An Easter sermon for our confirmation candidates

Luke 24.1-12

¹On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women who had accompanied Jesus came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they went in they did not find the body. ⁴While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. ⁶Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ⁸Then they remembered Jesus’ words, ⁹and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Prepared >> Perplexed >> Terrified!

Confirmation candidates?!

Every baptism and every confirmation

Every communion, every morning prayer

Is in it’s own way an encounter with the staggering reality of the risen Christ

We are caught up in our agendas and journeys

And just like the moment when we fall in love

Or have our breath taken away by a view or a piece of music

We suddenly meet something, someone who is more than us, far more

The tables are turned

We ourselves are put in perspective

NOW things can start to make sense, have purpose

NOW we see what it is all about

And when that happens we can’t stop talking about it

And sometimes too other people can’t see what we’re on about

For now – that is their problem

This is your day

You have bent down, opened yourself up, taken a risk

You have looked in, dared to explore, said yes to the light

You have met with the dead man living, the Christ, the Son of God

And if you will, your life will never be the same again

Now all life is Easter

You have been given life

And your job is now simply to share it

To give life to others

A smile, a word, a stopping to listen

A gift, a good morning, a silent prayer

And of course you will fall short as soon as you try it

But of course what matters is not you anyway

But the Christ who is beside you, within you

Who will be there when you go

Who will be what you can never be, do what you can never do

The saving of the world

But you at least will be his hands, his feet

His ambassadors and acolytes

His workmen and his wallets

And the work begins today.