Currently in New York there’s a show in revival called Merrily We Roll Along. It’s a musical by Stephen Sondheim  and tells the story of how three friends’ lives and friendship change over the course of 20 years. A unique feature of the play is that it moves in reverse chronology, beginning in 1976 at the friends’ lowest moment and ending in 1957, at their youthful best.

As the story unfolds, backwards, there are moments of transition, where we hear these lyrics sung by the chorus:

How did you get to be here?

What was the moment?

How did you get so far off the track?

Why don’t you turn around and go back.

Where did you let things slip out of gear?

How did you ever get to be here?

Do you ever find yourself asking questions like this? Every once in a while it helps to step back and look at the big picture. (How did I get to be here?)

Well, from a faith perspective, that’s what we are doing tonight at this Easter Vigil: From Genesis through to Exodus and Isaiah, Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans and then Mark’s Gospel account of the Resurrection. We see the big picture of how God’s love for his people manifested itself from Creation to Christ’s death and Resurrection. And how did we become involved in all of this? Well, that happened through Baptism where we died with Christ and rose with Him. That’s why we renew our Baptismal promises tonight, as well.

If the question on your mind this evening is: How did I let things slip out of gear?, you are reminded through this Easter moment that we are able to get back on track. Easter is always about new beginnings. Where we think we have run into a brick wall, we can see how that obstacle can be removed and we can find a way to move forward. 

In Mark’s account of the Resurrection there’s a very human moment described for us. Here’s Mary Magdalene and the other women going to the tomb with their spices to anoint Jesus’ body. As they were going, they were trying to figure out how to deal with a problem: “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they got there they found that the problem had already been taken care of…a greater power had already moved it away.

See that rock not just as an ordinary rock blocking the entrance to the tomb, but as an analogy for the obstacles of life. Sometimes the rocks are put there by others and sometimes we put them there ourselves. And we wonder how we can ever move them. Tonight is about finding the “rock” already moved, and your sad prediction for your future turned to one of hope, trust and perseverance. Easter reminds us that there is a way out—better yet, a way forward. 

There’s another good lyric from Merrily We Roll Along: Every road has a turning, that’s the way we keep learning…

Obstacles in the way, unexpected turns on the road…paths can be cleared, crooked ways made straight through Christ who went to the Cross for your sins, suffered, died and then rose from the dead. His death means that we can spend eternity with him in heaven. 

What was the moment? For persons of faith the moment is now, this Easter 2024. Let Jesus Christ clear away the rocks, put you back in the right gear. Tonight we are joyful for as we look at the big picture we see how much we are loved and we know that we are saved. Happy Easter to you all!