The Great Vigil of Easter – April 19, 2025Genesis 1:1-3:24; Genesis 7:1-9:17; Exodus 14:10-15:1; Daniel
3:1-30St. Matthew 28:1-7
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Easter Vigil bridges the gap between the Crucifixion on
Good Friday and the Feast of the Resurrection on Easter morning. We began in
darkness as we kindled a new flame. This flame is to represent the Light of
Christ, by which the Word of God is revealed to us. He is the light shining in
dark places and He illumines the Scriptures so that we might understand them.
Only in Christ can we understand what it is the Scriptures say to us concerning
faith.
Having lit the new flame, we heard four prophecies of God’s
great works within creation: Creation and the Fall, the Flood, Israel’s
deliverance at the Red Sea, and the Fiery Furnace. Each of these is a
description of God’s activity in the world to save His people, His mercy and
gracious love toward man. They are at the same time a description of His
judgment against sin.
We then entered the service of Holy Baptism, in which we
remembered the gracious promises made to us in the waters of Holy Baptism. We
repeated the vows and declarations made at Holy Baptism not because they needed
to be renewed or strengthened, but to remind ourselves of what Baptism is and
what glorious blessings it bestows.
Then there was the Service of Prayer, a unique litany. This
service of prayer is a plea to God that the benefits of His salvation would
come to us this very night. And during the hymn which followed, our church was
transformed. The paraments and altar appointments returned, now clothed in
white and gold, the lights came on, and we sang the Gloria in Excelsis, the
song of the angels that fell silent 70 days ago. The transition from Lent to
Easter is now complete, having heard of Christ’s glorious resurrection from the
dead. And soon, we will feast on that very same body that though once dead, is
now living.
That first Easter morning, God sent an angel to announce the
resurrection of Christ. The women had come to see a tomb, the place of the
dead, but the angel gently corrects their intentions. It is not a tomb, not a
dead man they seek, but the living Christ. We are going to pay very close
attention to the words of the angel’s message this evening.
First, he proclaims, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you
seek Jesus who was crucified.”[1]
That last part should really say, “Jesus, the Crucified One.” It expresses
something that happened in the past but is an ongoing reality. That is not to
say that Jesus is still being crucified. Rather, the crucifixion is the
defining characteristic of Christ. In this way, He loved us, namely that He
bore our sins on the cross and buried them in the grave, so that when He rose
again, death would be conquered, and our sins would remain forever in the
grave. He is eternally The Crucified because He is eternally our substitute.
The Crucified One is the eternal sacrifice given once and for all.
The angel continues, “He
is not here; for He is risen, as He said.”[2] Again, this needs clarification. The
phrase, “He is risen” should be something like, “He rose.” It expresses a one-time
event in the past that is concluded, finished, done, over with. It is as much
as saying “He won. Period.” Christ’s resurrection is the final nail in satan’s
coffin. It is the seal on your salvation. His resurrection is your
resurrection, so much can you place your hope and confidence on Him. If He was
raised from the dead, so shall you.
It might seem odd to think that the ongoing characteristic
of Christ is that He is the Crucified One while the resurrection is a singular
past event. It might seem like they should be the other way around. Yet this is
the beauty of the angel’s message. The Crucified One is the all atoning
sacrifice for sinners yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is the sacrificial
Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. His forgiveness is not a one-time
event. It endures for all time.
His resurrection, on the other hand, needed only happen once
and to be done. The death stroke against death is complete, finished. “Satan,
you thought you had triumphed when they placed my Lord in the grave, but He
rose. You are finished. Christ won. You lost. Period.”
Finally, the angel says, “Indeed Christ is going before you
into Galilee; there you will see Him.”[3]
Here, the translation of the angel’s message is correct and oh so beautiful.
“He is going before you.” Christ is one the move. He did not rise to sit idle.
He isn’t fleeing from man. He is on the move, going from place to place, to be
with man. He leads and He follows. He goes before the women to Galilee, to
bring Himself to the nations, that all who hear His word and receive Christ
will receive the benefits of the Crucified One.
So too, He goes before you this evening. He goes before you
as your Christ. He goes before you to be with you and to lead you unto your
heavenly home. Christ is the Crucified One for you today and always. Christ
rose for you, that you would rise with Him. Christ is going before you to show
you the way to everlasting life.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
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