Easter Vigil 2009
I drive the 22 miles from my
house to the church at least 5 times a week.
And along highway 50 there
are a lot of signs.
Billboards, signs for
businesses, super bright electronic signs.
I can always tell you who is
coming to headline at Harrah’s.
And now I know that Red Hawk
Casino is just 10 short minutes from Folsom.
There are signs that are
trying to sell me everything from a condo to cars to beer.
There are a few signs for
certain businesses that I hope I never have to explain to my granddaughters.
I usually drive without the
radio or music on.
For me it’s time to think, to
let my mind sort out the day and unravel my problems.
But I will admit that the
signs do attract my attention.
Which means that they’re
doing they’re job.
Signs are meant to get our
attention.
They’re meant to point
something out to us or tell us something.
There’s a big church by
highway 50 in
This is what the sign says:
Easter…it changes everything.
It changes everything.
The more I’ve thought about
that, the more it says to me.
Think about all the stories
we heard from scripture tonight.
About God speaking creation
into being.
This creation that God says
is good and that we are part of.
The story about God’s saving
deeds.
About God making a way for
God’s people even though it seemed hopeless and impossible.
We heard about the thirst and
hunger in us that God longs to quench and feed.
There were stories about new
hearts, new spirits.
About being dead to sin and
alive to God through Jesus.
Did you see the signs…did you
hear them?
I didn’t grow up as a
Christian and I remember clearly being overwhelmed when I first asked Jesus
into my life and into my heart…
When I first confessed my sin
and asked for forgiveness.
It seemed that everywhere I
turned was another sign, another story that pointed to God’s unfailing love.
Love that was not only for
everybody else, but for me.
I suppose I shouldn’t be too
hard on myself since I was in my late teens, early 20’s.
But it all seemed so crystal
clear to me.
I couldn’t see how people
could miss the truth of God’s incredible love.
The signs were everywhere,
the scriptures were so clear, how could people not get it?
Ah, the certainty of being
young.
But when life dealt me a
blow, my certainty, my sureness wasn’t enough to carry me.
When I was 23 and a widow
with two young sons, the signs of God’s love were clouded for me.
I wish I had a different
story to tell about my faith, but there it is.
I had been so sure of
everything about God one minute.
And then the next minute I
didn’t trust God very much at all.
I’m so much less sure about
pretty much everything now.
I have lots more questions
than answers.
But I do trust God.
It took a long time, but
along the way I started to see the signs of God’s love again.
A word here, a conversation
there.
I got talked into going back
to church, into reading the Bible again.
And there were those signs
again.
I saw them differently because
I was different.
Not nearly so sure of myself.
A lot more clear about how
hard life can be, how challenging life can be.
But the signs of Easter, the
story of Easter grew brighter and louder and stronger.
And it is true…Easter changes
everything.
God’s love has never made the
fallen world an easy place to live.
But God’s love is real and
true and forever.
And God’s love changes us.
Jesus, though he was God, did
not consider pursuing the equality, the favor that he deserved.
Instead he offered up his
life as a sacrifice.
Jesus could have chosen a
gentler path, but he didn’t.
Jesus chose to offer himself,
chose to allow the crucifixion.
And then out of that horrible
death came life.
Real life, eternal life, life
with hope and meaning.
Easter does change
everything.
Without Easter we can
certainly find enough will power to live good lives.
We can be nice people and we
can do good things.
Without Easter we can make
good money and have nice things.
And maybe even live peaceful
lives.
But with Easter comes
something so much more.
Yes, death is conquered and
we can live with the hope of life eternal worshipping out Lord.
And, yes, we can find a
wholeness, a purpose, a freedom for this life that only comes when we confess
our sin and receive the gift of God’s forgiveness.
Do you see the signs around
you?
Sometimes we miss them.
Busyness…our favorite word.
The problems of daily life
clouding our vision and stealing our focus.
Maybe you once had that
feeling of God’s love and closeness and forgiveness but it’s slipped away.
Maybe you’ve never been
convinced that you were a sinner or that God’s forgiveness was something you
need.
Maybe you’re somewhere in
that murky place of knowing God’s love but feeling like life has come down to
putting out one fire after the next.
Life is not easy.
But there are signs
everywhere of something more.
Signs that God does love us
and that Jesus brought that love to life for us.
Easter changes everything.
It changes all the
possibilities.
It changes how we live and
how we die.
It changes how we see life
and how we see death.
In the quiet of this moment
you can ask Jesus into your heart.
You can ask for forgiveness.
You can ask to see your life
with the eyes of Jesus.
Wherever you are in your life…
take this moment
And let Easter change you.
For the first time, for the
hundredth time.
The power of Easter…
…the power of Jesus’ love for
us changes everything.