"Now the queen of seasons, bright
With the day of splendor,
With the royal feast of feasts
Comes its joy to render;
Comes to gladden faithful hearts
Which with true affection
Welcome in unwearied strain
Jesus’ resurrection!" 

(Lutheran Service Book 487:3 Text: John of Damascus, c. 696–c. 754;tr. John Mason Neale, 1818–66, alt.)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

A paschal welcome, indeed, is what the Church offers by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit as Christ Himself comes to us as the crucified and resurrected Lord.

Spirit-driven, joyful praise that joins the doxology of the cosmos bursts from the lips and hearts of the faithful who, in gratitude to our Divine Redeemer, rejoice that Christ who was dead is alive forevermore. 

His definitive defeat of sin, death, and the devil denotes a new day for all creation. 

With forgiveness, life, and salvation delivered to us in the Holy Word and Blessed Sacraments, the heavy-eyed sleepiness that characterized our slothfully pathetic prayer lives and our wearied straining at self-preservation give way to a wide-eyed realization that the crucified One is risen from the dead and breaks bread among us so that, with burning hearts, we may proclaim with unwearied strain His salvation from day to day. 

The fast yields to the feast of feasts.

It is not about what we gave up for Lent; it is about how Jesus never gave up on us.

It is not about how hard we tried but about how Jesus who was tried came through every temptation victoriously and fulfilled the Law for us.

It is not about a remembrance of a story from long ago; it is about daily dying to sin and daily rising to new life in Christ as the old, old story of Jesus and His love proclaims mercies that are new every morning.

He has sought us in our sin and has chosen to be our Savior.

He has redeemed our lives from the pit and crowned us with love and compassion.

He has had mercy and pardon that delivers us from the pointlessly dead-end trajectory of our tragic travesties while He brings His eternal sunshine to our hearts as the night of sin is ended.

This “queen of seasons bright” is replete with endless alleluias. 

We have been saved. We have been rescued. We are loved. 

We have been given a future that is certain and secure, full of grace and truth, abounding in hope and life, grounded in ever-giving, ever-living love.

This is why we welcome with unwearied strain Jesus’ resurrection.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed…for you! Alleluia!

Peace, hope, and joy in the Risen Christ,

Bishop Taylor