Easter Sermon: Forgiveness is risen from the grave

Sermon. St Michael and All Angels, Little Ilford, 27 March 2016

Easter Day

Gospel: John 20.1-18

This is from the Easter Homily of St John Chrysostom:

'Are there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!

Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!

If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their due reward;

If any have come after the third hour,
let him with gratitude join in the Feast!

And he that arrived after the sixth hour,
let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.

And if any delayed until the ninth hour,
let him not hesitate; but let him come too.

And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.

For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.

He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
as well as to him that toiled from the first...

First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor, rejoice together!

Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!

You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!

Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry.

Partake, all, of the cup of faith.
Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.'

*

Do you get it? If you are used to church and the Bible, you will get it, in that you will get the principal references. The parable of the workers employed at later and later hours in the day and all paid the same, and the story of the prodigal son which ends with the feast with the fatted calf.

But I mean more: do you get it? Do you get the point that all are welcome. You are welcomed. You are welcomed to Gd's celebratory party.

If you have kept Lent well, here is your reward. If you tried, but life and stuff intervened, no matter. You are welcome to the party. If you tried, but failed abysmally, no matter. You are welcome to the party. If you didn't even try, no matter. If you want to be here, you too are welcome to the party.

And this is important. This is our faith. We know – don't we? - that the impression that the church and religion in general can give is one of judgementalism, of being judgemental. It is felt that we have a clear sense of what it is to be good, and if people fail at all, we judge them, dismiss them, damn them, shun them.

Today, against that, we hear the truth of our faith: 'forgiveness has risen from the grave'.

Now, Christians do talk of sin (including at baptisms), because what we do counts with Gd. As I said on Good Friday, Gd does not treat us as infants who could do no better. But it is always-but-always sin in the context of forgiveness. Always, all we have to do is seek Gd's forgiveness – seek it sincerely; we cannot manipulate Gd – to find it is already with us. Forgiveness rises from the graves we make of our own lives.

Now, if our neighbours think that we or religion in general are about judgementalism, it would be perverse if we in turn judged them for it. No, we forgive them. And we wait, patiently and prayerfully, for the time when they see something – something - in our lives that suggests it is not so, when they realise we are all about hope, grace and forgiveness. And then (and perhaps only then), we can invite them to the celebration.

Divine forgiveness in Christ means more than a declaration of pardon. Christians have always known that Gd is Gd, that Gd can issue words of pardon whenever and however Gd wills to. But forgiveness in Christ means the fulness of reconciliation that only comes from the reconciler spending time with the reconciled, each coming to value the other's company. It might even be said that this reconciliation makes for a stronger relationship than was there before the estrangement. (We'll be hearing more about this throughout Eastertide.)

This is the life-giving message we are today sharing with Kaiam. As Gd welcomes us to the party, at each and every point in our life, so Gd's clear welcome today clearly goes out to Kaiam. And we give our sincere thanks to Andy and Chantelle for bringing him here to join us.

Not that Kaiam has anything to be forgiven. But, you know (I whisper it) at some point, he will. And that's when he too can - and by Gd's grace will - know that what he did wrong does count with Gd, as he counts with Gd, but that forgiveness is his. His forgiveness rises from the grave.

Something not wholly different is happening in this morning's gospel. Mary Magdalene experiences Jesus with power and perspicacity in the midst of her achingly deep grief. When? You know when. It's when he calls her name. Mary. This is not accidental or incidental. You see, out of all the chaos we make of our lives from time to time, because of wilful sin, negligence and fear, and for that matter because of ordinary human clumsiness and failure, Gd speaks our own name, and new life is possible.

A baptism isn't actually a naming ceremony. They don't have to, but if the minister does say, 'name this child', that isn't some solemn naming ceremony. It's really just saying, 'let me make asbolutely sure I get this right'. That said, the candidate is named in a baptism. You cannot normally be baptised without your name. So we rightly speak of baptismal names. The love that rises from the grave speaks our name. With Gd it is never not personal. Alleluia!

Indeed: Alleluia [signed]!

Today is called the Solemnity of Solemnities. And that is right. But it does not mean it is 'solemn' as in serious, grave and dull. On the contrary, it is the greatest occasion for joy. If we cannot be joyful, because of circumstances in our lives, we do what we can to be oriented towards joy. For today's Alleluias go all the way down. It is the day for shouts and dances of joy.

And if we are not quite ready to be a church of shouts and dances (I don't know... are we?... let me see whose eyes I can catch...), we can, in any event, bring our bodies into our thanks, praise and rejoicing.

Thus... remember... [signing]

Alleluia. Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Let us now say together the end of that Easter sermon of St John Chrysostom. Each sentence begins with 'Christ is risen!' I invite you to join in.

'Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!

Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!'