The Night of the New Creation
By Rev. James Fordjour
Beloved in Christ, tonight the Church keeps watch in the holiest of nights. We began in darkness indicating the state of humanity before Jesus Christ came into the world. The world was silent. And into that darkness a single flame was lit, thus, the Paschal candle, reminding us that Jesus Christ is the light that darkness can never overcome. As John 9:5 puts it; “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world”. This night is not simply the remembrance of an event which happened some two thousand years ago. It is the night when the entire history of salvation reaches its fulfillment.
We began with the story of creation in the Book of Genesis. God spoke into the darkness: “Let there be light.” Creation itself began with light overcoming chaos. But the beauty of that creation was wounded by the sin of the first Adam. Humanity turned away from God, and the shadow of death entered the world. The harmony of creation was broken. Yet God did not abandon his people. Again, and again He sort to save them.
And so, we heard how God led his people Israel out of slavery in Egypt. He made them pass through the waters of the Red Sea. What seemed impossible became possible and what looked like a dead end became the road to freedom. The sea that stood before them like a barrier became the path through which God saved them. That miracle was not just about the past. It was a sign pointing forward to something greater.
We also heard from the prophet Ezekiel how God promised saying; “I will sprinkle clean water upon you… I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” All these moments in salvation history were pointing toward this night.
And in the gospel reading of today, two women, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary walked slowly toward a tomb. Their hearts were heavy, carrying sorrow and confusion. They had watched their Lord die. The cross seemed to have crushed every hope they had. The stone was sealed. The grave was silent. Death appears to have won.
But tonight, the earth trembles because the stone that sealed the tomb is rolled away. The angel proclaims the message that changed the world saying; “He is not here; he has been raised.”At that moment everything changed. Death believed it had closed the final door, but God opened it. Darkness believed it had swallowed the light, but the light burst forth from the tomb. What began in the first creation now begins again. If the first creation began with light breaking into darkness, the new creation begins with the risen Christ stepping out of the grave. As St. Paul proclaims in his letter to the Romans; “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.”
This is the mystery we celebrate tonight. What does this mean for us and what lessons can we draw from these readings? One thing that we have to note is that, the resurrection is not only about what happened to Jesus. It is about what God wants to do in our lives.
First, the resurrection means that sin does not have the final word. The cross revealed the depth of human sin, but the empty tomb reveals the greater power of God’s mercy. As St. Paul says in his Letter to the Romans 5:20 that; “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” This means that, no failure, no guilt, no past is greater than the mercy of the risen Christ.
Second, the resurrection means that suffering and darkness are not meaningless. The disciples thought the cross was the end. But God transformed the cross into the doorway to life. This means that even in our own struggles, our losses, our disappointments, our pain, God can bring life out of what seems dead. God can bring hope in what seems hopeless and strength to what seems broken.
Third, the resurrection means that death itself is not the end. Christ entered the deepest darkness and conquered it from within. Scripture says, 1 Cor 15:54 that; “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” Because Christ lives, our hope is stronger than the grave. In baptism we were buried with Christ and raised with him at the resurrection. We are therefore called to live as children of the resurrection. This means that the resurrection must become visible in us. When we choose forgiveness instead of revenge, the resurrection is alive. When we lift someone who has fallen, comfort the suffering, or stand for truth and justice, it means the power of the resurrection is already transforming the world.
Beloved in Christ, like Mary Magdalene leaving the empty tomb, we are sent out as witnesses. The world around us often looks like Good Friday, filled with injustice, fear, and uncertainty. But tonight, the Church proclaims something stronger than all these things. The church proclaims that: The tomb is empty. Christ is alive. And if Christ is alive, then hope is alive. Love is alive. The future is alive.
Let us therefore carry the light of Christ into the darkness of the world.
Leave a Reply