LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Brock University

LTR IX (Academic Year 1996-97) 92-95
TWO EASTER HOMILIES ON PSALM TEXTS
Roger J. Humann
I.
IT’S THE LORD’S DAY: REJOICE
Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Easter is, without doubt, that day in His life which our Lord Christ
made His own beyond all others. Not His birthday, for that meant His
entrance upon a life of sorrows. Not His ascension day, for that was the
closing scene of a triumph already achieved. Not His transfiguration day, for
that was but a momentary flash of glory along the way to the cross. Not the
day of His crucifixion; that was a great day for a ruined world, but for Him
it marked the lowest stage of humiliation and woe. No, the day of days in
the life of Christ was the day of His resurrection.
This is the day which the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
There are various theories about the original setting of this final psalm
of the Hallel sung to celebrate the Passover, probably sung by our Lord
Himself with His disciples in the upper room. But there can be no doubt that
whatever its origin, in the economy of God it typifies perfectly the events of
Holy Week and Easter.
This is the day which the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
The Lord’s Day is a day of victory. Easter says our Lord is a winner
and that gives us something to shout about.
Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s hand has done mighty things.” (v. 15)
Nobody likes to lose. Ask anyone who has competed on an athletic
team, or fought in a war. But losers we are! Where it really counts, before
God, we fall terribly short. No matter how hard we struggle we miss the
mark of His absolute standards of holiness.
On Good Friday it surely seemed as if Jesus was a loser. The events
which transpired shattered the hopes and expectations of his followers.