FIRE OF LOVE
SERMON PREACHED BY FR. TONY NOBLE ON HOLY SATURDAY 2009
A spark ignites – a flame is kindled. Soon a fire is lit. It may be the flame of a Californian wildfire, or an Aussie bushfire. Or it maybe the fire of a barbecue at home Or it may be the fire of love.
In the Song of Songs we find these words: “Love is strong as death; the flash of it is a flash of fire, a flame of the Lord himself”. Tonight the flash of fire is the fire of the resurrection. Truly it is the fire of love and “a flame of the Lord himself”.
A spark ignites – a flame is kindled. A humble flame in a brazier on our patio. But from it was lit the Paschal Candle – the great symbol of the resurrection of Christ. As it was carried into the Church with great solemnity how wonderfully it symbolised the resurrection. And we, all following, soon to have our own candles lit.
As the Church became a sea of candles, and then came completely alight in that symphony of the Gloria – it truly did convey how the Light of the Risen Christ has come to us tonight. With organ and bells triumphant did the sanctuary of our Church come back to life – as surely as our Blessed Lord did on that first Easter night.
A spark ignites – a flame is kindled. It is the light of Christ. It is the light of love. Saint John prophesied this night in the prologue to his Gospel: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not”.
A spark ignites – a flame is kindled. It is the same flame that led God’s people through the Sinai wilderness for 40 years. That Passover from death to life was the prologue of Moses to this Passover of the Lord. God rescued his people from slavery not because they deserved his love – but because He is love.
Now we see in the Resurrection of Christ that God’s love is indeed “Love as strong as death”.
A spark ignites – a flame is kindled. Then comes the water – water of Baptism, water of new life. We – the new Israel – are saved through the waters of the Red Sea again, as Jesus leads us through death to life by his Resurrection, and in the Sacrament of Baptism.
Tonight we bless the waters of the Font and renew our baptismal promises, because Baptism was when we first received the new life of Christ – resurrection life, eternal life.
Because this life can be dimmed or subdued by our daily living, we renew again our promises to believe and follow Christ, as we come again to celebrate his resurrection.
A spark ignites – a flame is kindled. It is the spark and flame of our life, our hope, our love. Love that is “As strong as death” – the death of Jesus. That is the flash of fire that is a “flame of the Lord himself”.
God has become Man, has been crucified, and has risen again from the dead. That flame can never be extinguished. It is the fire of Christ – “that Morning Star who came back from the dead, and shed his perfect light on all mankind”.
A spark ignites – a flame is kindled. It is here! The Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!