Easter Day 2014

Easter 2014
1. We just finished holy week, we read the story of Jesus passion and death on 2
occasions. Think about the 12 apostles after the death of Jesus: one had betrayed
Jesus and then killed himself, the others had disowned him and gone into hiding.
What were the odds that his disciples would succeed in spreading Jesus message to the world?
They were poor uneducated fishermen and farmers. Most of them were illiterate. They had
been jealous of each other, and did not always agree among themselves. From an
organizational standpoint, they did not have their act together
Their charismatic leader had been killed like a criminal, they did not have a good organization,
they had no resources, no clear plan, no status, no armies to support them, no temples to pray
in, no rituals to follow, no written documentation
2. Then something happened: the resurrection of Jesus. When these guys who had
gone into hiding experienced the risen Lord, they were completely transformed.
The resurrection experience changed everything: they became energized, they no longer
feared the leaders of the Jews nor the Romans. They knew that God was on their side, they
received the Holy Spirit and started preaching. They became bold, sure of their believes.
They were led by the Holy Spirit and finally understood what Jesus had been teaching them
The church was started. They spread all over the world, without an organization, without a
coherent plan, and simply proclaimed the Gospel. Realistically, they had no chance to
succeed. They were soon persecuted by the Jews and later by Roman empire. Most of their
leaders were killed, and yet they kept growing, against all odds Their success was and still
is unexplainable.
Organizations that start off this badly always fail, but they did not. Why? Because they felt
the presence of their risen Lord with them, and nothing could stop them.

Easter 2014
3. When I am asked, how do you know that Jesus really rose from the dead? How do
you know that someone didnt just make up the story? The answer is simple, look
at the results: you will know a tree from its fruits.
There is no way that these guys could have created Christianity on their own. The presence of the
risen Lord inspired them, guided them and supported them.
Do you know what the outsiders used to say when they saw the Christians suffer and die and yet
endure? Look how they love each other. Their Lord had left them with a simple commandment
to love God and to love their neighbor, not to resist oppression but to turn the other cheek as he
had done. When they did that they succeeded, when they tried to use power, they failed.
4. Today we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.
The same Jesus who energized and transformed the apostles is still with us. He is our risen Lord.
Through Baptism we become his disciples and joined the Church.
However, in spite of the presence of Jesus, the church has splintered into thousands of
denominations. Christians have fought each others, and scandals have rocked the church.
What holds us together across the tens of thousands of splintered churches is our Baptism and our
common faith in the risen Lord and the commitment to try to follow his commandment to love
God and our neighbors.
5. In a few moments we will renew our Baptismal vows. Baptism is what has made us
followers of the risen Jesus. The Baptismal covenant is our contract with God. It is
what binds us to Jesus and to each other as a church
When we keep the promises of the Baptismal covenant, we allow Jesus, the risen Lord to act
among us. The Jesus we pray and believe in is the same risen Lord who transformed the first
disciples and allowed them to succeed against all odds and turned them into heroes and
martyrs.
If we have faith in the risen Lord we too will be transformed. Happy Easter.