The Morning
Here’s a little thing to know about me. I am not a morning person. It takes a solid hour from my eyes opening to feeling ready to leave the warm cocoon of my bed. But give me a task at 9 pm and it’s go time. I was forced out of my natural tendencies when I became a mother. Early mornings and broken up nights just a part of that territory. The only upside to my daughters waking me up so early is getting to see the early sunrise colours stretch across the sky. Elizabeth has taken to recently waking us up by pulling open the blinds to my east facing windows so the light will fall on my face.
So happened on Easter Sunday this year. That bright light was my first reminder that this morning was different. In fact, every morning is different because of that morning 2000 years ago.
Growing up, part of our tradition was attending the sunrise service at the beach. No, not an early morning service: an actual sunrise service. We would gather as a church at the beach, some with lawn chairs, others sitting on logs or on blankets, bundled up in our Easter finest. Picture my sister and I in matching Easter dresses, complete with tights and pants underneath, bows and winter jackets. We would sing those familiar hymns: “Up from the grace He arose,” “Christ the Lord is risen today,” “I serve a risen Saviour, He’s in the world today.”
And the pastor would read from the gospels the story of how early in the morning on the 3rd day, some women went to the tomb with spices. The burial would have been rushed on Good Friday to finish before sun-down as the next day was the Sabbath. So these women were coming to finish the burial process, to anoint their teacher and Lord, to care for Him.
Side note for a second: These women that followed Jesus were something else. This task was not on their to-do list for some point later on in the day. When it came to Jesus, He was their priority. Following Him and caring for Him even when things went horribly wrong was most important. I was convicted of that this weekend. Is meeting with Jesus and giving Him my best a priority or just something on my to-do list to check off for the day?
Anyways, back to the story. When they get to the tomb, they see the stone rolled away. It is empty. Peter and John are notified and they come to look. Angels tell them that He is not there, He is risen. He is alive! He appears to Mary Magdalene in the garden, and when she tries to cling to Him, He tells her to go and spread the news. Everything has changed.
As we would be remembering and celebrating there on the beach, the sun would be rising. The first rays would begin to warm our faces. Being that we didn’t live close to church, Mom often had packed a breakfast that would then be devoured on a picnic table. Usually hot cross buns and jam and cheese. Then off to church for the main service.
At our church service this year the following lyrics from the song “Living Hope” by Phil Wickham stood out to me:
“Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence, the roaring lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Jesus, yours is the victory.”
The morning came. And it changed everything. The mourning ended. Light broke through the darkness. Jesus: our Living Hope. Alive because He conquered death. Hope because that means we are made alive with Him.
As I thought more about this, I began to think of ways the resurrection changes the day to day moments.
When I feel as if my body is failing me, the Living Hope says “This it won’t last forever. There will come a day when all will be made new, with no sickness. Your body will be made whole.
When I miss my dad, the Living Hope says “have peace. You will be reunited one day because I made a way for that to happen.”
When I feel the anxiety rising in the back of my neck and making me flushed, the Living Hope breathes into me and says “there is nothing I can’t handle. I conquered death. I’ve got this.”
When I make mistakes; lose my patience with the girls or make assumptions of Bob or choose myself over loving others; the Living Hope says “these things don’t define you. I have made you clean. I have given you a new life, a new way.”
When fear tries to grow its roots into my thoughts, the Living Hope comes along and says “Your future is secure.”
And when the night is dark and I don’t know what tomorrow holds, the Living Hope says “just watch and see what I will do. The morning has come. And it will come again.”
Lamentations 3:21-23 says:
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
That morning, as the sun rose, the steadfast love of the Lord was on display like never before. And it means that every morning I wake up, I can face the day with hope. I think I can be this kind of a morning person.