Easter Sunday Homily - April 21st, 2019 - Joy Shared

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ 

I.

This is a story about Saints.
 Saints that I will never forget
   Saints that I'll always think about
    and tell my kids about.

Because I witnessed something absolutely astonishing
 on a cold February in 2009.
  I witnessed something that I can't describe
   something that I can't ever communicate to you
    with as much accuracy as I wish that I could.

I witnessed
 the New Orleans Saints
  win the Super Bowl.

So, if you will permit me just a few short moments:
 Please give me a moment to tell you
  about the 2009 New Orleans Saints.

And it starts in 2005
 with Hurricane Katrina.

The devastation of Hurricane Katrina
 has perhaps been forgotten by many in the United States by now.
  But, in my short time working with Habitat for Humanity
   in the 9th Ward in the aftermath
    I can tell you: the heartbreak was palpable.

The community of New Orleans
 over the next 5 years
  would become my soul's home
   for many a time over the summer months.

We tore down houses filled with black mold
 brought on by the flooding after the levees failed.

We build up houses to specification
 that would withstand the waters
  if it ever happened again.

But nothing replaces the heartbeat of that city:
 the Superdome: the home of the New Orleans Saints football team.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans,
 the Superdome became the shelter for those who lost their homes,
  the central area where food and water were distributed
   and the safe haven for those who had lost literally everything they owned.

The New Orleans Football Team was rumored to be moving out of the city.
 The city was reeling after the devastation of a storm that only comes around
  once in a generation.

But something very very special happened
 not one year after this all happened.

The Saints stayed.
 The New Orleans Saints stayed in New Orleans
  and put their cards on the table:
   they were going to stick in the city
    and the players, coaches, and staff of the organization
     were going to stay and help that city rebuild.

The very next year
 in 2006,
  when the Saints returned to the Superdome
   the first sign of hope gleamed in the dome
    when the New Orleans Saints
     on the first possession of the game
      blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.

The Superdome was the loudest that anyone had EVER heard it
 because hope came back after death.

But not just that friends, oh no.

You see, in two short years, the New Orleans saints
 would make it to the Superbowl,
  the first Superbowl in their history.

And they played against one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in the NFL.
 Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

The game was back and forth,
 here and there.
  The Saints would score,
   the Colts would score.

And it all came down to the 4th Quarter.
 Drew Brees led the Saints down and scored a touchdown
  to put the Saints in the lead by 7.

But here comes Peyton Manning.
 Marching down the field,
  they were carving up chunks of yards.

I began to feel physically sick
 because I've seen this show before.
  The Colts had just won a Superbowl a few years back
   and Peyton Manning was on fire.

I began to prepare myself for disappointment.
 The season was really good
  the Saints have so much to be proud of
   and the city was so well represented
    and proud of their team.

And then, the moment I will never forget
 as long as I live.

The ball was snapped,
 Peyton dropped back and threw the ball out toward Reggie Wayne,
  an extremely good wide receiver,
   and the ball zipped toward him...

And out of nowhere,
 the defensive back, Tracy Porter,
  intercepts the football!

But not just that,
 he intercepted the ball and begins to sprint down the field,
  and I couldn't believe it!

Tracy Porter was at the 40,
 at the 30,
  and I couldn't believe my eyes,
   he was at the 10
    Tracy Porter returned the interception for a touchdown
     to put the Saints ahead by 14 with less than 4:00 minutes left!

And as any high schooler would do
 when watching a team that he loved,
  I jumped out of my seat and literally ran out the door!

I couldn't believe it
 I couldn't believe it!
  Those Saints,
   that football team that represented so much to me
    the kindness of the people who live in the 9th Ward
     the houses that we built with Habitat for Humanity
      all the people who stuck it out for New Orleans as a city

...just saw their team win the Superbowl for the first time in history!

I didn't just run out the door because I was happy!
 I ran out the door with so much joy
  because of those people that I knew and loved in New Orleans.

I couldn't stop talking about it with my friends
 telling everyone about what I had just seen
  what I had just witnessed
   that meant so much to me.

It was time I will NEVER forget,
 because I witnessed something truly astonishing.

II. 

That ridiculous joy that I described?
 That crazy, loud, rambunctious, silly happiness
  that I just described?

Its the same kind of joy that I feel in my heart
 when I hear the story of the resurrection
  of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Through the Season of Lent,
 we walk with Christ through His Hurricane Katrina,
  through the pain and the suffering
   through his work with those who are poor and oppressed
    bringing the hope of the Gospel to those who most needed it.

Through the pain of the Cross
 where Christ dies for us
  showing so much love that he was willing to die for us
   to stick with us until the bitter end.

But then, when we thought all hope was lost
 when we thought that, just like usual, evil has the last laugh...
   just when we thought nothing could come of the death of Christ,
    Jesus is raised again from the dead!

And when Jesus speaks Mary's name,
 she is so overcome with joy that she leaps and grabs hold of him
  incredulous that he actually meant what he said:
   he would rise again on the Third Day!

And Mary didn't stop there!
 Here ridiculous, crazy, loud, rambunctious happiness
  carries her to the disciples
   where she cries out with joy
    "I have seen the Lord!"

What joy!
 What happiness!
  What hope is wrought by Jesus Christ our Lord
   who is surely alive today!

That joy is what following Jesus is about.
 That happiness is what following Jesus is all about!
  And this is the true expression of the faith that we have in Christ!

Would that we would run to our neighbors
 run into our communities
  to tell out the Gospel that Jesus Christ
   has overcome the power of sin and death
    through his death and resurrection!

And, just so y'all know,
 Easter in the Episcopal Church
  is a SEASON.
   It is 50 days long!
    This joy is something we are all called to share with each other
     for an entire season!

Take some time in this blessed Easter Season
 to tell about your experience of the love of God for you!

Think of Mary discovering that her Lord is risen
 and think about that kind of news that she couldn't keep to herself
  but instead desperately needed to share with others!

Let that joy be in your hearts
 as we are sent forth in love by Jesus Christ
  who is risen today.

God bless you in this great Season of Easter.
 Now, go and share the blessing
  of what God has done for you!

In the name of the +Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.