One of the things that was said of the early Christians is that they “turned the world upside down”, in fact we read in The Acts of the Apostles that was said of St Paul and the early Church in Thessalonica. And of course that is very true. The proclamation of the Gospel did change the world forever. But that was made possible only because of today, Easter Day, because at the heart of the Gospel was a Christ who had been crucified, who had died, but had risen from the dead. And without that, without the Resurrection, there would have been no Gospel, no Good News to proclaim, and the world would not have been turned upside down.
There’s no doubt that Christ’s teaching turned things upside down but, without the Resurrection, very, very few, if any people would know about those teachings, or would even know about Jesus. The words of the great Marian hymn for Easter the Regina Caeli reminds us, that Christ, ‘as he promised has arisen’ and if that promise had not been kept, why would anyone have taken much notice of anything else Jesus said, let alone take what he said out into the world and, at great personal risk and cost, use it to turn the world upside down?
But as much as Christ’s Resurrection turned the world upside down, it also reset the world; it gave the world, and us, a new start and we can see this if we compare the Gospel stories about the first Easter Day with the stories of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis.
In Genesis 2, after God had created the first man, Adam, we read,
‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.’
So Adam, was the first gardener, the gardener of Eden. Later, after the first sin had been committed, Adam and Eve, recognising their nakedness, but also their sin, hide from God as he walks in the garden. And they only reveal themselves when God calls to them.
But if we compare these stories of the creation and fall of human beings with those of the first Easter Day, we can see, quite easily I think, how the Resurrection turns the Genesis stories upside down and resets the story.
The Gospels vary in their accounts of who went to Jesus’ tomb on the first Easter morning, but Mary Magdalene was certainly among them. After finding the tomb empty, Mary ran to tell Simon Peter and the beloved disciple, John, that Jesus’ body had been taken away. So Simon Peter and John themselves ran to the tomb and find it just as Mary had said; there was no sign of Jesus.
It’s important here that we bear in mind what St John tells us a little earlier in the Gospel;
‘Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.’
So whereas in the Genesis story it’s the Lord who walks in the garden looking for the man and woman, here it is men and women who go to the garden looking for the Lord. And as in Eden the man and woman hid themselves from God, here it is the Lord who is hidden from them.
St John’s Gospel goes on to tell us that, after Peter and the beloved disciple had gone away, Mary stayed in the garden, and she sees someone who she thinks is the gardener. In effect, Mary thinks she sees someone just like the first gardener, the first man, Adam. But this is not a type of the first Adam, this is not the Adam who fell through disobedience to God this is an Adam who is risen through obedience to God. This is not the old Adam but new Adam, the risen Lord, the first born from the dead. It’s doubtful that Mary would have recognised much, if any, of this at the time, she was probably just overjoyed to see that it was Jesus, but when Jesus called her by name, she did recognise that it was the Lord Jesus, and she rushed to embrace him.
And it’s important again to see the symbolism of the garden here. Just as the first Adam died through sin in a garden, so Jesus, representative of the old Adam died because of Adam’s sin in a garden. Just as a garden became the place where sin triumphed, so a garden becomes the place where sin is defeated. Just as a garden was the place of death, so a garden becomes the place of new and eternal life. Just as a garden became a place to hide from the Lord’s call, so a garden becomes a place where the Lord’s call is welcomed and answered. And just as a garden was the place where men and women came to be afraid of God and to hide themselves from him in shame for sin, so a garden becomes the place where men and women can embrace the Lord in love despite their sin.
So, the Resurrection turns everything upside down, it reverses the old order of things and resets them at a new starting point. The Resurrection is the proof of Christ’s victory over sin and death and so we no longer must fear these things. Christ is both risen Lord and the new Adam. Because Christ is the new Adam, the representative of redeemed humanity, we know that we can share in his victory over sin and death and so there is no need for us to be afraid of God or hide from him. And as risen Lord, Christ holds out to us the promise of eternal life.
The first Easter Day turned the world upside down. It was a great reset and new starting point for the world but for each one of us there is a reset and new starting point in the waters of Baptism. In the Renewal of Baptismal Vows at the Easter Vigil, or this morning, we commit ourselves once again to that reset and new start. Later today someone will do these things for the first time by being baptised into the Christian faith. So, let’s take those vows seriously by truly turning to Christ, repenting of our sins and renouncing evil so that the promises of Easter may be ours. And let’s also take seriously our baptismal call to ‘Shine as a light in the world’ so that we can play our part in turning today’s world upside down.
Amen.
Propers for Easter Day 5th April 2026
Entrance Antiphon
I have risen, and I am with you still, alleluia.
You have laid your hand upon me, alleluia.
Too wonderful for me, this knowledge, alleluia, alleluia.
The Collect
O God, who on this day,
through your Only Begotten Son,
have conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity,
grant, we pray,
that we who keep the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection may,
through the renewal brought by your Spirit,
rise up in the light of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Readings
Acts 10:34, 37-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9
Prayer After Communion
Look upon your Church, O God,
with unfailing love and favour,
so that, renewed by the paschal mysteries,
she may come to the glory of the resurrection.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Parish Church of St Mark Chadderton 