Resurrection Mornings

The sky lightened in the distance to the east as I drove down the country road. The majority of the world was still asleep, making it beautifully peaceful and quiet like a pond that has stilled overnight and has not yet been disturbed by the ripples of the first stone's throw. My eyes were still heavy, until I turned turned the corner and there it was - the fiery bright sun peeking halfway up on the horizon. It looked bigger than normal, oranger than normal, and more friendly than normal. I could stare at it without wincing, and I couldn't take my eyes away. It moved so slowly as if to say, "Don't be in a hurry. Treasure this moment."

In that breathtaking moment, I remembered how much I love to watch the sunrise. 

I pulled up behind some familiar cars already parked, and joined some friends as we walked leisurely to a bluff overlooking the Little Red River. It was a perfect place to watch the sunrise, so we spread out our blankets and got out our guitars, and we worshipped. 

This was no ordinary sunrise; it was Easter sunrise. I couldn't help but wonder what the disciples were thinking at this time two thousand years ago. Were they up to see the sunrise? Was it because they stayed awake all night with grief? Or did they remember Jesus' words and hope that something out of the ordinary might happen on this third day?

I wonder if they understood the significance of Jesus' death as the atonement for sin. And I wonder if they still believed he was the son of God. I can only imagine what they must have experienced and felt when they saw that empty tomb and then the face of their teacher, rabbi, and friend. It must have been like all their wildest dreams come true. When the sun rose on that day two thousand years ago, did they have an anticipation deep down in the bottom of their hearts that this day would change the rest of history? 

I love watching the sunrise. It's a waking-up moment. A fresh-start moment. A new-life moment. A mercies-new moment. It's a resurrection moment. 

Ever since that first resurrection day, now every sunrise celebrates resurrection. It's not just an Easter thing, it's an everyday reality. Because Christ is alive, those who believe in him come alive, too. Death has no hold, and we celebrate new life in Jesus every single morning. 

And what about us? Do we sleep through the sunrise, thinking that this will be just another ordinary day? Sometimes, like the disciples, we can allow grief and despair blind us to the reality that God is not dead, but rather He is alive, faithful, and working in our lives even when we can't see it. 

I want to wake up each morning with a fresh, invigorating awareness of the resurrection of my Jesus and the resurrection he gives freely to us. I don't want to just roll out of bed, I want to run to the tomb and fall at the feet of he living Lord Jesus. For when the sun rises - whether it is Easter morning, any regular morning, or the mornings when we are soaked with grief - it is a resurrection morning. 

Every sunrise celebrates resurrection.