EASTER SUNDAY 2016
A Sermon by Pastor Chico Martin
Lections: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:(1-2), 14-24; Luke 24:1-12
Death could not hold our Lord, and this morning, the church rejoices; we have baptized our brother Rod into new life; Mark and Pat, who were baptized by immersion years ago, have joined the church; flowers are blooming everywhere; psalms and hymns have been sung, and the Gospel has been proclaimed; and the Gospel today, because this is Easter morning, proclaims the Resurrection, which is the main event in the ancient “good news” that death has been put to death.
For Christians all over the world, Easter is a celebration of freedom restored, of deliverance from the shackles of death; for Christians are baptized into the body of Christ. We are baptized into Christ’s death, and we are also baptized into his eternal life. Our old life goes under the water, and we come out of the water with the Spirit within us, born again, “of water and the spirit.” The promise of this transformation – that we can now enter into the Kingdom of God – is so powerful that this day’s celebration spills out of the churches and into backyards, and parks, and the welcome play of egg hunting and basket hiding and the joy of family company and festive meals. Easter is one of two annual events (the other being Christmas) when the world comes into the church, bringing with it the culture of the times, and the church overflows into the world, bringing with it the truth of all time. Continue reading