Resurrection of Our Lord Pascha

Title

What is the Message?

Outline

We have come through the dark valley of suffering to the light of participation

This, of course, is not as clear in our Byzantine liturgy, for rather than combining Palm Sunday with Passion Sunday, as in the Latin Rite, which knows that most Christians come weekly to liturgies, it requires weekday liturgies in order to get into the depths of our sin and its cost before coming to today.

In Acts the valley is represented in a phrase, “after his passion,” and the focus is on his resurrection teaching to “the apostles whom he had chosen”; he was “appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.” They were to wait, but wait for what? “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”

In other words, our Lord is an outreaching Lord, a Lord of love, and his followers are to continue that mission, when suitably empowered, rather than speculate about when the kingdom will be openly displayed.

That brings us to the first chapter of John

We have the eternal Word, fully one in nature with the Father, a God of love and therefore Trinitarian. So they created universe out of love, which one sees that life and light, streaming from the Creator flow into the world even when there is darkness.

Indeed, as light and life he enlightens everyone alive in the world and works in the world, but the world does not recognize him. He even chose a people, and most of them did not receive him.

But the rejection was not total, for through the grace of God “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God;  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Notice that grace in God’s birthing such people.

Yet the Triune God love more deeply and fully

The Word became fully human: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten Son from the Father.” In the one verbal change from being to becoming the Word explodes within our world on his rescue mission.

Those with eyes saw that he was full of the characteristics of God in the Hebrew Scriptures: grace and truth. His honor status could only be described in human terms as “the only-begotten Son from the Father.”

He from whom grace came in the Hebrew Scriptures came, came himself with more grace, more hesed w emeth, is person as Jesus the Messiah: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

That is what we experience in the resurrection

So, brothers and sisters, what do we do with this great gift?

We are called like the apostles and their followers in Acts and like John in his prologue to be joined to our risen Lord in reaching out to others in love. We embody the love in our lives, we speak of our living Lord of love, and we draw others into the community of those who are “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Pentecost may be before us liturgically, but it is behind us historically, and the explosive force of the resurrection fills us with the joy and presence of our Lord, who is divinizing us so that when the world sees us it will see him.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 4-24-2022: Great and Holy Pascha: The Resurrection of Our Lord

EPISTLE

Acts 1:1–8

1  In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. 4  And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me, 5 for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 4-24-2022: Great and Holy Pascha: The Resurrection of Our Lord

GOSPEL

John 1:1–17

1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God; 3  all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4  In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.

9  The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. 11 He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. 12  But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; 13  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten Son from the Father. 15  (John bore witness to him, and cried, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.’ ”) 16  And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. 17  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (4-17-2022: Great and Holy Pascha: The Resurrection of Our Lord)

GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA: THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD

Bright Vestments

On the same date: Apostle and Evangelist Mark

Epistle Acts 1:1–8

Gospel John 1:1–17