"God is dead." - Great and Holy Pascha

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom He had chosen. To them He presented Himself alive after His passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while staying with them He charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, “You heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world knew Him not. He came to His own home, and His own people received Him not. But to all who received Him, who believed in His Name, He gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John bore witness to Him, and cried, “This was He of Whom I said, ‘He Who comes after me ranks before me, for He was before me.’”) And from His fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Acts 1:1-8

John 1:1-17

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God.  Amen.

“God is dead.”  So speaks the German philosopher Nietzsche.  Many in our society are drawn to this phrase, they believe that “religion,” however they define it, is for primitive people, people who do not know any better: our modern world has no place for such ignorant people.  Yet this night is more dazzling than the sun: Christ is risen!

“God is dead.”  Our world cries out to us, “leave your rituals, your beliefs, your closed mindedness.”  What is our response?  “Christ is risen!”

“God is dead.”  No!  Certainly not!  It is true God died – the Cross tells us the depths of his love that God would experience death – but death is not the end, God died yet God arose: Christ is risen!

“Christ is risen!” is our response, it is our answer to the world.  Why do we believe in One God?  Christ is risen!  Why do we pray?  Christ is risen!  Why are we members of Christ’s body?  Because Christ is risen!  All our hope, all our love, all our faith is expressed in this one phrase.

When people dismiss faith as something for which we do not have proof they do not understand faith.  Our Faith is based on the eye-witnesses of the risen Christ, those who preferred ridicule, suffering, torture and death rather than deny the joy of their life.  Our Faith is based on the certainty of Christ’s resurrection.

And we live that certainty tonight, through the whole season of Pascha and beyond that it may vivify us and our own Faith.  When we greet each other – and our neighbours, our colleagues, our families, our friends – when we greet each other and when we take our leave, when we rise up and retire at night, let us affirm the certainty of our Faith and proclaim with our voice: Christ is risen!  Hristos a înviat!  Χριστὸς ἀνέστη!  Хрїсто́съ воскре́се!  Le Christ est ressuscité!  Al-Masīḥ qām!  Christus ist auferstanden!

To our risen Lord be the glory together with his unoriginate Father and the All-holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit, Amen.