First Communion of Charlotte Grandstaff
Job 19:23-27/1 Corinthians 15:51-57/St Mark 16:1-8
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
They knew where the tomb was, for they were there when it was sealed. And having cared for our Lord Jesus in life, they sought also in death, to minister to His bodily needs, to anoint Him with spices, and properly prepare Him for burial. But in their grief, they forgot about the stone.
That stone that sealed tight the grave of their loved one. That heavy, cumbersome weight. It seemed so final, so absolute, so terminal. That stone symbolized for them death itself. Who will move it for us? Who can undo death? Who can remove its sting?
Death has a claim on all mankind, on Job, on St Paul, even on St John the Baptist, the greatest born of women. All the saints and all the patriarchs and fathers died. As St Paul writes, Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Rm 5:12); there is no distinction: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rm 3:23). Death has a claim on you. And this dark covering is spread over all peoples. The grave awaits. The stone is sealed and cannot be broken.
But death has no claim on Christ! And when it seized Him it did so wrongfully. At first death and the devil were not aware of this; they conspired together to devour Christ. They unleashed all their might, the full force of their arsenal, inflicting the deepest and most voracious pain; completely eviscerating Him, taking away everything He had, everything in body and soul, until He was left with nothing.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: He willingly presented Himself to death and the devil. He permitted Himself to be beaten and pierced. He permitted Himself to be nailed to the Cross and did not retaliate, but allowed Himself to be killed. And He bore it all patiently. When death and the devil exerted their greatest power and killed Christ, they struck down His humanity.
Yet behold He lives! For He is at the same time God in the flesh - as you confess in the Creed, as Job confesses, as Charlotte will confess this morning - and He cannot die. And though He is killed by death and the devil, He cannot remain in death, but must live and reign eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Death and the devil merely inflicted a wound upon Christ, the GodMan, but could not overpower Him. St Mark and all the evangelists record this. Our Christian Creed testifies to it. Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, could not and should not die. Therefore the One whom death and the devil ensnared must swallow up death forever! They attacked the wrong person!
Until now they had attacked righteous, godly saints. Death and the devil attacked Job and had overwhelmed him. Death had a claim on Job for he was a sinner. Death and Satan attack and ensnare you, your loved ones, for you too are sinners. But in Christ, Job’s Redeemer, your Redeemer, death and the devil attacked the wrong Man. For not only was He righteous, innocent, pure and without sin, but He is also eternal and immortal.
It is exactly the reverse of what St Paul exclaimed concerning your life, death, and resurrection: Christ the imperishable One put on the perishable; He the immortal One put on immortality in order to lead death captive. For He bore your sin and by His death devoured and swallowed up your death.
Christ tore open the belly of the devil and the muzzle of death. Sin, death, and the wicked devil had no claim upon Christ. He triumphed over them as Lord, not only because He is true God, but because He was innocent concerning His humanity. This is why the angel tells the woman, You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the Man, the holy and righteous Man, who was crucified. He has risen! Sin, death, and the devil are nothing compared to Christ the God-Man. His suffering and sorrow was indeed mighty, but mightier still is His resurrection from the dead!
Therefore the stone has been rolled back; not for His sake, but for yours and all the saints. For Christ permitted Himself to be swallowed up by death for you in order that He might make a hole through death; burst through his foul gullet and emerge victorious on the other side. He has transformed the finality and absoluteness of death into but a mere sleep for you.
This is why St Paul can stare mockingly into the gapping jaws of death and ridicule: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? For Christ is risen, and you, O death, are obliterated! Christ is risen, and the evil ones are cast down! Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen, and life is set free! 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. The seal of the grave is broken. The stone has been removed.
