Celebrate the SonRise! (Sonrise Service)

Sermon Title: Celebrate The Sonrise!

Good News Statement: Jesus resurrects us

SonRise Service @7:00AM

Preached: Sunday, April 09, 2023 at Dogwood Prairie United Methodist Church

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Mark 16:1-8 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Mark chapter sixteen verses one thru six. In this text we find a reason to celebrate life, and that reason is that Jesus has been resurrected. Listen to these promising words of Mark…

The Resurrection of Jesus

16 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³ They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ⁶ But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.

 

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

Introduction:

Happy Easter Everyone! We begin this wonderful celebratory Sonrise service with a poem titled, “Easter Morning” written from Derry’s Heart Poems:

This is the dawning of our joyous Easter morn,

Our delight can never end,

For Jesus is risen… He is risen from the dead.

We are embraced in love, He has taken all our death,

His light has broken the night, He has risen, as He said.

The precious One has fought and won – to go ahead,

Calling …”Come”, It is all done.

Joy is now set free, in the hearts of everyone.

On this beautiful Easter morning, Jesus has certainly risen: he has moved the stone away, walked out of the tomb, and is no longer bound by strips of cloth. Love fills the air, light has conquered the dark, the battle has been fought and won, joy is now set free, and God is looking down upon us and saying, “It is good….This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). In the words of Deanna A. Thompson, “By Christ’s death and resurrection we have been set free.”

We are gathered here this morning, at very special time of day, to allow the resurrection of Christ to motivate us, to save us, and to renew us as we walk out the tomb with Jesus Christ. We are here at “sunrise.” And I can’t tell you the last time I deliberately got up before the sun rose to see the sun rise! But today, is a different day: a day that instills in my heart the eagerness to rise, to see the beautiful Son rise and to have the world go from dark to light.

Of all the sunrises that have happened since the very first one, I can’t imagine any greater morning than the third day after Jesus had been crucified. Friday brought denial, trial, pain, and death. Saturday was a day of hopelessness for many, possibly a day spent in darkness, and worry. Yet on Sunday, that first Easter “sunrise” (S-U-N-R-I-S-E) brought with it an actual “Sonrise” (S-O-N-R-I-S-E), and this “Sonrise” shone a miracle of light upon out heart. Annette Wynne poetically writes in her poem, The Sun,

Long before the postman comes, the sun begins to rise,

Far in the East if you should look, you’d find it in the skies.

At first it’s just a streak of light then all at once the world gets bright.

This small miracle is big enough to make the world bright. God created sunrises in such a way that the sky can be orange and red with every beautiful color in between. Each sunrise signals the start of a new day which in our minds brings with it promises of good things, good hope, and the comfort that God is watching over us wherever we go. It’s no wonder that God said, “It was good” when he created night and day: because the light that he created reminds us of the miracles that Jesus grants us each and every day.[i] The miracle of the Son rising is our reminder for a new day.

But what does God’s created sunrise mean for us today as we witness the Son, Jesus Christ, rising from the tomb? Well, for us, the sunrise means a fresh start, that we have to be optimistic, and that there is a new life waiting to dawn as the nighttime stars fade under the rising sun.

Body:

Mark 16:1-6 tells us, “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.’”

We find on that first Easter morning, another miracle besides the beautiful sunrise. We find the miracle of the Rise of the Son of God , the Son of Man, the Messiah, Teacher and Rabbi. (“Sonrise”). You see, Jesus Christ did not stay dead once He offered Himself on the cross. No, death did not have the last word! The cross did not keep Jesus silent. And the tomb could not contain him. Jesus paid for our sin and set us free from the cross and then rose from the dead and conquered death. With His Resurrection, His mission and life purpose was complete. Matthew wrote in 20:28, the Son of Man is “to give his life as a ransom for many.” Furthermore, in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus predicts his death and resurrection on three separate occasions in the presence of his disciples. Throughout his teachings, Jesus affirmed, then reaffirmed, and then reaffirmed again that he will rise again therefore fulfilling his mission. But it wasn’t until that first Easter morning in which the disciples finally believed: they finally realized that no amount of darkness and not even death could conquer the power, light, and love of Christ.

This sunrise of Easter brings with it such promise for us. More than any other sunrise on any other day in history, the sunrise of Easter gives us such hope for a fresh start and a new chance in life. The sunrise of Easter gives us reason for optimism that we have something to live for in this life and strength to face the day. The sunrise of Easter promises us brand new life and a change on the inside more than we ever could have imagined. That first Easter morning was truly a miracle.

It was a miracle because it provided us with a fresh start. Whenever I think about a fresh start, I think of Gain laundry detergent commercials. In 2022, Gain released a commercial that talked about the long lasting scent of Gain. In the commercial, every time Dave smelled his jacket, he was transported to his “happy place,” which was him sitting in a massage chair at the mall even though he was sitting on a crowded bus. Every time Dave smelled his jacket, it was as if he was receiving a fresh start. I don’t know about you, but I could always use a fresh start: a fresh reminder that everything is going to be okay, that happiness and joy is just around the corner, or that what I did wrong yesterday does not have a negative effect on today. Do you need a fresh start?

