Easter Sunday  - Cirencester Parish Church 10.00am Eucharist.

Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin, a Politburo Communist and famous Stalinist in the first 2 decades of the 1900’s, staged many events that were anti religion.

On one occasion he was the speaker in a large sports stadium. He proclaimed that God was dead; that religion had no place in life; and that the church for centuries had lied to the people and deceived them. He revelled in his view that religion was nothing more than the opium of the masses.

The stadium was full to capacity; no doubt because people had been compelled to be present to hear such an important Soviet politician. At the end of the speech he invited people from the massive assembly of tens of thousands of people to come forward, if they had anything to say.

From the huge crowd of people assembled, an old man with a long grey beard, dressed in black and with a tall black hat made his way to the stage and to the huge microphone. From his aged voice he bellowed out through the public address system ‘Alleluia! Christ is risen!’. That huge crowd of oppressed people stood to a man and bellowed back, ‘He is risen indeed, Alleluia!’

My friends, for some two thousand years now, we have been proclaiming the same thing, and we have been singing and shouting, Alleluia!

Communism is no longer the huge power it used to be, and apart from a few countries it is not the threat to religion it once was.  But there is a new threat. The new threat is twofold. On the one hand there is a threat from ignorance about the Christian faith, which began at least 50 years ago – not now! – and the second threat is from those who are humanists and anti anything from our Christian heritage. Some of these use the argument of sensitivities towards other religions to prevent us being outwardly Christian, but inwardly this deceives other religions because their motives are not honest and lack integrity.

We hear scare stories of Christians not being allowed to wear a cross at work, and we read of bishops writing to the Times to complain that the Government is prejudiced against Christians. It looks as if our heritage of Christian faith is under threat.

But let’s stop there. Let’s remember that huge stadium in Moscow almost 100 years ago. That old priest who came to the microphone knew far better than any ideologue what was in the hearts and minds of the people. Christ is risen, alleluia!

You have all gathered here to worship God in the risen Christ today. You are the apostles of today. Like those people mentioned in our gospel reading who saw and believed – it is now you and I who have to proclaim what we believe – and we must proclaim it not just in word but in action also. It is when Christians act as the risen Christ would command us to act that the Christian message is best proclaimed.

The empty tomb, the eye witnesses, the gospel accounts – all these are well and good, but these are all the features of what was experienced  2000 years ago. What matters more than anything is how we make the gospel live now. How people experience us! What is the use of an empty tomb if our hearts are not full of the love of Christ? What use are the accounts of those who witnessed the risen Christ if we just huddle together and bleat about not being treated fairly (what about the cross!!). What is the use of the gospel narratives, if we don’t go out as Christ has commanded us, and treat people as he would treat them. You and I now bear the responsibility, under the providence of God, for proclaiming the message of Christ – Peace I give;  Feed my sheep; and the healing love that is the gift of God through his Holy Spirit.

Our confidence in Christ comes from faith, not the outward trappings of privilege and historical power. Do not be afraid. As someone said to me recently, Christ has won the victory – it’s already done, all the rest is just a mopping up exercise.

And so my friends, I urge you to go from this place today, full of the joy of the risen Christ, confident not only that he is raised from the grave, but also that the victory is won. Go and share that wonderful news with a world that is desperate to hear it. Act like Christ, speak as Christ would to a wounded world, let your heart be compassionate as Christ’s heart is compassionate. You will find that more people than you imagine are with you and just like that old man in the Moscow stadium, speak the words to the waiting crowds,

Alleluia, Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed. Alleluia!