Easter 2024

This week we have been especially focused in the events of the Narrative of Jesus Life. We sat with him in the upper room, we watched a kangaroo court condemn him. We walked with him to Calvery, we heard his cry and final breath. Last night we kept watch waiting for the arrival of the victorious Christ.

Today we could go back to the narrative of Jesus. We could walk with the women to the empty tomb hear the angels declare “Why do you seek the living among the dead.” We could run with Saint John and Saint Peter to the tomb and look in. We could join with Saint Thomas as he touches his hands and his side. God willing we will have many more Easters together for that journey.

Today I want to Join Saint Paul in our Epistle reading to look back at the resurrection. Look to his exhortation to be different because of the resurrection. I hardly think there is a person in this room that is unaware of the resurrection of Jesus. My guess is that many of us struggle to be transformed by it. So let us look at our text.

The Epistle

Just to back up and Epistle is a fancy word for a Letter. In our readings today, we are reading a section of a letter written by Saint Paul to the church in Collosea. Saint Paul was an Apostle or an early follower of Jesus. He never knew Jesus while Jesus walked the earth, but encountered the resurrected Jesus soon after Jesus rose again and Returned to heaven. He is transformed by the experience and soon goes about the work of planting churches and spreading the news. His letters to these churches make up a huge part of the Christian Scriptures so today we are reading one of those letters.

So we pick up in the Middle of St. Paul’s letter, he has just encouraged Galatian Believers to steer clear of fleshy or sinful desires and now he will use the resurrection as the backdrop to focusing on Godly desires.

[1] If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Easter of course we acknowledge that Jesus is raised from the dead. And so his whole Body goes up to heaven to sit at God’s right hand. So we know that our bodies will follow. Our destiny is to be heavenly.

[2] Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Our physical reality will be completed by Heavenly movement so in light of that let us put our minds there to. We love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind and with all our strength. We can not separate them and give the different sections to different kinds of desires.

[3] For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

The old you died in the waters of baptism. The part of you that was connected to Adam is now at death. Jesus the new Adam lives for ever, but the original Adam is death. Is he hidden in Christ. I dont know but I know that his offspring start in the state he left us..death. With that identity now dead you have been brought into new identity, hidden in Christ.

[4] When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (ESV)

So when Jesus returns to finalize his victory, you will be present with him, a co-victor over this world, a person of heavenly affections. So let us lean into that identity and move away from the desires of the Old Idenetity. Lets not give ourselves away to the desires of evil. That was the Old us. The new us are hidden in the Risen Christ. So let us desire the things of the risen Christ.

Our Old Testament predicts the outcomes of the resurrection of Christ. It gives us new perspective.

[6] On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

[7] And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.

The curse of the Old Adam, the veil will be swallowed. It will be for all people. All nations will be able to access the New life in Christ.

[8] He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

The consequences of that veil, Death, tears, the reproach of God…the reproach of GOD!!!

[9] It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (ESV)

And it will be a reality of evangelical proclamation, joyous proclamation. We will let all people know!

Let me finish with the Olt Testament text, the resurrection reality will be the experience that we will have for eternity, but it came all by the work of Christ on the cross. The swallowing of the veil was accomplished by Jesus in his suffering for you and for me. He dies that we might know the joy of that swallowed veil. And verse six is then given to us in that suffering.

[6] On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

Jesus will join us at this table of rich food and fine wine. It will not be for the satisfaction of earthly appetites but of heavenly appetites. It has been set here for you. I promised you that I would finish today with the words of St. John Chrysostom. The greatest invitation outside of Holy Scripture to the Easter feast.

Come you all: enter into the joy of your Lord. You the first and you the last, receive alike your reward; you rich and you poor, dance together; you sober and you weaklings, celebrate the day; you who have kept the fast and you who have not, rejoice today. The table is richly loaded: enjoy its royal banquet. The calf is a fatted one: let no one go away hungry. All of you enjoy the banquet of faith; all of you receive the riches of his goodness. Let no one grieve over his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed; let no one weep over his sins, for pardon has shone from the grave; let no one fear death, for the death of our Saviour has set us free: He has destroyed it by enduring it, He has despoiled Hades by going down into its kingdom, He has angered it by allowing it to taste of his flesh.