We change, God doesn’t. We forget, God remembers. We stray, God remains steady. . Easter Vigil with Baptism, 2018 Grace Lockport

+Tonight we baptize Westlynn.  I pray that she’ll grow up to be a true Episcopalian---someone who’s comfortable in the grey areas of life, someone who’ll accept that while she may not agree with everyone, everywhere, always, she’ll love everyone ,everywhere and always. And above all else I hope Westlynn asks A LOT of questions, just like a 9 year old Kaitlyn, who I met 13 years ago.
    Kaitlyn was in the 4th grade Sunday School class and one Lenten Sunday, as the class was discussing the events of Holy Week she asked me, “why? Why do we go through Holy Week every year? After all, she said, we know it all works out in the end!” Well she was correct, we do know how it ends and tonight we stand at the dramatic and glorious climax of the Holy Week Drama—an empty tomb, a risen Christ—but, as I told Kaitlyn---we must walk through the drama of Holy Week each and every year because although the story doesn’t change, we do.                                    
       We need the same old story to guide us in the new, varied and divergent paths our lives take. We change, God doesn’t. We forget, God remembers. We stray, God remains steady.
And so, we journey….from the triumphal march into Jerusalem, to the loneliness and despair of the garden, the bitter trial, the agony of the cross, the silence of death and finally, the joy of resurrection.
What a walk!
Tonight we heard the story of salvation. From the first glimmer of new light we heard how God has, always and forever, saved us from our darker selves. From the Red Sea to the dry bones, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, from Gethsemane to Calvary, from life to death and life again, God reaches out to us and for us.
Through the miracle of Easter we’ve been given, in clear and certain terms, A New Life in Christ, just as Westlynn will receive in a few moments.
      Why do we do this every year? Why must we repeat the history of the past two thousand years, year in and year out? Because we get lost, we forget. Because throughout life we experience our own personal Holy Weeks, our own moments of doubt, despair, loneliness and fear.
When Westlynn asks the same questions as Kaitlyn I hope we all remember to tell her that her life will have ups and downs and that by remembering the lessons of Holy Week, she'll be better equipped to deal with the peaks and valleys of life.
        So, just what are these lessons of Holy Week?
What does the journey from Bethany to Jerusalem, from Caiphas' prison to the hill at Calvary, from denial to doubt, from cross to tomb, from the death of Jesus back to life again, teach us?
Palm Sunday: triumph has different meanings. I don’t think anyone really knew what to expect when Jesus marched into Jerusalem. No doubt many of the disciples thought that in Jerusalem, Jesus would topple the civic and religious structures of the day. I’m not sure any of them thought victory could come from the cross and the tomb.
We cannot expect that the victory of life will always look how we think it will. Sometimes victory comes swaddled in rags, born in a barn and killed like a common criminal.
Maundy Thursday. It’s important to take time for fellowship. Sit with family and friends—break bread together. The bonds formed over the dinner table are fierce and will hold, come what may. Sometimes, words aren’t needed. Sometimes those we love simply need us to sit with them, to bear witness to the pain they’re enduring. My friends, never underestimate the power of your presence.
Good Friday: There will be times when our beliefs will be challenged, when we'll be tempted to deny what we believe to be true and right because it’s not popular or it’s too risky to stand up for what we believe. Folks, stand up for what is right as best you can, and when you falter-- and we all falter-- remember that God stands at the ready, waiting for you—for all of us-- to come to the home of God, where forgiveness always reigns.
Holy Saturday. Where is God?
There are days when we feel utterly alone and bereft. Know that deep within that sadness, at the very bottom of the well of loneliness there’s a small, still voice weeping with us and for us, sharing in our pain. You may not feel it, but know that it’s there and that you can count on it. None of us is ever alone, no matter what.
Easter—the Resurrection— Just as quickly as we find ourselves in the depths of despair we’ll be relieved and released from the pain. Suddenly, it will be gone. The sadness will lift and joy will again reign.
    The journey of Holy Week, is the journey of our lives---we’ll have ups and downs. We'll have our share of Easter joys and Good Friday losses. But---and this is the most important lesson any of us can take from our Christian journey----and I hope Westlynn remembers it always:
Holy Week always ends in Easter, Darkness always gives way to light, and sin always loses out to grace and truth and love. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia ---The Lord is Risen Indeed!+