just in this holy place, but in every person we meet.
And that's where our baptism comes in. Because tonight, we didn't just talk about resurrection, we renewed our participation in it. In those ancient baptismal vows, we renounced all the forces attempting to pull us away and separate us from God's love... The forces of evil, injustice, and all the brokenness that distort and corrupt God's creation.
And then we did something even more powerful. We turned... We turned again toward Christ. We turned toward hope. We reaffirmed that we belong to him and that we are marked as his own forever. We promised that our lives would be used to reflect his life.
Which means that resurrection is not just something we celebrate... It's something we live with. Every day! In the way we speak. And in every way we treat people. In the ways we respond to anger, fear, and pain. We are called to be people who respond to the cycles of the world's harm with acts of divine grace. We are people who choose compassion when it would be easier to choose indifference... People who seek justice, not as an abstract or feel-good idea, but as a lived expression of God's love for every human being.
Tonight, the light of Christ broke open the darkness, and it didn't stay small. It spread... Candle to candle. Person to person. Until the whole room was filled. That is not just an empty ritual. That is a calling... Because the broken world out there is still waiting for that light, and we are the ones who carry it.
So the question tonight for us is not simply, "Do you believe in the resurrection?" The deeper question is, "Will you live it? Will you walk out of this place and choose life in a world that often chooses death? Will you choose hope when despair feels easier? Will you choose love—real, sacrificial, Christ-like love— even when it costs you something?" Because that is what resurrection looks like. And that is what the world so desperately needs.
Tonight, we proclaim with joy, "Alleluia. Christ is risen!" But tomorrow and the day after that... and every day that follows, we are called to be that proclamation in the world... To live as resurrection people. To carry Easter with us into every corner of our lives.
So we go from this place tonight not just having heard the story, but knowing that we are part of it. Alleluia, Christ is risen... And because of that, so are we. Alleluia!
No comments:
Post a Comment