victory

But short was their triumph,
The Savior arose,
And Death, Hell, and Satan
He vanquished His foes;
The conquering Lord
Lifts His banner on high.
He lives, yea, He lives,
And will nevermore die.
("He's Risen, He's Risen, Christ Jesus, the Lord", v.3, The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941)

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"
(Luke 24:1-6)

there are not even words for the joy Christians have this day.

i remember the first Sunrise Easter service i ever attended. one time & i was hooked. you get there early. 6:45am. the sun is just starting to send up light over the edge of the horizon. the air is chilled. the grass is dew-drenched. the earth is hushed.

that is how the service starts. everyone is quiet still. we remember. the chants of praise that turned to ridicule. the night we received the Sacrament. the day Christ gave up everything. *everything*. the day when all seemed lost.

and now... there is a sense of... something else.

the sun is coming up. there is a quiet anticipation. we hear how the women returned to the tomb after the observing the Sabbath. and He's gone. not the way they had been thinking He was gone. but *gone*. they had watched while Joseph buried him Friday night. they saw the stone sealing off the doorway.

and now it's open. and His body is missing.

i wonder... mixed with the sadness & doubt, did they have a whispering in their hearts of the promises He had given them in the days leading up to His death? did they start to remember, but hardly dared to hope that that which seemed impossible was, maybe... perhaps... somehow... real?

but then there was this bright light. there were these men, out of nowhere. glowing. and you know what? i would stop thinking too. i would be scared out of my mind. imagine going from anguished by His arrest to grief-stricken by His death to desolate thinking all was lost to confused when His body is not where you last saw it.

but then they hear the words. "He isn't here. He's alive. Just like He told you."

can you imagine? the shock? the look on their faces as it began to seep in? and then, the joy?

that's how the Sunrise Easter Service feels. this quiet hope. we know it's coming. as the service, progresses, the feeling of victory builds, until it ends with this amazing crescendo. like the sun bursting into the sky to flood the world with light & warmth once again.

Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne;
Hark how the heav'nly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Thro' all eternity.
("Crown Him with Many Crowns," v.1, The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941)