Friends
Happy Easter! He is risen! He is risen indeed! On this Easter Monday, I have a question for you. What’s your favorite? Sunrise or Sunset?
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Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
John 20:1 – NIV
There’s something incredible about a sunset, the dappling golden light, the swirls of color dancing on the horizon. It’s one of those moments you have to stop and savor even in the midst of a hustle and bustle day. It’s as if the magnificence of creation has swept the stage, stolen the show, and taken a regal bow. Witnessing such a splendid performance, all we can do is applaud, be it with a smile, a comment, or a grateful prayer of praise.
Yes, sunsets are magical, majestic, even miraculous, but for me, the sunrise is even more glorious. I love rising in the darkness, finding the world blanketed in that pre-dawn hush. It’s as if creation is holding its breath, trembling with anticipation for the coming dawn.
It begins with that faint glow on the horizon, that gentle greeting of tender light. With every passing moment, the glow intensifies as light and shadow dance together. Suddenly, the haze shatters as gray meets gold. A fiery ball crests the hilltop, and the birdsong erupts in a cacophony of sound.
Oh, without a doubt, the sunrise is spectacular, God’s majesty on display! Sitting in my glider on the front porch, I can’t help but grin as I witness this morning miracle.
While the sunset is surely a moment for praise, the sunrise is a promise. It’s the dawn of a new day filled with new challenges and new opportunities. It’s a fresh start. The slate is wiped clean, ready and waiting for another try. There is promise in the dawn, a hope that we can begin again. The failures of yesterday are behind us. The promise of possibilities lies ahead.
I wonder. Is that why the miracle of Easter occurred at sunrise? Is that why the crucifixion was carried out on a Friday afternoon? If the sunrise is our daily promise, is that why God orchestrated the events in such a way that the risen Lord could be seen for the first time at sunrise? Was it part of God’s grace-filled plan to remind us of His Easter miracle with the dawn of every new day?
Think about it. Jesus did not die until late on a Friday afternoon. There was no time to prepare the body for burial before the Jewish Sabbath began. The women couldn’t do the work of preparing the spices on Saturday. They couldn’t go at sunset. Darkness would make their task too difficult. They had to wait for Sunday morning.
The women awoke early, grabbed their supplies and headed for the tomb in the pre-dawn light. Trudging up the path, they felt no promise of possibilities, only the depths of despair. Hope had been nailed to a cross, the light of their world extinguished on the horrifying hilltop of Golgotha.
As the faint glow on the horizon became a flicker, and that flicker of golden light became a flame, the women arrived at the tomb and found the stone rolled away. They gazed in horror, certain someone had stolen the body of their beloved Jesus. Mary Magdalene was overcome with grief, rushing into the garden in a fit of bitter tears, frantic to find her Lord. And find Him, she did.
“Woman, why are you crying?”
She heard the question, and yet, her sobs did not stop. For in her anguish, she did not recognize the voice.
“Mary.”
The voice called her by name, and suddenly, she knew. Standing before her in the shimmering light of the dawn was her Savior, the resurrected and risen Lord! Jesus! Jesus was alive! The hope that had been lost was now found. Light had overcome darkness. God’s promises were fulfilled. Salvation had come to all who would believe.
No, surely it was no accident that the first sighting of the risen Savior was at sunrise. It is yet another of God’s precious gifts to us. For with the dawn of each new day, we are given the opportunity to remember how that same precious morning light once shone on an empty tomb.
Jesus is alive! He stood in the garden with Mary, and He stands now beside you and beside me.
Yes, the sunrise is a promise, and the sunset a praise. Let the Easter miracle come alive with every sunrise. Let every sunset remind us to give thanks. May we greet each new day with gratitude. For Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed! The promise is fulfilled. The gates of eternity have been opened by His hand. Hallelujah! To Him be all glory, honor, majesty and praise!
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Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
John 20:18 – NIV
PRAYER
O Lord Jesus, You are alive! Hallelujah! You are risen indeed! Oh, how we praise You, how we praise Your Holy Name! Thank you for the Easter miracle given to us at sunrise. Help us to honor You by remembering to rejoice with the sunrise and give thanks with the sunset.
In the Glorious Name of Jesus, we give thanks and praise,
Amen
Easter Blessings,
Anita
-APS 4/5/2021
Friends
Happy Easter! He is risen! He is risen indeed! On this Easter Monday, I have a question for you. What’s your favorite? Sunrise or Sunset?
