Brave and Noble Warriors for Christ

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Gainesville FL
April 23, 2011

The Great Vigil of Easter
The Baptism of Eowyn Verhaeren
Genesis 1:1-2:2
Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13
Exodus 14:10-15:1
Zephaniah 3:12-20
Romans 6:3-11
Matthew 28:1-10

Brave and Noble Warriors for Christ

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

The story of God and humanity is a story of God reaching out to us – a story of God reaching out to us over and over again.

At the start of tonight’s service we heard some examples of God reaching out to us – some stories of God’s saving deeds in history - some stories of our salvation.

We began with the story of creation – the story of God pouring out bottomless love and unquenchable imagination to create this fragile and beautiful planet surrounded by the vast expanse of interstellar space. We heard the story of God’s creation of human beings – human beings made in the image and likeness of God.

We didn’t hear the story of human beings messing up that close relationship with God. We didn’t hear it because, well, it’s Easter and we’re trying to be upbeat. And we didn’t hear it because, really, we don’t need to hear it. We know only too well how often we mess up – how often we mess up our relationship with God, our relationship with one another, our relationship with all of creation.

Yet, the good news is that despite all that messing up, God doesn’t give up on us.

God continues to love us, to reach out to us.

And tonight we celebrate God’s ultimate reaching out to us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

In the life of Jesus, we see what God is really like.

We see a God who enters the world on the margins – born to a couple of nobodies in an out of the way place.

We see a God who is the God of the losers – the God of the poor in spirit, the mournful, the meek, the hungry and thirsty, the merciful and the persecuted.

We see a God who’s most easily found with the people hanging out tonight downtown in Bo Diddley Plaza or the people waiting on line for a meal at St. Francis House.

In the life of Jesus we see what God is really like.

And in the death of Jesus we see what God is really like.

In the death of Jesus, we see a God whose kingdom is a mortal threat to the political and religious authorities of the world.

In the death of Jesus we see a God who is willing to be weak, a God who is willing to be rejected by us, a God who is even willing to be killed by us.

In the death of Jesus, we see a God who forgives the worst we’ve ever done or could ever do.

In the death of Jesus we see what God is really like.

But, this is the night when we celebrate the resurrection.

In the resurrection of Jesus we see what God is really like.

In the resurrection of Jesus we see a God who never gives up on us. We see a God who will not allow sin and death to drive us apart.

In the resurrection of Jesus, we see a God who gives us a fresh start, a second chance.

In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we see what God is really like.

And in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we see what we are meant to be like – what we were always meant to be like.

In The Lord of the Rings, the character Eowyn is both beautiful and a brave and noble warrior.

And even if we’re not named Eowyn, that’s what we’re supposed to be like.

To love us so much, despite all our flaws, God must find us very beautiful.

And as Christians, we are meant to be brave and noble warriors for Christ, caring for those the world thinks of as the losers.

We are meant to be brave and noble warriors for Christ, united with the poor in spirit, the mournful, the meek, the hungry and thirsty, the merciful and the persecuted.

We are meant to be brave and noble warriors for Christ, challenging the political and religious authorities of the world – and facing the consequences of that challenge.

We are meant to persevere in resisting evil.

We are meant to proclaim by word and example the Good News.

We are meant to serve Christ in all persons

We are meant to strive for justice and peace among all people.

All of this seems nearly impossible. And it would be impossible to be a brave and noble warrior for Christ if we were on our own.

But, the joy of Easter is that we’re not on our own.

In the water of Baptism God makes an indissoluble bond – an unbreakable bond – with us, just as tonight in the water of baptism, God made an unbreakable bond with our own Eowyn.

As St. Paul explained to the church in Rome, in the water of baptism we die with Christ – and in the water of baptism we rise with Christ.

We messed up in the worst way imaginable by nailing Jesus to the cross.

Yet, God responds to our messing up by raising Jesus on the third day – by turning death into life.

So, Eowyn, no matter how many times you mess up, no matter how many mistakes you make, God will always love you and be with you.

And no matter how many times the rest of us mess up, nothing can ever separate us from the love of God.

The story of God and humanity is a story of God reaching out to us – reaching out to us over and over again.

And God’s ultimate reaching out to us is in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we see what God is really like.

And in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we see what we are meant to be like.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!