2026-04-05 Easter Sunday

Scripture Readings

Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen! No matter on which syllable you place the emphasis, it is all true! The stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty! The crucified Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was not there! The neon sign outside the tomb flashed “vacant!” “He is not here! He has risen,” the angel said to the bewildered women. “Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead!” Come and see, go and tell! That is the real message of Easter. Come and gaze into the deserted cave in the rock. The body that Joseph & Nicodemus placed in there was gone. The Saviour did not lie. He rose to life, just as He said. Go and tell. Tell the disciples. Tell the inhabitants of Galilee. Tell the whole world that the Christ is Risen from the dead!

And on their way, the women run into Jesus, or rather, Jesus met them. What is the first thing that our resurrected Lord says?! He’s back from the dead! He’s alive! His first words to His people are going to be epic! … “Greetings!” our English Standard Version records for us. Greetings?! That’s it?! The translation kind of comes up a bit short. It’s more like “Rejoice!” “Be glad!” “Delight in God’s grace!” Shazam! Something you didn’t expect just happened. Something amazing and wonderful and worthy of praise. The Lord is truly Risen from the dead! The most joyous event in the history of the world just unfolded before their very eyes. The Messiah who died is alive. He has beaten down death by death and upon those in tombs bestowing life! The bubble of death is burst. The sting of death is gone. Pain, separation, suffering is swallowed up in victory! The promise of resurrection has come to the whole world because the Lord of life has conquered the grave! How do you even respond to this?!

One Easter Sunday many moons ago, my friend and I were walking to Church in Edmonton. It was a long and arduous journey, uphill both ways on broken glass and lego pieces with no shoes. All these stories start out like that, don’t they!? As we were walking, we ran into a mom and her little boy. My friend said to them “Happy Easter!” … “Thanks” the mom replied. As we walked on a few more steps, the little boy said “why did he say that, mommy?” .. Can you imagine? The little guy didn’t even know it was Easter or what Easter was! How sad.

Yet I am sad to report that this is the ever growing case in our nation. The message of the empty tomb is blurred by buckets of bunnies. It’s covered by Cadbury! It’s chortled by chocolate! Most people forget that it’s even Easter time, until they get Good Friday off as a holiday. But we ought not to be too surprised by this. The world that the women at the tomb lived in didn’t know about this Jesus guy either. To them, He was just another raving Jewish weirdo that Rome conquered by the cross.

But the Angel’s words ring out through the centuries. “Go and tell!” Go and tell the whole world about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The dead carpenter nailed to a Roman cross didn’t stay on the cross. He didn’t stay dead either! He rose to life to make us live. To give life to this world that rejected Him and knew Him not. The world has always rejected the risen Lord. But that doesn’t mean God rejects them. That doesn’t change the blood that was poured out for the forgiveness of their sins. That doesn’t change the fact that Christ laid down His very life for them to show them mercy and grace instead of judgment and wrath. This is the message of the Gospel! This is the Good News! While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us and rose again!

A young kid was about to graduate from high school. He lived in a swanky, upscale neighborhood, where everyone was rich. Just like South Hill. They ate delicious designer ketchups on their hotdogs instead of plain old Heinz 57. It was tradition that parents bought their kids a car when they graduated. So, young Cody and his father spent weeks looking at vehicles. The week before grad, they found the perfect car. On the eve of grad, Cody’s dad handed him a gift. He tore it open with great expectations only to find out that under the gift wrap was … a Bible. The kid was so angry that it wasn’t a set of car keys that he threw it on the floor and stormed out of the house. He never spoke to his father again. Many years later it was his dad’s funeral that finally brought Cody home. As he was going through his dad’s stuff, he stumbled across that Bible he was given at graduation. He blew the dust off of it and opened it up. Inside he found a cheque for the exact amount of the car that he and his dad had picked out together.

This is how the world sees Easter. This is how the world treats the gift of the empty tomb that God has given them. Yet it doesn’t change God’s love or His gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation. The gift is still there for us, weather we receive it or not. The very fullness of the Gospel remains, even though we naturally prefer the emptiness of the world. Yet we see the fullness of God’s love and compassion for us in the emptiness of the cross, the tomb and the grave clothes that Jesus left behind. His sacrifice was for us. His resurrection and victory over sin, death and the devil is our resurrection and our victory by faith. The “cheque is still in the Bible” - no matter what.

A girl and her father were out for a drive checking fences one sunny afternoon. They had the windows of the pickup down and the sweet summer breeze was blowing in. All of a sudden, a great big bumble bee was sucked into the cab. The little girl was terrified of bees because she was deathly allergic to their sting. As she started to freak out, the dad reached over and grabbed the bee in his hand. It stung him, and he dropped it onto the truck seat. The little girl quickly recoiled in fear, but her Father said, “Don’t worry. It stung me, it can’t hurt you any more.” This is the promise from God to us and indeed to the whole world! It’s what fills us with hope and joy and gives us the ability to “fear not!” as Jesus says. “Do not be afraid!” He has taken away the sting of death for us. It can’t hurt us any longer. We need not fear!

Before the cross and the empty tomb, we had reason to be scared and fearful. But not today. Not now. Not ever. The power of our Lord’s death and resurrection lasts for eternity. It is the cheque, paid in full. It is the hand that squashed the bumble bee. And now with sins forgiven, death conquered, what’s left to do? Nothing but rejoice and be glad! Our resurrected Savior lives eternally and in Him, we live too! We have much to celebrate! We have much to be thankful for! We rejoice in Easter triumph! But there is still one other thing. The world. The people who don’t know. The people who haven’t heard. What about them?

We follow the Angel’s words. We’ve come and seen and now we go and tell. We tell the whole world, our friends and family, our neighbours, co-workers, people we like and people who hate us, that Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen! No matter on which syllable you place the emphasis, it is all true! The stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty! The crucified Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was not there! Rejoice, be exceedingly glad. Your Lord and Savior, your King and your God lives and reigns eternally. Christ is Risen and life reigns. To Him be honour, glory and dominion, forever and ever. Amen!

~ St. John Chrysostom’s Paschal Homily ~

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival.

If anyone is a grateful servant, let them, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord.

If anyone has wearied themselves in fasting, let them now receive recompense.

If anyone has laboured from the first hour, let them today receive the just reward.

If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let them feast.

If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let them have no misgivings; for they shall suffer no loss.

If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let them draw near without hesitation.

If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let them not fear on account of tardiness.

For the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first; He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has laboured from the first.

He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one He gives, and to the other He is gracious.

He both honours the work and praises the intention.

Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward.

O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy! O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day! You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today!

The table is rich-laden: feast royally, all of you! The calf is fatted: let no one go forth hungry!

Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness. Let no one lament their poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one mourn their transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Saviour’s death has set us free.

He that was taken by death has annihilated it! He that descended into Hades and took Hades captive!

He embittered it when it tasted His flesh! And anticipating this, Isaiah exclaimed: “Hades was embittered when it encountered Thee in the lower regions”. It was embittered, for it was abolished! It was embittered, for it was mocked! It was embittered, for it was purged! It was embittered, for it was despoiled! It was embittered, for it was bound in chains! It took a body and face to face met God!

It took earth and encountered Heaven! It took what it saw, but crumbled before what can not seen!

O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown! Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!

For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the first-fruits of them that have slept.

To Him be glory and might unto the ages of ages. Amen.