Easter Sunday

Sermon Text:

Remember this:  Christ is risen. 
We can't gather today in our own church, but still, remember this:  Christ is risen.
We cannot celebrate Easter in our traditional ways, but remember this:  Christ is risen.

When there is panic in the streets and fear in the air, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When you just can't bear to watch the news anymore, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When you wonder if the hard times will ever end, remember this:  Christ is risen.

When death takes someone you love, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When your heart is weary and heavy, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When every story seems to end in tragedy, remember this:  Christ is risen.

When you feel lonely and isolated, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When there is too much month left at the end of the money, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When you don't know what next week will bring, remember this:  Christ is risen.

When the sun comes up over the hills of the southern tier, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When the moon shines through your bedroom window, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When clouds hover like a gray quilt in the sky, remember this:  Christ is risen.

When the days get longer at last, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When the birds sing their songs of spring once again, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When the trees put on their summer green again, remember this:  Christ is risen.

When joy bubbles up in your heart for no apparent reason, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When the Gospel of Jesus takes hold in your heart, remember this:  Christ is risen.
When you wake and when you sleep,
when you work and when you play,
when you live and when you die, remember this:  Christ. Is. Risen.

Remember.  
Remembering is an essential part of the Christian tradition. 
Jesus said, "Do this for the remembrance of me."

And that reminds me to say something about remembering as spiritual practice.

In each of my sermons during this lockdown, I have offered a simple spiritual practice I've been finding helpful in these tough days.

The first week, I talked about breathing...conscious, deliberate, spiritual breathing. Then for week two, I talked about connecting to nature in a more focused way. Last week was week three, and I talked about the important spiritual practice of kindness.

Today, as we remember that Christ is risen, I hope you will remember to remember! 

Remembering is a central part of our Episcopal tradition, as it is part of all Christian traditions.

I am also struck by the fact that research psychology underlines the importance of remembering. Scientists who study happiness -- that must be a pretty cool job when you think about it! -- have found that nostalgia is good for us. If we remember the good stuff, they tell us, we will feel happier.

I don't know about you, but I can quickly come up with a long list of happy things I remember from my own life. I remember good stuff about people I love, places I've been, rooms that mean a lot to me, teachers I've had, books which spoke to me, wonderful meals, and even a favorite pair of jeans.

If we consciously remember good stuff about our past, we actually become a little happier in the present. Don't take my word for it -- researchers in the field of positive psychology have proven it. So try it, especially now, when we really need it.

Remember the good stuff.

And of course, on Easter Day, remember this above all:

Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed!  Alleluia, alleluia!