One of the reasons I enjoy outside sunrise services so much is because by getting up while it is still dark and gathering with others in some quiet location,, I actually feel like I am part of the resurrection story. While it’s wonderful to be with all of God’s people in church singing hymns to the organ, seeing the Easter lilies decorate the sanctuary and hearing the gospel message that Jesus is alive, the first Easter didn’t take place that way at all. The women got up while it was still dark and made their way to a garden where Jesus had been laid in a tomb. When the women saw that the stone had been rolled away, they ran to find the disciples and then together they raced back to the tomb. And when Mary first meets the risen Jesus it’s not in church, or even in the upper room with the rest of the disciples, it’s outside in the garden. So by gathering early in the morning outside, I feel like I am somehow part of this great story. But the truth is I don’t want to be part of this great story of Jesus resurrection, I want the resurrection of Jesus to be part of me. I want the power and the hope and the joy of Christ’s resurrection to permeate my life so that every morning I am filled with the power and hope and joy that Jesus brings. As the sun rises today and the light around us grows stronger, it’s my hope that together we can experience the power and the hope and the light that the resurrection of Jesus brings.
One of the things I noticed about the resurrection story this year is that it is filled with great anticipation and it builds slowly. As we read through the story there is a growing sense of hope and joy that comes as the followers of Jesus take each step. Again, the story starts with the women making their way to the tomb while it is still dark, but it’s not just dark outside; it’s dark inside. They are in despair because they know that Jesus is dead. They had watched him die and they were the ones who watched from a distance while he was laid in the tomb. If there is one thing they know for certain when they wake up that morning it is that Jesus is dead. So without any hope they take their spices to the tomb to prepare Jesus body for the grave. But when they arrive at the tomb, the grave is open suddenly there is a glimmer of hope, it’s like the first rays of light that precede the dawn. They know that something is happening, but aren’t sure what.
As the news of an empty tomb spreads, the sense of anticipation grows. While the women had walked sadly to the tomb they ran to find the disciples, and after they share with them that the grave is open and empty, the men race to the tomb to see for themselves. They may have doubts about the women’s story, they certainly have a lot of questions and yet they must also have that glimmer of hope. Something is happening, things are changing and the excitement and anticipation grows.
After all the people leave, Mary stays in the garden to try and make sense out of what is happening and out of nowhere Jesus appears and speaks to her. It’s another ray of hope, this one maybe the break of dawn, and in light of the risen Jesus, everything changes. Sorrow is replaced by joy, doubt with hope, death with life, despair with possibility, everything has changed for Mary and this change spreads. Mary goes and tells the disciples that she has seen Jesus. Later in the day Jesus appears to the disciples and offers them peace and breathes on them the Holy Spirit and in those moments their hearts and lives are changed. As the news of Jesus resurrection spreads, lives change and soon the world changes, but it all takes place slowly.
I have often wondered why Jesus did it that way. Why not appear in the temple and show himself to the religious leaders who crucified him? Why not rise from the grave and immediately go to the disciples and share with them the victory of the resurrection, or go to Rome to proclaim himself king of kings and lord of lords. I don’t know why Jesus did things this way, but I do know that the hope of new life that comes with the resurrection of Jesus doesn’t turn everything in our lives around instantly. Sometimes the power and the love and the joy that comes with the resurrection of Jesus takes time to grab hold of us and make changes with us, but if we will give ourselves over to God’s love, those changes and new life will come.
That’s really what we celebrate today, that the power of Christ’s resurrection which can change our lives. The resurrection of Jesus turned the despair of the women into hope and it turned the disappointment of the disciples into possibility. I think this is what God wants to do with us today. If there are disappointments we have – God wants to open new doors of opportunity for us today. If there are broken dreams and broken relationships, God wants to bring the hope of new life and restored love. If there is uncertainty about our future, God wants to bring a renewed sense of purpose – that’s what the appearance of Jesus did on that first resurrection day, and that is what Jesus still wants to do today if we will allow his love and light into our lives. There is no one beyond the touch of God’s grace and there is no life that God can not redeem and use for his glory.
We don’t want to just hear that message today, we want to actually take part in it with the hope that it will take hold in our lives, and we are going to do that with all the candles that you see. As the sun rises, it reminds us of the open tomb and that first moment when the women knew something new was taking place. When we see that sun break forth we are going to light the Christ candle as a symbolic way of saying, Jesus is not only alive, but he is with us. Then as we see in the resurrection story, the light of Jesus spread, first to Mary, then to the disciples then to many in Jerusalem, and slowly across the world. We will take the light of Christ and begin to share it with all the tables and allow the candles in front of you to come to life. The candles represent our lives, we are all different, we are at different places and have different hopes and dreams and needs and desires, but the one thing we all have in common is the need for the power of Christ’s resurrection working in our lives. So as the candles are lit in front of you, ask the love and the light and the life of Jesus to enter into your heart and life and make you new.
