Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026 - 11:00 - Back to Galilee: Jesus Arisen! - Pr. Sergio E. Rodriguez

Christ is risen—Christ is risen indeed. The service unfolds as a celebration of resurrection as a present, world-transforming reality. Creation imagery opens the liturgy: water falls from the sky, runs in streams, and joins the story of creation, flood, exodus, and the baptism of Jesus to show how God’s life flows into human life. Scripture recounts the empty tomb: an angel rolls the stone, the guards fall, and the two Marys encounter both an angelic word and the risen Jesus who tells them to tell the others and to go to Galilee.

The resurrection gets framed not as a remote reward but as the inauguration of eternal life now—life that breaks death’s power and invites human beings into abundant living. Baptism receives this narrative as more than a ritual memory; it becomes the sacramental entry into new creation, into a life reoriented toward love. The imperative to “go to Galilee” becomes a call to return to fundamentals: the teachings of Jesus, the healing of the sick, feeding the hungry, and welcoming outsiders. Those practices embody the resurrection’s hope by making love visible and decisive in public life.

Theology centers on Christus Victor—Christ as conqueror over sin, death, and evil—so that nothing can sever people from the divine love that rescues and commissions. Eternal life appears as both a gift and a vocation: believers already experience resurrection whenever they walk in another’s shoes, serve the vulnerable, and proclaim good news to the poor. Eucharist, thanksgiving, and sending seal this vocational hope; bread and cup become sources of strength for living the resurrected life outwardly across the city. The liturgy closes with blessing and commissioning, urging a return to Galilee—literally and metaphorically—as the start of a sustained, practical practice of love.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Resurrection as present, living hope The resurrection is offered as immediate hope, not only a future promise. It changes how suffering, death, and despair are named and resisted today. Faithful life begins where death’s finality is contested by embodied acts of compassion and justice. This hope reorients priorities toward love that heals and restores. [29:17]
• 2. Baptism links creation and new life Water unites creation’s origin stories, the flood, Israel’s deliverance, and Jesus’ baptism into a single theological arc. Baptism so situates a person within God’s ongoing creative and restorative work that daily life becomes sacramental. The rite invites continual conversion into practices that nurture communal flourishing. It roots identity in God’s life-giving presence rather than personal achievement. [13:00]
• 3. Go back to Galilee, start anew Returning to Galilee symbolizes a return to the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry—teaching, healing, and welcome. Resurrection summons a retracing of foundational practices so that mission regains clarity and courage. The Christian vocation requires deliberate movement back to those simple, crucial acts that communicate God’s love to the marginalized. Renewal follows intentional recommitment to these basics. [35:28]
• 4. Love conquers: active, embodied care Christus Victor reframes victory as love’s triumph over sin, death, and social despair. Victory is not merely cosmic; it manifests when people feed the hungry, heal the sick, and welcome outsiders. Such actions reveal that eternal life already breaks into ordinary time through neighboring and solidarity. Practicing empathy—walking in another’s shoes—becomes the tangible form of resurrection power. [37:18]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [07:59] - Easter Proclamation
• [12:43] - Thanksgiving: Water & Creation
• [19:57] - Gospel Reading: Empty Tomb
• [20:52] - Angel’s Message to the Women
• [26:29] - Encounter with the Risen One
• [28:31] - Paschal Hope and Eternal Life
• [35:28] - Return to Galilee: Go Back
• [37:18] - Christus Victor and Love
• [50:56] - Communion and Thanksgiving
• [67:07] - Blessing, Sending, and Close

Bible reading: Matthew 28:1-10 (ESV)
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Observation questions

1. What specific instructions did the angel give to the two Marys at the tomb?
2. What was the initial reaction of the two Marys after they left the tomb and what two emotions did they experience simultaneously? [20:52]
3. What did Jesus tell the two Marys to have his disciples do? [35:11]
4. According to the sermon, what does "going back to Galilee" represent for a believer? [35:28]

Interpretation questions

1. Why do you think the angel specifically told the women to have the disciples go to Galilee to see Jesus, rather than having them stay in Jerusalem?
2. The sermon connects the water of baptism to stories from creation, the flood, and the exodus. [13:00] What does this tell us about the meaning and purpose of baptism for a Christian's daily life?
3. The sermon presents eternal life not just as a future hope but as something we experience now. [29:17] What are some of the ways, according to the sermon, that eternal life breaks into our "ordinary time" today?
4. The phrase "Christus Victor" is used to describe Christ's victory. [37:18] How does this view of victory differ from a more common, worldly understanding of what it means to be a conqueror?

Application questions

1. The message to "go to Galilee" is a call to return to the basics of Jesus' teaching and ministry. [35:47] What is one simple, basic practice from Jesus' life (like healing, feeding, or welcoming) that you feel drawn to focus on this week?
2. The resurrection is described as a hope that changes how we resist despair and suffering today. [29:17] What is one area of your life or one situation in the world where you need this "living hope" to make a practical difference right now?
3. "Eternal life" is described as something we experience whenever we serve the vulnerable or practice walking in another person's shoes. [37:35] When was the last time you felt you were participating in "eternal life" through an act of love or service? What was that like?
4. The sermon suggests that our daily life can become "sacramental" when rooted in God's life-giving presence. [13:00] What is one ordinary part of your daily routine (like washing dishes, commuting, or checking in on a neighbor) that you could begin to see as a holy, God-connected act this week?
5. If "going back to Galilee" means starting anew with the fundamentals of love, [38:15] what is one "first step" you could take this week to reorient your life more directly toward love?