Today was the day.
The holiest of days on the Christian calendar.
The church's Super Bowl.
Easter Sunday.
Resurrection Day.
Why is this such a big deal? What is it about THIS Sunday that creates such a buzz and causes the church to roll out every thing in its arsenal to welcome people through the doors?
If you have any Christian friends, or maybe even non-Christian ones, on any of your social media platforms, I imagine your feed looked similar to mine.
Lots of pics of kids dressed in their Easter best. Baptisms. Smiling families. Church pews full of life.
We celebrate Resurrection Sunday because the crux of our faith rests upon the truth of the son of a Jewish carpenter, born of a virgin, fully God and fully man. He who was crucified on a cross, buried in a borrowed tomb, and left to be a footnote in history.......this Jesus Christ of Nazareth miraculously raised to life on the 3rd day.
This victory over the curse of sin and death would transform humanity for all of eternity. Where we were once without hope of experiencing life as we were created to live, we now have been restored to have fellowship with our heavenly Father.
This is why we celebrate Resurrection Sunday. It is the fulfillment of the promise we have longed for. It is the confirmation that we can find that elusive "thing" that seemed to always be just outside of our grasp as we searched for a fulfillment of the longing of our hearts.
He is risen and it is beautiful.
I was reminded of this today as I attended a sunrise Easter service with my family.
The crisp coolness of the morning air brought a feeling of early spring time. You know the one.....where winter seems as if it is in our rear view mirror and a new warmth is on the horizon.
The bright, morning sun broke through the tree line off in the distance like a bursting dam overcome by the power of a raging river. The warmth of its rays on the coolness of my skin instantly took me in my mind to that fateful morning when those women were on their way to attend to Jesus' corpse.
Did they feel that same coolness of the morning at daybreak?
Was there a somberness that had stayed with them overnight, accompanying them on their way to the tomb that morning?
When they got there and found an empty tomb, I imagine there was a sense of dread.
"Why can they not just let our Lord rest in peace?"
Mark 16:4-6 says this.....
"4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here."
I imagine the news hit the sadness of their souls like the warmth of the sun's rays.
And as I stood there this morning, contemplating the magnitude of the moment I was experiencing, God reminded me of the promise that the rising sun brings.
Night turns to morning.
Mourning turns to joy.
The Son who rose brought victory to all.
He is risen.
He is not here.
Happy Resurrection Day.
