Easter Vigil 2025

Do you remember? When God created the world and it was good, one thing was told to Adam and Eve. Remember - do not eat this fruit. But they did, turning the course of humankind forever. Then the earth was flooded, washing away the darkness, but the Lord promised to never do so again, setting a rainbow in the sky as a sign by which to remember this promise. Centuries went by. A covenant was made with Abraham, who promised to obey and worship God, and God promised land, and descendants as numerous as the stars to Abraham. But as time went by, the people often did not keep the covenant, breaking God’s laws and worshipping other gods. The people forgot who they were called to be. Eventually, the people became slaves in Egypt, enduring cruelty and suffering, so they cried out to their God who heard them. He chose Moses to lead them, and in darkness and plague God showed his power. On the final night, eating lamb and bread, the angel of death passed over the Israelite people, and they fled captivity, crossing the parted sea to find new hope, new life, and new freedom. ‘Remember’, said God, ‘that you are my people. Remember that I saved you. Tell the story, sing your song’. And as history flowed by, the people remembered and the people forgot. God remained faithful, as kings rose and fell. Prophets spoke out to turn hearts back to worship, they reminded the people of their part in the covenant.

Remember, they said, that God is ours, and we are God’s. Remember to worship, to tell your story, to sing your song. Remember to live as holy people all your lives long. But it is hard to remember, and hard to be holy. Sins required sacrifices, countless hundreds of thousands of sacrifices. Laws were broken again and again, and along the way some of the people lost sight of the love which created the first covenant. So God promised something else. God promised to come among his people once again, to send a Messiah who would change the pattern and break the mould. A Messiah to save the beloved chosen people who in their humanity fell so short so often.

So the people waited. They endured. They offered sacrifices. They forgot and they remembered. They ate the Passover every year, they told their story, they tried to keep God’s laws. Rulers and conquerors came and went, and then one year, a star shone brightly in the sky above Bethlehem. One more prophet walked in the desert, baptising, proclaiming repentance, declaring that the Messiah was here. And a teacher rose up, speaking of God in a new way. He reminded the people of love and compassion, healing the sick, loving the outcast, eating with sinners, asking questions and causing trouble. His disciples, men and women, were drawn to him fiercely, even in the midst of not understanding all that he said.

People puzzled over this man. They were confused by him, challenged, amazed, and afraid. And because he taught a new way, because he spoke of God with such confidence, because he questioned authority and because people followed him in huge numbers, some of those in power decided he must be stopped. Little did they know that God was at work here too. The day came when Jesus rode a donkey into the lion’s den, into Jerusalem itself where the powerful plotted against him. The people sang out ‘Hosannah’, laying palm branches down before him.

Then this year for the Passover - the remembering with lamb and bread - the disciples and Jesus retold the story of God’s power in Egypt, the saving of their people, the covenant of Abraham. But then Jesus shared the bread, passed the wine, and spoke of something new. A new covenant, of his own body and blood. And as with so many times before, the disciples didn’t quite understand. He was always doing and saying strange things, this teacher who they loved.

Then that very night, while praying into the deep darkness, he was taken. Soldiers, swords, and betrayal. It happened so fast, and he wouldn’t fight back…

As the next day unfolded, the people forgot. They forgot their song of Hosannah, forgot his teaching, forgot the love he showed. Instead there were cries for condemnation and death, there was cruelty and spectacle and innocence sacrificed.

And the Messiah died. His disciples watched, the women staying close until the very end. The unthinkable unfolded before their very eyes, as their hopes and dreams were dashed, along with his blood dripping down the rough wood onto the ground. In fear and grief they endured the sabbath that followed. Darkness surrounded them; God seemed far away. In their pain, it even felt like God had died. As daybreak next dawned, the faithful women bore their heartbroken love to the tomb, heavy laden with spices to anoint their beloved’s broken body. But wait. What was this? The tomb empty, the body gone. Then suddenly, angels asking, ‘why look for the living among the dead? Don’t you remember? Remember, he told you - remember, he said - that he would rise. These things would happen, but Jesus would rise. He is risen, he is not here, he is alive and risen again!’

What wonder! What strangeness! Now it started to make sense. His teaching flooded back into their minds and they knew that this was what he had talked about so often. The Messiah was not dead! God was among them once again! Grief turned to joy, bewilderment to understanding, forgetfulness into remembering. Bursting with this marvellous news, they rushed to tell the disciples. It took time for them to remember as well. Time for them to believe and understand. But as days turned to weeks they all knew the truth of resurrection, as Jesus walked among them again.

And later, God kept his promise in another new way, and the Spirit came upon them in wind and power. Now the disciples remembered so much. They remembered the story, remembered the song, remembered the bread and the wine and the lamb.

And they told everyone. People were baptised, in water and Spirit, entering the new covenant with God with great joy. God’s promise held true, and the news of the Messiah spread far and wide as the joy of resurrection was passed from one to another.

So we arrive at today. We are part of this arc, and the breadth of this wonder encompasses you. So we tell this our story, we sing this our song, we remember God’s covenant in Spirit and love. We share bread and wine, as Jesus told us to do. We baptise, we believe, we rejoice, for the Messiah has come; he has died, he has risen, and we proclaim to the world that Easter is here!

Amen.

Romans 6:3-11; Luke 24:1-12