For a second consecutive year, Rev. Christopher performed the Easter Sunday sunrise service at Snowbird Ski Resort and was featured on Fox news.
Here is the sermon:
Easter Sunday Sunrise service at Snowbird 04/16/2017
Opening song “Hallelujah”, performed by Nate Robinson and band
Minister: Please bow your heads and silently join with us for the opening prayer.
Our Father, giver of all spiritual grace and the author of everlasting life, we come before You at this time to give thanks for the many blessings You have bestowed upon us. We begin this service in celebration of the resurrection of Your beloved son, Jesus Christ, by asking that Your divine presence may surround and fill each of us who are here today. We ask for Your continued guidance, comfort and love to be felt this day and always. These things we humbly pray in Your holy name, Amen.
Good and blessed morning to you all and welcome to the Easter Sunday Sunrise service here at Snowbird! For those who’ve traveled from afar, we welcome you to our beautiful state! You’ve just heard the talented Nate Robinson and bandmates, Christian and DJ providing their gift of music. I am Rev. Christopher T. Scuderi of Universal Heart Ministry, and it is my honor once again to conduct this special service.
The word Hallelujah means to praise God , and so we do this morning as we reflect on and rejoice in the love of Jesus Christ and give gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice He made for us all. During His life on this earthly plane, Jesus performed miracles, provided healing and comfort, He sought out those considered to be the lowest, the untouchables and raised them up, indeed He was a veritable light in the darkness of uncertainty and brought hope. John 11:25 & 26 reads “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
And so I ask you, each of you, do you believe that? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, that He is the way, that the gospel He spoke in loving one another is the way? To be Christian means not only to believe in Jesus Christ though also to embody His gospel, genuinely emulating His word and deed. Whether or not you attend a church every Sunday, regardless of how much money you put in the plate or the number of scriptures you have memorized; each of these things lack substance in the grand scheme of what being a Christian really means. When we take a moment to really assess who Christ was and what it means to emulate and embody Him, we find that what matters most, above all else is love, it is how you treat and care for all other living beings. Not just humans, not just those living on the same continent as you and not only those who share the same beliefs as you.
As humans, we share the planet with over 8.7 million different forms of life including over 400,000 different varieties of flowering plants, and over 950,000 known species of insects, each possessing their own unique qualities; the same goes for all of humankind, we each possess our own unique qualities, strengths, talents and abilities. Though there are billions of other human beings, we are every bit alike as we are unalike. We have our differences, some of which are valued and appreciated others which become devalued, even mocked by others. A line from one of my favorite songs says “…life is such a short thing that I cannot comprehend, but if this life were a bought thing, there are ways I know we’d mend…”
Once you strip away the things like status, ability, belief, appearance, heritage or any other defining characteristic which can be sorted, boxed and categorized then and only then do we recognize that we are all one, we are the same and we each are capable of both giving and receiving love.
Whatever differences may exist, and however real or imagined those differences may be, if you are kind, thoughtful, generous and are genuinely loving and accepting of others, without condition or limitation, then you are being Christ-like. By your divine and truest nature, you possess the light, the spark that is love incarnate; that spark that resides within us all is Jesus Christ, the light on the path, the Way. His love has always been and will always be supremely unconditional.
There is no greater example of this than in the Biblical story of His crucifixion. Upon being sentenced to be crucified, Christ was beaten by soldiers, a crown of thorns was shoved on His head, then made to carry His cross as He walked to the point of His execution, He was nailed to the cross and placed between two thieves also being crucified that day. A sign mocking Him as the “king of Jews” was placed above His head and He was left there to die. Though as disrespectful and utterly disgraceful as their behavior was toward Him, though He hung nailed to the cross on Calvary, out of His heart and with genuine, unconditional love, He beseeched God “forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” Out of the tragedy of His death came the gift of His resurrection and it is through Him, through His gospel that we find ultimate peace.
