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From the beginning of creation, through the desert and slavery in Egypt, through exile in Babylon. Via the wisdom of the prophets, and the rise and fall of God’s people. Through ministry, crucifixion, death, and burial in a tomb. The most important story of our faith is told in the dark tonight. We can tell the story of the meaning of all of life’s suffering: Jesus is with us in it, rising from it, and bringing all creation with him. This is not just another story. It is the heart of everything we believe. Death is not the final word. There is no darkness, no suffering, no destruction that God will not turn to glory. Whatever pain we are carrying, we can have hope that if it still hurts, we just haven’t gotten to the end of the story yet. When a dear friend of mine was dying, she shared a message with me that God had sent her: “Jesus whispered to me that whether I live or die, I will live.” Just as God shared this with her, so the angel in the Easter Vigil gospel proclaims to each one of us: “He has been raised from the dead… Behold, I have told you!” May we live by this joy tonight and into the rest of eternity.