A synopsis of the sermon delivered by the Rev. David L. Hicks at St. Paul’s Reformed Episcopal Church at the 10:30am service on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2005. Please read Revelation 22.

The theme for this year’s Lenten services has been “Valleys of Lent.” Each Thursday evening, we looked at one of the valleys mentioned in Scripture and related the story and context to own Christian walk. On Good Friday, we considered the “Valley of the Shadow of Death” in connection with the crucifixion of our Lord. From a human perspective, many would say that death is the end of the story; but the resurrection of Christ tells us that death has been conquered. The Valley of the Shadow of Death has been changed to what we celebrate today, the “Valley Bursting with Life.” 

The last chapter of the Book of Revelation serves as the last word of the canon of Holy Scripture. Here we see the restoration of the life that was lost at the very beginning of Biblical story recorded in the book of Genesis. “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear a crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river was the tree of Life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” (Rev. 22:1-3). We should note that the eternal life that comes from God is closely connected with the rule and authority of God. This is something that people often fail to grasp. Eternal life means eternal life with God! The tree of life is sustained by the river of life that flows from the throne (the rule) of God. In this future state, there will be no more curse, for the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there. 

The wonderful and glorious message of Easter is that the eternal life that comes through the resurrection of Christ begins now. Our baptism connects us with Jesus’ resurrection. As St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3-4). Let us go forth in the full assurance that our eternal life with God has begun today, because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. 
Amen