What we are here in celebration of this day, is the risen Lord, a gift of love, peace and hope as we rejoice in Him who has given these gifts to each and every one of us. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and with that a renewed strength, hope and love. It is evidence of God’s promise of eternal life for all who seek His will. The holy Easter story reminds us that just as Jesus Christ was resurrected, His life made anew, so too may we find new beginnings. As you move forward on your own journey I ask you to contemplate Christ’s limitless and truly unconditional love for you and how best you may embody His teachings of love, kindness, dignity and respect for ALL, without exception.
In Mark 12:28-34 we read about a conversation between Jesus Christ and a scribe, wherein the scribe asks which is the greatest commandment of all to which Christ answers that the first commandment is that “you should love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second being that “you should love your neighbor as you would love yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
It is important to be loving of yourself as well as your neighbor. Most people allow themselves to be crucified, not physically, no; but certainly emotionally, mentally and spiritually suffocated by mounting uncertainties in their doubts of what tomorrow might bring and their many regrets of yesterday and the past errors they cannot change, but there is peace to be found, today and every day in recognizing this simple fact;
I have said this before and I will say it again, as it bears repeating: Whoever you are, whatever you choose to believe, whatever the differences or similarities that make you the being that you are, you are a divine gift. You are blessed. You are worthy and deserving of the richness and fullness of life and the infinite possibilities that lay before you. If you believe in Jesus Christ then you must also believe that He died for your sins, that you were found worthy to receive the miracle that is the gift of life and, in truly believing in Him by showing Christ-like behavior in all you do, performing His teachings day in and day out, then all days and in all ways, you receive His miracles. Philippians 4:8 admonishes that “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are lovely, think on these things.” I encourage you to focus on the positives, that which brings you joy and then share that joy with others.
There are many temptations that surround us and it is easy to have ego, become a gossip, be ungrateful, be judgmental, to be disrespectful, rude and even unkind; when you find yourself conveying any form of negativity take a breath and ask yourself “Am I honoring Christ? Am I behaving in a way that honors Him or that embodies His teachings?” If your answer is anything other than a resounding “Yes!” then why are you doing it? If it’s a situation where Christ would have given comfort, love, generosity and acceptance, though you have not, then why not?
As I said before, spring is a time of renewal, a good time to reflect on the past, not to dwell there but instead to learn from it and grow from it. Perhaps today is a day to celebrate Christ’s resurrection and rejoice in our own lives made anew, a rejuvenation of spirit and one’s own spirituality, a reconnection to our truest nature which is love. How will you choose to go forward from here? What blessings will you accept? What blessings will you give? What message will you carry in your heart to be the beacon that shines through in all you do?
Yes, today is a day synonymous with renewal, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in following His path, His gospel, a day beckoning forth the resurrection of love. You may recall a song whose lyrics read “What the world needs now is love, sweet love; it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. No, not just for some, but for everyone…” Christ never held any one person in higher regard than another, He would sit with high councilmen and He would sit with lepers; He understood that we are all one, blessed and divine in our own right and that the only way for us to be truly united is through love for one another. Let your love for Christ, through His love for you, be resurrected this day and allow it to grow stronger, blossoming more and more with each passing day.
Along your path, in every day and in every way I wish each of you love. May your lives and the lives of all those you touch be blessed with an abundance of pure love.
Please bow your heads for the closing prayer.
Almighty God, we are grateful for the opportunity to share in community as we gather together this morning, to behold the artistry and beauty of Your hand in the nature that surrounds us. And we are most grateful for the divine gift of Your love and that You gave to this world the gift of Your son, Jesus Christ to bless us and to grace our lives with His word and works. May those who seek solace and comfort find it. May those traveling reach their destinations guided safely. And may we each find peace and beauty along the way. These things we pray, in the name of Your beloved son, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Friends, let love grow in your hearts, let there be peace on Earth, let there be everlasting hope for a world resurrected by love and let us find the beauty in the rainbows. Blessings to you all.
Closing song “Rainbows”, performed by Nate Robinson and band
