Christ’s Rescue Story

Sermon on Romans 6:3-5, 9-11
The Vigil of Easter
April 16, 2022
Our Hope Lutheran Church
Huntertown, Indiana

Text:  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. … We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Intro: Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, Allelujah! Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who by his death has destroy death and by his rising again opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

The Easter Vigil is one of the oldest worship services the church celebrates. As early as the first or second centuries, the church at Jerusalem met at sundown on Holy Saturday to tell the whole story of salvation – from the creation of the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus. People love stories. We read them, tell them, quote them and enjoy them over and over again. Even ones that are of real people, often embellished, have a charm for us.

The story of salvation is the best of them all, not only because it has great power and drama, filled with one water rescue after another, but because we are a part of it. This story is not over yet and that makes all the difference in the world. This story, you see, will actually end happily ever after, when Jesus will raise us from our graves to live with him forever.

1.  Jesus is at the center of this story
   1. As God, he created the world.
   1. He kept Noah and his family safe on the Ark.
   1. He spoke from the burning bush to call Moses and was in the pillar of cloud and fire.
   1. He is the Redeemer Job will see on the last day.
   1. He stood with the three witnesses in the fiery furnace.
   1. At just the right time he was born of the virgin Mary,
   1. As the Lamb of God, he was slain for us.
   1. Through apostles, faithful witnesses, pastors and countless others, he brought the word of God to us.
2.  We are in this story.
   1.  In our right time, his Holy Spirit, united us with him in Holy Baptism.
   1.  When he died, we died with him.
   1.  When he rose again, we rose with him, too.
   1. On a day very soon, he will come for us to bring us home.
   1. And on that last day, he will call our bodies from the grave and we will live with him forever.
   1. So now, we consider ourselves dead to sin but alive it him.

Christ is Risen!

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