Collect for EASTER DAY
LORD of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son
overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him: grant that we,
being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory;
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honour, glory and might, now and in all eternity. Amen.
PROPERS:
In lieu of Old Testament lesson:
Acts 10, Vv 34 - 43
Epistle:
Colossians 3, 1 - 4
Holy Gospel:
St John 20, Vv 1 - 18
It’s good to see so many here this morning. Especially as Easter is so early this year – in fact 23rd March is very nearly the earliest that Easter Day can be. In theory it can be one day earlier than this. The way it’s worked out always seems very complicated, but in fact it’s quite simple. Easter Day is always held on the 1st Sunday after the 1st Full Moon on or after the Spring Equinox. Now the Spring Equinox is the one immovable element in the equation. It’s always 21st March. This year it is so early – because the Spring Equinox (21st March) was on Friday; which was also Full Moon; which makes today the 1st Sunday after the 1st Full Moon on or after the Spring Equinox. If you’re interested (and if you’re not!) the latest it can be is if the Full Moon falls on the day before the Spring Equinox, and the full moon happens to be a Sunday, the next Full Moon will fall 28 days later: and that will be a Sunday as well; which means that the 1st Sunday AFTER the next Full Moon will be the following Sunday: 5 weeks after the spring Equinox. That makes Easter Day 24th April! Usually, of course it’s somewhere in between these two extremes. It just seemed a shame not to take advantage of the moment today to note this phenomenon. As a matter of interest, Easter won’t be this early again until at least the year 2030!
What matters far, far more, of course, is what we are celebrating today. Over the last week we have been thinking about, and focusing our devotions upon, the last week in our Lord’s life in the flesh here on earth – culminating in his death on a Cross just outside Jerusalem where the Romans executed criminals. It was a series of events that seemed to point to a tragically dreadful failure of all that was good. And so it would be.
If it weren’t for what we celebrate today! Because today – Easter Day – we are celebrating that, after giving his life on the Cross for every one of us, Jesus rose from the dead! Frankly, and not surprisingly, no one expected him to do so. He had died, he was buried (i.e. his body was placed in a cave-type tomb) and all his disciples were mourning the death of their Lord and hero. We heard in the Gospel how Mary Magdalene together with one or two other women (according to Matthew, Mark & Luke) had gone to the tomb early on the Sunday morning (their first opportunity since the Sabbath [Saturday]) and had found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Mary Magdalene ran and told the disciples what they had found. They ran and found things as Mary had said. But, as we heard, Mary Magdalene stayed, and soon encountered what she thought was the gardener – until he said “Mary!” And he turned out to be our risen Lord!! So Mary Magdalene met the risen Lord Jesus – and as such was the first person ever to see Jesus risen from the dead. And, incidentally, she was the first person entrusted with the message of our Lord’s Resurrection. It is worth noting, therefore, that it was a woman who was first entrusted with the Good News of the Resurrection! It’s amazing how our Lord turns everything upside down!!
But the joy of this occasion is that Christ is risen. He has risen from the dead – triumphant over all the powers of evil and death – showing the absolute power of God’s love and goodness. And because he is risen we can trust him for everything. Because he is risen we have every reason to be the happiest people on earth; we are loved, redeemed and have our risen Lord with us every moment of every day. Praise be to God, and to our Lord Jesus Christ, for the total joy and happiness of Easter – God’s triumph over every kind of evil. May we show our joy in all our worship! Because Jesus is risen, we can come to him today and receive his wonderful risen presence into our lives through his sacraments, and know his complete peace, love and fulfilment transforming every part of our lives, making us the joyful people we should always be! Amen.