+++
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
John 20:1 – NIV
There’s something incredible about a sunset, the dappling golden light, the swirls of color dancing on the horizon. It’s one of those moments you have to stop and savor even in the midst of a hustle and bustle day. It’s as if the magnificence of creation has swept the stage, stolen the show, and taken a regal bow. Witnessing such a splendid performance, all we can do is applaud, be it with a smile, a comment, or a grateful prayer of praise.
Yes, sunsets are magical, majestic, even miraculous, but for me, the sunrise is even more glorious. I love rising in the darkness, finding the world blanketed in that pre-dawn hush. It’s as if creation is holding its breath, trembling with anticipation for the coming dawn.
It begins with that faint glow on the horizon, that gentle greeting of tender light. With every passing moment, the glow intensifies as light and shadow dance together. Suddenly, the haze shatters as gray meets gold. A fiery ball crests the hilltop, and the birdsong erupts in a cacophony of sound.
Oh, without a doubt, the sunrise is spectacular, God’s majesty on display! Sitting in my glider on the front porch, I can’t help but grin as I witness this morning miracle.
While the sunset is surely a moment for praise, the sunrise is a promise. It’s the dawn of a new day filled with new challenges and new opportunities. It’s a fresh start. The slate is wiped clean, ready and waiting for another try. There is promise in the dawn, a hope that we can begin again. The failures of yesterday are behind us. The promise of possibilities lies ahead.
I wonder. Is that why the miracle of Easter occurred at sunrise? Is that why the crucifixion was carried out on a Friday afternoon? If the sunrise is our daily promise, is that why God orchestrated the events in such a way that the risen Lord could be seen for the first time at sunrise? Was it part of God’s grace-filled plan to remind us of His Easter miracle with the dawn of every new day?
Think about it. Jesus did not die until late on a Friday afternoon. There was no time to prepare the body for burial before the Jewish Sabbath began. The women couldn’t do the work of preparing the spices on Saturday. They couldn’t go at sunset. Darkness would make their task too difficult. They had to wait for Sunday morning.
The women awoke early, grabbed their supplies and headed for the tomb in the pre-dawn light. Trudging up the path, they felt no promise of possibilities, only the depths of despair. Hope had been nailed to a cross, the light of their world extinguished on the horrifying hilltop of Golgotha.
As the faint glow on the horizon became a flicker, and that flicker of golden light became a flame, the women arrived at the tomb and found the stone rolled away. They gazed in horror, certain someone had stolen the body of their beloved Jesus. Mary Magdalene was overcome with grief, rushing into the garden in a fit of bitter tears, frantic to find her Lord. And find Him, she did.
“Woman, why are you crying?”
She heard the question, and yet, her sobs did not stop. For in her anguish, she did not recognize the voice.
“Mary.”
The voice called her by name, and suddenly, she knew. Standing before her in the shimmering light of the dawn was her Savior, the resurrected and risen Lord! Jesus! Jesus was alive! The hope that had been lost was now found. Light had overcome darkness. God’s promises were fulfilled. Salvation had come to all who would believe.
No, surely it was no accident that the first sighting of the risen Savior was at sunrise. It is yet another of God’s precious gifts to us. For with the dawn of each new day, we are given the opportunity to remember how that same precious morning light once shone on an empty tomb.
Jesus is alive! He stood in the garden with Mary, and He stands now beside you and beside me.
Yes, the sunrise is a promise, and the sunset a praise. Let the Easter miracle come alive with every sunrise. Let every sunset remind us to give thanks. May we greet each new day with gratitude. For Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed! The promise is fulfilled. The gates of eternity have been opened by His hand. Hallelujah! To Him be all glory, honor, majesty and praise!
+++
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
John 20:18 – NIV
PRAYER
O Lord Jesus, You are alive! Hallelujah! You are risen indeed! Oh, how we praise You, how we praise Your Holy Name! Thank you for the Easter miracle given to us at sunrise. Help us to honor You by remembering to rejoice with the sunrise and give thanks with the sunset.
In the Glorious Name of Jesus, we give thanks and praise,
Amen
Easter Blessings,
Anita
-APS 4/5/2021
Faith Beyond Sight 