Without the oxygen, it would have been a three
-minute sermon. And with it, it's not as long
as fathers. As fathers, but a sermon. There's
a page missing. How nice. Well, I have to go
without it. Glory be to Jesus Christ. Glory be
to Christ. The four gospel writers tell us that
Jesus performed unusual healings and miracles.
And for the three of those miracles, was so unusual
that the gospel writers point them out. The first
illustration of the power of Jesus facing death
is found in the 8th chapter of Luke, where He
confronts a young lady who died. We are told
that there were many mourners and grievers surrounding
the death of this young 12 -year -old. daughter
of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. And he
said to them, do not be disbelieving. She will
be well. And he came and touched the wicker basket
in which she was held. Because there were no
coffins at that time. And when he touched her,
her breath came back. She was dead. Her breath
came back. And the second illustration of this
extraordinary power of Jesus. was listed in St.
John's Gospel, the 11th chapter, in a very intimate,
personal way, in which he resurrects his dear
friend, Lazarus, who after four days was in the
grave. And the third illustration, Describes.
How Jesus responded. To death. In today's gospel
lesson. The seventh chapter. Again. In a. In
a magnificent way. He touched. He touched her.
And her breath came back. Now these illustrations
of Christ's power are meant to point out how
important it is for us to understand the themes
The essential underlying theme of both the epistles
and the gospels. And when he gave strength and
breath to the child, the people said, God has
visited us. And they were all amazed. And in
the Slavonic text it says, He came to his own
people. Jesus visited his people. Jesus today
visits us in various ways. He visits us through
the gospel readings, through the epistle readings,
through the proclamation of the word of God.
to the sacraments. He visits us only in a way
that you and I in the deepest level of our understanding
can respond. I recall going on a religious and
cultural pilgrimage back in the early 90s. And
in that group was a so -called intellectual who
said to me after most of the visit to these sites
were done, He said, I believe that your response,
and I have seen what your response and the response
of others in this group, how they venerated icons,
holy places. I believe that And he says, I'm
not wrong. I believe that you're all pursuing
illusions. I said, well, I don't think I'm wrong.
And I believe that what we have done was to acknowledge
the presence of Christ. And even if I lost 70
years in doing that, at least I have not lost
and forfeited eternity. There are ways in which
both the Gospel lessons and the Epistle lessons
underline this essential theme. That Christ is
not only the Lord of the living, But he is the
Lord of death. The vanquisher of death. And it
is for this reason we could cry out with joy.
And we still do so at every liturgy. I believe
in the resurrection of Christ. That indeed He
is with us. And as He said in more than one occasion
that I'll be with you until the end of time.
The message Of these readings. Should not be
lost. Because the message of Pascha. Is still
with us. None of the. Underlying. Thrust. Of
the Easter message is lost. Because of time.
Eternal life. Jesus said, begins here and now.
And as St. Paul in today's epistle mentions,
now is the day, now is the time of salvation.
So the death to be feared, my dear people, in
these three illustrations, revealing the power
of Christ in the presence of death. Death to
be feared is not the physical death, but what's
more tragic, the spiritual death. Spiritual death
is the state in which a person who is physically
alive, but spiritually dead. Dead to Christ,
dead to the church, dead to the needs of others.
And this is the ultimate tragedy where so many
people miss. The ultimate tragedy is that this
is the loss and forfeiture of eternal life. So
again, I want to re -emphasize that the message
of today's Gospel and Epistle reading Is that
God is with us. As we hear so many times during
the course of the year. God is with us, not was,
but is with us. And these days, there's a tendency
on part of our human nature. To be impressed
with the spectacular and sensational. But the
scriptures teach differently. God comes not with
might. Not with coercion. But in humility. And
in compassion. He has come to bridge. Heaven.
And earth. He said to these disciples. As he
said. To us this morning in the scriptures. I
will be with you. Until the end of time. So again
I want to. Reemphasize. The main. Theme. Of these
passages of the scripture. That God in Christ
reveals not only that Jesus is the Lord of life,
but the Lord of death. Who trampled down death
by death. And in doing so, brought us eternal
life. In the name of the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit.