A, The Resurrection of our Lord, Easter Sunday - Colossians 3:1–4 "Living in Transitory Times"

Colossians 3:1–4 (ESV) If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

The Early Church referred to Easter Sunday or the Day of Jesus’ Resurrection as the “Eighth Day”!  The resurrection of our Lord on the first day of the week, is a new eternal day, the eighth day for those who believe in him. Many were baptised on the Easter Resurrection anniversary, celebrating the rebirth of an eternal re-creation through Jesus Christ’s resurrection.  Therefore, many baptismal fonts and pools were eight-sided, as a reminder of the eternal eighth day.   Holy Baptism  into Jesus’ death and resurrection is the eternal dawn through which the old seven days of creation have been reborn.

The symbol is simple: turn the number eight on its side and you see the sign of eternity “∞”. Every Sunday is a weekly Easter, a weekly eighth day, a weekly reminder that through Christ’s holy and precious blood the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, and enlightens God’s children. In Christ’s sinless perfection, the angel of eternal death passes over us. Jesus’ victory over sin and death shields us, and the Spirit continues to sanctify us in that holiness.

But, like all those who’ve gone before us we also live in the old seven day week.  We live in transitory times between Eden and Paradise—we stand between what was broken and what will be restored.  Today, Easter Sunday, we celebrate the Resurrection, the freedom from death, the forgiveness of sin, the “Cross-road” and rebirth of creation through Christ, who was pushed through death so we might be reborn into his eternal creation.

Yet, creation still groans under the old seven day week.  Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans that, “we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:22–23 ESV)

We who believe in Christ and not in ourselves look forward with eternal reassurance trusting in things above.  Yet, we wait for the full adoption and  redemption of our bodies. These are bodies burdened with being built in the old seven day week on earth. 

On this first day of what seems to be another  burdensome week, it’s hard to see that our life is hidden with Christ in God, as God goes with us into the next seven days of suspense and uncertainty.

What appears for us in Christ is a paradox, a seeming contradiction between the worldly reality of the old repetitive seven day week and the new eighth day that points us to Christ, his resurrection, and patiently waiting for our resurrection to finally occur!  But it’s not the only paradox, or contradiction that has occurred.  And the signs of this are all around us if we take into consideration what’s been going on over the last century!

A parishioner who lived nearly a century once reflected that each generation, shaped by the Depression and two world wars, tried to give the next “a better life”. But in seeking comfort, we often turned from the eighth‑day paradox of resurrection to the pleasure paradox of this world. In seeking something “better”, we set our minds on earthly things rather than on Christ above. In this paradox of pleasure humanity continues to seek its glory in the darkness and sin of the seven-day week.  The shift from Christ to comfort is not without consequence.

This shift has been growing for more than a century. When we abandon this Christ‑centred teaching, when any part of Christendom trades the eighth day for the seven‑day pursuit of pleasure, something vital is lost.

If we truly believe that the Lutheran confession of Law and Gospel is the clearest expression of God’s Word and his will, then it is not only a blessing for Lutherans — it’s a gift for Christendom and for the world.  If we believe this, this Christ-centred teaching must be necessary for the survival of a broken fragile worldly ecosystem.

So, we must ask ourselves:

What does the world lose when the church seeks earthly glory?

What happens to the world when the life raised with Christ is pushed aside by us individually or as a community?

What occurs when the Holy Spirit’s calling, gathering, and enlightening is resisted in favour of worldly pressures?

A third paradox has been steadily snowballing since we’ve turned from the eighth day paradox of the Resurrection back to the pleasure paradox of seeking something apparently “better” in this life.

History shows the pattern, so too does the bible! When humanity seeks freedom apart from God, a third paradox appears! God withdraws his presence from his people and without his protection the world grows darker. The twentieth century saw this paradox under Hitler and Stalin.

Today we see similar patterns in the messianic politics of Trump and Putin, and in the retaliatory disobedience of individuals and nations across the globe. These are not merely unconnected social or geopolitical problems. They are symptoms of a deeper spiritual disobedience — a world chasing the seven‑day cycle while rejecting the eighth‑day Christ.

Today we can stand, look, and learn from the past.  We can see and learn from our sins now forgiven in the past, to direct us in the future.  We can see the escalating fever, within us, in the world, and in the deep groaning of creation to learn that while we seek greater freedoms in and from this life, God withdraws! Rather than becoming better, everything gets worse!  Such is this third paradox!

So again, we ask ourselves:

How is our world suffering at the hands of Christianity’s disobedience? 

What about the Lutheran Church’s disobedience towards its Christ-centred teaching? 

What are the consequences for the Lutheran Church and the communities in which it lives when seeking the seven-day week for the self rather than seeking the kingdom of God and his eternal eighth day?

If we hold that our Lutheran teaching is true, what happens when the calling, gathering, and enlightening work of the Holy Spirit is rejected?

What does the word of God say when Jews or Gentiles resisted and rejected God’s word?

So, we cry out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, save us from being eternally wounded!”

All are called to repentance through Christ’s suffering and death.  All individuals are called to put the old self to death and be raised!  No one is exempt from being called to repentance. No one can be raised up in Christ’s resurrection without the Holy Spirit working repentance within. 

Worldly struggles today are massive.  Neither diplomacy nor bombs will heal what we have broken. The free‑flowing oil through the Strait of Hormuz will not stabilise the world any more than the end of Covid lockdowns healed our anxieties. The only remedy is repentance — a return to the things above, where Christ is, our peace.

Jesus himself trusted the Father through his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit now calls us to the same, and to submit once again to God’s word rather than our own words, opinions, and thoughts, or the thoughts, opinions, and words of someone we’ve allowed to become our messiah on social media! 

Thankfully there is no partiality with God!  All people are called to repentance. All are called to die and rise with Christ. All Christians are called daily to allow the Holy Spirit to put to death the sins of our seven-day cycle and trust in the resurrection on the eighth day.

The Church — Lutheran and otherwise — is called again to stand in the eighth‑day light of Christ, trusting that when he appears, we also will appear with him in glory.

Amen.

 

Sermon Summary: “Living in Transitory Times”

Colossians 3:1–4 proclaims that those who have been raised with Christ now belong to a new reality — the life “hidden with Christ in God.” The Early Church called Easter the Eighth Day, the dawn of God’s eternal new creation breaking into the old seven‑day world. Baptism joins believers to this eternal day, marking them as participants in Christ’s resurrection even as they still live within the burdens and groaning of the old creation.

Yet we inhabit a paradox. We celebrate the Resurrection while still walking through a world marked by decay, sin, and uncertainty. Creation groans, and we groan with it, longing for the redemption of our bodies. The tension between the old seven‑day world and the eternal eighth‑day life is not merely philosophical — it is visible in history, culture, and the spiritual condition of humanity.

Across the last century, generations seeking “a better life” often traded the eighth‑day hope for the seven‑day pursuit of comfort and pleasure. When the Church shifts its gaze from Christ above to earthly glory, something essential is lost. When Law and Gospel — the heart of Lutheran, Christ‑centred teaching — is neglected, the world is deprived of the very truth that sustains it.

History shows that when humanity seeks freedom apart from God, God withdraws His protection and the world darkens. The horrors of the twentieth century and the messianic politics of today are not merely geopolitical crises but symptoms of deeper spiritual disobedience — a world rejecting the eighth‑day Christ for the seven‑day self.

The remedy is not diplomacy, power, or prosperity. The only remedy is repentance — a return to the things above, where Christ is. All are called to die and rise with Christ daily, to let the Spirit put to death the old self, and to stand again in the eighth‑day light of the Resurrection. The Church is called to trust that when Christ appears, we also will appear with Him in glory.

 Reflection Questions for Personal or Group Study

1. The Eighth Day & Our Identity

•      Where in your life do you most feel the tension between the “old seven‑day world” and the “eighth‑day” life you have in Christ?

•      How does remembering your baptism help you live with confidence in this tension?

2. Setting Our Minds on Things Above

•      What are the “earthly things” that most easily distract you from Christ?

•      What practices help you re‑orient your mind toward “things above”?

3. The Paradox of Comfort

•      In what ways has the pursuit of comfort or “a better life” shaped your faith, for good or for ill?

•      How might the Church today be tempted to trade the eighth‑day hope for seven‑day pleasures?

4. The Church’s Calling in a Groaning World

•      What does the world lose when the Church seeks earthly glory instead of Christ’s glory?

•      How can your congregation bear clearer witness to Law and Gospel in a culture chasing self‑made freedom?

5. Repentance as the Only Remedy

•      Where is the Holy Spirit calling you to repentance — personally, communally, or culturally?

•      How does repentance restore your vision of Christ as your life, your peace, and your future?

6. Living Toward the Appearing of Christ

•      What does it mean for you that “your life is hidden with Christ in God”?

•      How does the promise that “you will appear with Him in glory” shape the way you face the coming week?