Easter, Baptism and the Pascal Light


The new light of Easter enters slowly into the darkened sanctuary. "The light of Christ," the deacon chants with ever increasing intensity. Little by little the darkness is dispelled. Life has broken in on the shadow of death. This light will remain on the altar for the 50 days of His post-resurrection work, a testimony to the continued victory of life over death. Yet with the arrival of Pentecost the light does not disappear. Now its place is by the font, the water of life, where we die to the death-dealing power of sin and rise to newness of life in Christ. It will move on only one other occasion during this coming year. Each time the earthly remains of a child of God sit in state before the altar, the light will stand prominently at the head, even as the casket is draped in its pall, symbolic of the robe of righteousness that clothed the child in Baptism. The light scatters the darkness of death once more, forbidding a grief devoid of hope. We have died to sin. We have arisen to a new life in Christ. In Him we die no more.

And as this light sits quietly upon the altar each Lord's Day, it stands in testimony of the daily death and resurrection of each believer. For here, again before the altar in God's House, we pour out our confession, and pray for the resurrection new life that forgiveness brings to our sinful souls. The darkness of sin casts its long shadow over our lives, frustrating us at every turn, complicating our families and marriages and work. We know the damage it has done. We sense the death within. Yet we cannot give up hope. The holy absolution from God's servant cuts through the guilt and announces the victory of the one in whose stead he stands. I am not a forsaken sinner given to death and hell. I am a forgiven child of God, washed in Christ through the power of the Spirit, raised to a new and better life, empowered now to do what is impossible, save by the strength of God Himself.

The light has come and the darkness has neither overcome it, nor does it comprehend it. Praise be to the Light of Life!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Historical Roots of the Warham Guild Hood

Image
In doing just a little checking on the internet, it's interesting to see how the Warham Guild hood, which I have as part of my STM degree attire, is actually a throwback to the Medieval hood. One article notes "the work of the Warham Guild in its imaginative renderings of medieval hoods" (reference is from here ). Again, here is my hood: The Medieval hood, which was originally a very practical outer garment to cover a person's head and shoulders, protecting both from the elements, bears striking resemblance to this revived form: This hood was also a part of the garb of monks in that era. The Medieval hood, in some cases, also had what is known as a "liripipe," a long tail hanging from the back of a hood. You can see the modern stylized version of this on my own hood. From an article on "Academic hood development" we read that "By 1463 the favourite dress of doctors was the hood with round bell-shaped cape, and the lir
Read more

The Firefighter's Cross

Image
[Note: A similar article to this will be shared with my department at their next meeting. During this Lenten season when we are meditating on the significance and meaning of the Passion of our Lord and the Cross at Golgotha, it seemed like one way to offer a witness to the department that captured their interest and yet was not too heavy.] [Editorial Note: In response to a recent comment on this article I have made some changes to the original version of this article especially in regard to references to the so-called St. Florian's Cross. For any confusion the previous unreferenced information may have caused I apologize. I hope that the changes are satisfactory.] THE STORY OF THE MALTESE CROSS In many ways the familiar symbol to the right requires no explanation. It is the universal insignia of firefighting nationwide. Yet the precise origins of this symbol are less clear. The most popular explanation proposes its beginning in the far distant past of medieval Crusaders fi
Read more

KFUO-FM Sale: Editorial from Board of Directors

October 9, 2009 Letters to the Editor St. Louis Post-Dispatch 900 N. Tucker Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63101 RE: “Missouri Synod agrees to sell KFUO” - Oct. 7, 2009 Dear Editor, The ongoing news coverage of the sale of KFUO-FM has been disappointing in its lack of completeness. There is significantly more to the story than has been reported. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) Board of Directors is elected by convention delegates and is responsible—on behalf of the 2.4 million members of the church—for conscientiously evaluating the assets of the church to determine how best to use those assets to further the proclamation, mission, and ministry associated with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Synod’s board has been open about its intentions regarding the disposition of its FM station. Since as early as February 2008, this item has been on the board meeting agenda. Board minutes are made public by posting on the LCMS Web site and summaries are reported in the board’s insert “Board
Read more