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One of the things I noticed about the resurrection story this year is that it is filled with great anticipation and it builds slowly. As we read through the story there is a growing sense of hope and joy that comes as the followers of Jesus take each step. Again, the story starts with the women making their way to the tomb while it is still dark, but it’s not just dark outside; it’s dark inside. They are in despair because they know that Jesus is dead. They had watched him die and they were the ones who watched from a distance while he was laid in the tomb. If there is one thing they know for certain when they wake up that morning it is that Jesus is dead. So without any hope they take their spices to the tomb to prepare Jesus body for the grave. But when they arrive at the tomb, the grave is open suddenly there is a glimmer of hope, it’s like the first rays of light that precede the dawn. They know that something is happening, but aren’t sure what.
As the news of an empty tomb spreads, the sense of anticipation grows. While the women had walked sadly to the tomb they ran to find the disciples, and after they share with them that the grave is open and empty, the men race to the tomb to see for themselves. They may have doubts about the women’s story, they certainly have a lot of questions and yet they must also have that glimmer of hope. Something is happening, things are changing and the excitement and anticipation grows.
After all the people leave, Mary stays in the garden to try and make sense out of what is happening and out of nowhere Jesus appears and speaks to her. It’s another ray of hope, this one maybe the break of dawn, and in light of the risen Jesus, everything changes. Sorrow is replaced by joy, doubt with hope, death with life, despair with possibility, everything has changed for Mary and this change spreads. Mary goes and tells the disciples that she has seen Jesus. Later in the day Jesus appears to the disciples and offers them peace and breathes on them the Holy Spirit and in those moments their hearts and lives are changed. As the news of Jesus resurrection spreads, lives change and soon the world changes, but it all takes place slowly.
I have often wondered why Jesus did it that way. Why not appear in the temple and show himself to the religious leaders who crucified him? Why not rise from the grave and immediately go to the disciples and share with them the victory of the resurrection, or go to Rome to proclaim himself king of kings and lord of lords. I don’t know why Jesus did things this way, but I do know that the hope of new life that comes with the resurrection of Jesus doesn’t turn everything in our lives around instantly. Sometimes the power and the love and the joy that comes with the resurrection of Jesus takes time to grab hold of us and make changes with us, but if we will give ourselves over to God’s love, those changes and new life will come.
That’s really what we celebrate today, that the power of Christ’s resurrection which can change our lives. The resurrection of Jesus turned the despair of the women into hope and it turned the disappointment of the disciples into possibility. I think this is what God wants to do with us today. If there are disappointments we have – God wants to open new doors of opportunity for us today. If there are broken dreams and broken relationships, God wants to bring the hope of new life and restored love. If there is uncertainty about our future, God wants to bring a renewed sense of purpose – that’s what the appearance of Jesus did on that first resurrection day, and that is what Jesus still wants to do today if we will allow his love and light into our lives. There is no one beyond the touch of God’s grace and there is no life that God can not redeem and use for his glory.
We don’t want to just hear that message today, we want to actually take part in it with the hope that it will take hold in our lives, and we are going to do that with all the candles that you see. As the sun rises, it reminds us of the open tomb and that first moment when the women knew something new was taking place. When we see that sun break forth we are going to light the Christ candle as a symbolic way of saying, Jesus is not only alive, but he is with us. Then as we see in the resurrection story, the light of Jesus spread, first to Mary, then to the disciples then to many in Jerusalem, and slowly across the world. We will take the light of Christ and begin to share it with all the tables and allow the candles in front of you to come to life. The candles represent our lives, we are all different, we are at different places and have different hopes and dreams and needs and desires, but the one thing we all have in common is the need for the power of Christ’s resurrection working in our lives. So as the candles are lit in front of you, ask the love and the light and the life of Jesus to enter into your heart and life and make you new.
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The real challenge of Easter is to not allow this light to stay here, but to take it into all the world. That is part of the resurrection story. Jesus told Mary to go and tell the disciples that Jesus was alive. She was to share this good news, and so should we. We need to share with others that the resurrection of Jesus has changed our lives and that every day it brings us hope and joy. We need to share with others that the risen Jesus gives us strength and guidance for living life today and we need to share this good news with a growing sense of joy and excitement. It was from a little garden outside Jerusalem that the light of the risen Jesus first broke through, but that light changed the world and it still can, if we will take it with us. So take forth this light of Christ, and share with others that Jesus is alive and that his power and love is here to save.