Beloved, your Father in heaven, who raised Jesus from the dead, gives you His victory over sin, death, and the devil. His Word has been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and is inscribed with His own Blood; and His Word promises life and immortality to all who trust in Christ Jesus. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the One man’s obedience the many will be made righteous (Rm 5:19). Sin reigned in death. But grace reigns through righteousness leading to eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Job 19:23-27/1 Corinthians 15:51-57/St Mark 16:1-8
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
They knew where the tomb was, for they were there when it was sealed. And having cared for our Lord Jesus in life, they sought also in death, to minister to His bodily needs, to anoint Him with spices, and properly prepare Him for burial. But in their grief, they forgot about the stone.
That stone that sealed tight the grave of their loved one. That heavy, cumbersome weight. It seemed so final, so absolute, so terminal. That stone symbolized for them death itself. Who will move it for us? Who can undo death? Who can remove its sting?
Death has a claim on all mankind, on Job, on St Paul, even on St John the Baptist, the greatest born of women. All the saints and all the patriarchs and fathers died. As St Paul writes, Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Rm 5:12); there is no distinction: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rm 3:23). Death has a claim on you. And this dark covering is spread over all peoples. The grave awaits. The stone is sealed and cannot be broken.
But death has no claim on Christ! And when it seized Him it did so wrongfully. At first death and the devil were not aware of this; they conspired together to devour Christ. They unleashed all their might, the full force of their arsenal, inflicting the deepest and most voracious pain; completely eviscerating Him, taking away everything He had, everything in body and soul, until He was left with nothing.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: He willingly presented Himself to death and the devil. He permitted Himself to be beaten and pierced. He permitted Himself to be nailed to the Cross and did not retaliate, but allowed Himself to be killed. And He bore it all patiently. When death and the devil exerted their greatest power and killed Christ, they struck down His humanity.
Yet behold He lives! For He is at the same time God in the flesh - as you confess in the Creed, as Job confesses, as Charlotte will confess this morning - and He cannot die. And though He is killed by death and the devil, He cannot remain in death, but must live and reign eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Death and the devil merely inflicted a wound upon Christ, the GodMan, but could not overpower Him. St Mark and all the evangelists record this. Our Christian Creed testifies to it. Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, could not and should not die. Therefore the One whom death and the devil ensnared must swallow up death forever! They attacked the wrong person!
Until now they had attacked righteous, godly saints. Death and the devil attacked Job and had overwhelmed him. Death had a claim on Job for he was a sinner. Death and Satan attack and ensnare you, your loved ones, for you too are sinners. But in Christ, Job’s Redeemer, your Redeemer, death and the devil attacked the wrong Man. For not only was He righteous, innocent, pure and without sin, but He is also eternal and immortal.
It is exactly the reverse of what St Paul exclaimed concerning your life, death, and resurrection: Christ the imperishable One put on the perishable; He the immortal One put on immortality in order to lead death captive. For He bore your sin and by His death devoured and swallowed up your death.
Christ tore open the belly of the devil and the muzzle of death. Sin, death, and the wicked devil had no claim upon Christ. He triumphed over them as Lord, not only because He is true God, but because He was innocent concerning His humanity. This is why the angel tells the woman, You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the Man, the holy and righteous Man, who was crucified. He has risen! Sin, death, and the devil are nothing compared to Christ the God-Man. His suffering and sorrow was indeed mighty, but mightier still is His resurrection from the dead!
Therefore the stone has been rolled back; not for His sake, but for yours and all the saints. For Christ permitted Himself to be swallowed up by death for you in order that He might make a hole through death; burst through his foul gullet and emerge victorious on the other side. He has transformed the finality and absoluteness of death into but a mere sleep for you.
This is why St Paul can stare mockingly into the gapping jaws of death and ridicule: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? For Christ is risen, and you, O death, are obliterated! Christ is risen, and the evil ones are cast down! Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen, and life is set free! 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. The seal of the grave is broken. The stone has been removed.
Beloved, your Father in heaven, who raised Jesus from the dead, gives you His victory over sin, death, and the devil. His Word has been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and is inscribed with His own Blood; and His Word promises life and immortality to all who trust in Christ Jesus. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the One man’s obedience the many will be made righteous (Rm 5:19). Sin reigned in death. But grace reigns through righteousness leading to eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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