Easter is the Queen of Feasts; it is the high point of the Church Year. After   completing the Lenten   journey to the cross and its 40 solemn days of fasting and preparation, we enter into the 50 days of Easter, the week of weeks, and its unbridled joy and celebration. The cross and tomb are empty. Christ is risen; death is defeated. Now we celebrate the new life we have in the resurrection  of our Lord.

Words cannot describe the awe and wonder of the faithful as we join with those who came to the tomb on that first Easter. We stand with the two Marys peering into the empty tomb and its deep mystery of Christ’s redemptive work. We share their awe and wonder as we hear the angel proclaim the glorious message of Easter, You are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here...he has been raised... Come, see the place where he lay.

We come to church every Sunday hoping to find the risen Christ. As we come, we need to hear the fullness of the Easter gospel so that we look for him in the right places. We come with the two Marys looking for him in the tomb, but the tomb is empty. Where do we find him? We will find him as we follow the angels instructions. Go quickly and tell his disciples, He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him. Jesus will meet them—and he will meet us—in Galilee.

We will meet Jesus this Easter season and throughout the year in Galilee—not the Galilee of time and space 2000 years ago, but the Galilee of the nations. The angel’s proclamation tells us that we will encounter the risen Jesus not in church buildings but out in the world. We will meet him in the lives of people as we go out of the church into Galilee, which is the world.

Yes, Jesus meets us here in church. He meets us in the proclamation of the word, in the celebration of the sacrament of the altar in which he gives us his precious body and blood under the forms of bread and wine, and in the hearts of one another as we gather to celebrate his resurrection. But even more, he is out there in Galilee—he is out there in the world—waiting for us. He is waiting to meet us in the lives of people as we share his love for them.

Look for him out in Galilee knowing that the risen Christ is waiting there to meet you, and you will find him; and when you meet him, you will find the true joy of resurrection and life in Christ.

The theme for the Easter season this year is Joy in the Presence on the Risen Christ. The sermon titles are:

        April 24           Easter Day         The Day the Angel Sat Upon the Stone

        May 1              Easter 2              If Only We Could See and Touch Him

        May 8              Easter 3             And Their Eyes Were Opened

        May 15            Easter 4             A Name Not a Number

        May 22            Easter 5             A Royal Priesthood

        May 29            Easter 6             Remembering the Sacrifice

        June 5             Easter 7             And You Shall Be My Witnesses

Inasmuch as each Sunday is a little Easter, I look forward to seeing you in church and celebrating with you the joy of the resurrection.

Peace and Joy in Christ,

Pastor V