Let Us All Enter into the Joy of the Lord!

The Second Sunday in Easter (April 29, 2019)

Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes – Washington, D.C.

Lectionary readings:

Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 150; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31

In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. It is a joy to be with you all again, a huge blessing and honor, and it is also a deep honor for me to be welcomed here today by the Harkins family as we join together in celebrating with them the baptism of their son, Luke Charles Harkins. It is especially fitting today that we should celebrate a baptism. While it is for us the 2nd Sunday in Easter, for the Eastern branch of Christ’s Church – and our brother and sister Anglicans in Palestine and Jordan – today is in fact Easter. And Easter is the traditional great point of entry into the Church through Baptism and through Confirmation. Recognizing this connection, I would like to ask your indulgence this morning, and invite your participation for a few minutes in one of the great traditions of Eastern Christianity. According to tradition, in 400 AD St. John Chrysostom preached his now universally acclaimed “Paschal Homily,” or “Catechetical Homily” as it’s sometimes known, on Easter morning. And it has become tradition for this homily to be read aloud throughout the Eastern Christian world on that same morning. Joining with our brothers and sisters then, I would like to read to you Chrysostom’s sermon:

Are there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!
Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!

If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour,
let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour,
let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour,
let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
as well as to him that toiled from the first.

To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.
He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.
The deed He honors and the intention He commends.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!

First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!

Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith.
Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!
Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.

Isaiah foretold this when he said,
‘You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below.’
Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.

Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!

The great St. Chrysostom says so much here that is both valuable as we reflect in this season in Easter and valuable as we celebrate a baptism today in our midst. Our catechism, on page 858 in the Prayer Book tells us that “Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ’s Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God.” This adoption, as St. Ambrose of Milan reminds us, is intimately connected to Christ’s death and resurrection. We die to our sins and are raised to new life in Christ – the white baptismal garment reminding us of Christ’s own white garments which shown brightly in his resurrected state.

Baptism is also a gift of adoption, bestowed upon all in all stages of life. Last week we heard the narrative of the empty tomb. Like the women coming from Jerusalem, believing and rejoicing from the start, Luke is being adopted into the Body of the faithful today at the beginning of his own journey in faith. Today we hear the story of Thomas, the one who doubted, the one who had to see to believe. And yet, in as much as Christ admonishes him, he is none-the-less converted and comes to believe. In fact tradition tells us that Thomas would go on to be the great apostle to the sub-continent of India; taking the faith there to a place where it will become deeply rooted and flourish abundantly. Again, as Saint Chrysostom says, “He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, as well as to him that toiled from the first… Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!”

Today, whether you are like Luke having been adopted from the 1st hour of life, or whether you are like St. Thomas, coming to the feast at the 11th hour, after many uncertainties and doubts, know that you are welcome at the feast. Know that Christ richly blesses you and enfolds you in the love poured out for us on the Cross. Let us rejoice today as we welcome the newest member of Christ’s body into the fold, and let us rejoice at the feast that has been prepared for us from the beginning of time. It is a glorious day. And for that we say: Thanks be to God! Alleluia! And Amen!