Easter Sunrise Service Meditation

Sunday, April 11th, 2004
Easter
Jerusalem Baptist Church
Emmerton, VA

Christ is Risen! (He is Risen Indeed!) (repeat) 

It’s an interesting feeling, isn’t it? Some of us are used to being up at this hour, and some of us, probably MOST of us, are not. There is something about the break of day, especially during spring, that draws us … that makes it perhaps not so difficult to be up at this hour. Our voices are not yet awake, our mouths are still a little gummy still from sleeping … our eyes are still a little puffy, and since most of us just rolled out of bed and came here … we’ve not had a chance to ‘put on the day’, as it were. We’ll do THAT for the main service later on this morning … if we go to one, that is.

I like the idea that we haven’t had time or maybe haven’t taken the time to get ourselves all decked out. Though I’m REALLY looking forward to the service later on - I’m getting to wear a robe for the first time – the idea that we are here looking about as close to what we REALLY look like, is appealing … there’s an honesty in it that speaks to how we can approach God and how Christ approaches us.

I’ve always wondered what woke Mary Magdalene or the other Mary up that morning? How had they slept? Had they slept at all, might be a better question … with everything that had happened over the previous days, I can easily imagine them either STILL being too distraught, too shocked to sleep, or so exhausted that they may have fallen into the dreamless sleep of utter exhaustion … either way, I can imagine them both being a little bleary-eyed as they approached the tomb. Kind of like us here this morning, at least those of us who aren’t morning people. 

This is my first Easter, my first sunrise service, as a Pastor. To tell you the truth, I’ve been looking forward to today since June the 1st of last year, the day I was ordained. The funny thing is, as the day has drawn nearer, I began to have these little sniggly doubts … afraid I’d goof up the most significant day we as Christians celebrate. Afraid I’d not say the right thing, afraid I’d forget something, or stumble somewhere and drop something. I’m still a little leary of that happening, especially with the robe thing coming up – I tried it on last night, and it’s long … almost to my ankles, so I’ll need to watch my step… it would be awkward, it would be out of place, it would be … less than graceful to have something like that happen, wouldn’t it?

As I was thinking about that this week, I realized that this is ALL ABOUT awkwardness. This is ALL ABOUT being out of place, being less than gracious, at least in the world’s eyes.

We are here, bleary-eyed and all, because we choose to proclaim that 2000 years ago a man was born who was more than a man, he was God, choosing to come live among us, as one of us. He spent a little more than 30 years living with us, and the last 3 years of his life were the years that he spent … publicly speaking, traveling, a little … though not widely, relatively speaking. At the end of those three years he was killed … in one of the worst ways imaginable. He was killed because what he brought to the world, the world did not understand. We know the story doesn’t end there, at his death. There’s more. He was killed on a Friday, and sometime between sundown on Saturday and dawn on Sunday he rose from the dead. I love it that the first people to spread the news of his resurrection were women. At that time, in the society they lived in, women were barely considered human, much less competent to carry the message that Christ had risen.

So it was an awkward situation. First, there are all these followers of Jesus who just watched their leader get crucified and die. Then, they all go hide. Then the WOMEN go to tend to the body instead of the men. (Some things haven’t changed, have they?) Then the women come running to tell this incredible story of Jesus having risen from the dead. You’d think it wouldn’t be such a surprise to them, if they had been around when Jesus raised Lazarus … no? There’s a point at which someone probably said, this is just too much. I ain’t believing this! Oh … someone did. Thomas. He said that he wouldn’t believe it until he saw the nail prints and stuck his hand in Jesus’ side; where the spear went in … guess what? The story is in the gospel of John … Jesus appeared to Thomas and TOLD him to ‘put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” It didn’t take all that for Thomas to believe and call Jesus ‘my Lord and my God’ … what did Jesus answer Thomas? "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

So here we are … those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.

Why do we believe this Gospel? Paul speaks of it as ‘foolishness to the gentiles’ … we believe because on some level, we have experienced God in our lives. Whether as individuals, as a family, or as a larger community, God has touched our lives in such a way that we are compelled to believe that what the Gospel says is the truth. We have seen God move in our midst, we have experienced the love of Christ in such a way that there is no other explanation BUT that the Holy Spirit is alive and moving in us today, just as he was 2000 years ago at Pentecost. But that is another holiday.

Today, we celebrate the risen LORD!

Let’s pray.

BENEDICTION:

Depart now,
In the fellowship of God the Father,
And as you go, remember;
In the goodness of God
You were brought into this world;
By the grace of God,
You have been kept
All the day long,
Even until this very hour;
By the love of God,
Fully revealed in the face of Jesus,
You are being redeemed.