In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Christ is risen. [This was repeated in other languages.]

Earlier, during the Trisagion, or its replacement, it’s become my custom to say the citations from the Psalms in more than one language, and I have tried to increase the number of languages that I’m using, because it’s good for people to hear the words of the Lord in their own languages from time to time in this sea of English. Because I forgot to do more than the usual three tonight, there are three other languages: Greek, Romanian, and Finnish, that I can manage with, and I’ll repeat the Psalm in your hearing: “Lord, Lord, look down from heaven, and behold this vine which Your right hand has planted, and establish it” (Psalm 79:15). This is what the citation is from the Psalms, but it is also a prayer that the bishop says when he is serving. It is important that we are hearing this in various languages, as we have sung “Christ is risen” already in many languages. In a musical way, too, it seems like we’re approaching having a professional Georgian-style choir here.

The Gospel is given to everyone, as the Saviour said. The light of Christ is shining in the darkness. The darkness does not overcome it. The Gospel is for everyone. God’s love is for everyone. Our ability to share some words of the love of God in all these languages is an expression of this. This love of God is for everyone whatever their language, whatever the colour, whatever the shape or size or anything else.

All of us are created in God’s image, and the light of Christ shining in us enables us to be like Him – like Him in His love, which is so patient beyond our comprehension, beyond our understanding. His love endures during all kinds of back-sliding, back-biting, back-turning from you, and from me, and still remains constant, and faithful towards us, whom He created out of His love.

The Resurrection of Christ is our hope. It is also our resurrection. He rose from the dead. He overthrew death. He conquered sin. Everything that we have set up as a barrier between ourselves, and God, He has overcome by His life-giving, life-creating love.

It is for you, and for me, celebrating this great feast, the greatest of them all, to take the Lord’s love seriously, and to take His hand, as He is taking the hand of Adam and Eve which we see in the icon. It’s for us to take His hand also, and to allow Him to pull us up out of our darkness, out of our weakness, out of our brokenness, out of our rebellion, and our lostness. It’s for us to allow Him to draw us into His life, and into His Kingdom.

Here, today, we are standing in His Kingdom. We don’t just think we are standing in His Kingdom, we are standing in His Kingdom, worshipping the Lord all together. We are rejoicing in His Kingdom with all the saints, with those who have gone before us, with all of our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children, and everyone else who has gone before us. We are here together with all of them, glorifying our Saviour, together with the angels, even. We are glorifying our Saviour, worshipping Him with all our hearts, giving thanks to Him for His love.

Let us ask the prayers of all those who have gone before us so that the Lord will give us the strength to follow Him faithfully, to renew our love in Him, and to grow up in Him, like them, so that with them, for eternity we may be ready to grow in the love of our Saviour, and glorify Him in the all-holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

† Archdiocese of Canada - Orthodox Church in America