Jesus’ resurrection is our fresh start: our new beginning, our new hope, and our happy place. As Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome found their way to the tomb with purchased spices to anoint the body of Jesus, I assume that they were still grieving over the loss of Jesus who was more than a leader and teacher to them. But they knew that anointing his body would bring them peace, a step towards experiencing some sort of fresh start. In a way, their fresh start came in the form of preparing the body of Jesus for life yet to com; but for us, our fresh start comes knowing that our new life begins today; and this new life is eternal. John wrote in his Gospel, “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.’ ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him’” (John 3:14-17).

When Jesus walked out of the tomb on the first Easter morning, we received a fresh start. We came to the tomb expecting it to be sealed, but Jesus opened it up. We came to the tomb expecting Jesus to by covered in cloths, but Jesus was resurrected and clothed in glory. Through the resurrection of Christ we receive a new life and fresh start as we walk out of the tomb with him feeling set free and saved. Even though we are given this fresh start, sometimes we aren’t fully convinced.

Jesus’ resurrection reveals a hopeful future, to be optimistic. On their way to anointing Jesus’ body for burial, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome were asking themselves, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” (Mark 16:3). They encountered a dilemma and didn’t have a plan. I guess they weren’t very optimistic about what Jesus told the disciples: he would rise again on the third day. What does it mean to be “optimistic”? To be optimistic is to have a feeling or showing of hope for the future. Now, if both Marys weren’t told about Jesus’ predication about rising again on the third day, then having no hope for the future seems plausible: Jesus died, his body was laid in a tomb so, therefore, Jesus should be there when they get there. However, Jesus tells Martha who was with Mary Magdalene when Lazarus died and rose again, that he is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). Therefore, Martha should have been a little bit more optimistic.

When they get there, Mark notes, “They looked up; they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed” (Mark 16:4-5). Now is the time to either be optimistic or scared! But then, this person says, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him” (Mark 16:6). There is hope. There is a future. There is a lived out promise on this Easter day.

On the first morning of Easter, Jesus, through his resurrection, provided us with the chance, every day, to be optimistic: to have a feeling or show a sense of hope for the future. Jesus knows that we could all use a little bit more hope: things aren’t going our way, but have hope; I can’t find the right words to say, but have hope; I keep doing the wrong thing or I don’t do anything at all and I get in trouble, but have hope; and life around me is leaving me asking why, but have hope. As the text says, “Do not be alarmed.” Jesus’ resurrection is our opportunity to not lose hope, not be alarmed, but to gain hope. Just because Jesus isn’t there when we look for him, doesn’t mean he isn’t there: it means we need to have more hope, more faith, and more opportunities to feel resurrected. In the words of the Apostle Paul, when we learn to live out the optimism—the future and forward looking hope—of the resurrection, we can boldly shout, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Having hope is our strength, and our strength can help us walk out of the tomb with Jesus as we experience a new day.

Lastly, the resurrection of Jesus offers us new life. New life is more than a fresh start. New life is a fresh start and then never stopping. In the words of someone wise, this new life is “everything and more.” The Apostle Paul when writing to the people of Corinth, who were in a grossly Roman-sinful atmosphere, wrote, “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died…. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!” (2 Corinthians 5:14-17).

“Look, new things have come into being.” Paul is absolutely correct: “there is a new creation, everything old has passed away….for the love of Christ urges us on.” The resurrection of Christ urges us on, to keep going, to face tomorrow, to not be alarmed, but to know that Jesus Christ is alive and that Jesus Christ lives in our heart, lives in our church, lives in our community, county, state, nation, and world. When we look around, we see the resurrection of Christ happening before us! We see the Son rising, walking out of the tomb, and moving beyond the blood stained cross and standing in the home of glory that outshines the sun. New things are happening because Jesus has been resurrected. And the best part about this resurrection is that it is not just a one day thing: it is an everyday experience that invites us to have new life in him. No matter what is going on around us, not matter what we are going through, we have a new life in Christ because he rose and lives today.

Conclusion:

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is and forever will be a miracle: a miracle that rises with every sun rise. And from this miracle we gain a fresh start—each sunrise signals that a new day is beginning which means a fresh start—we must be optimistic—each sunrise means the last day is past and we can hope for a new day in the present—and through the resurrection we are given a new life—each sunrise is a picture for us of life beginning again and new.

As the hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” reminds us, “Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!” Today, Christ has risen! Today, Christ has left the tomb! Today, Christ has given us a triumphal love that deserves an Alleluia! Today, the Resurrected Christ has given us paradise! The resurrection of Christ is just the beginning: it is our fresh start to following him, of being optimistic and receiving hope for tomorrow, and being promised a new life in Jesus Christ.… Christ is Risen! Indeed, the Son is risen today![ii]

Communion Transition:

To celebrate the risen Savior, let us join together around a common table and partake in Holy Communion. Through this meal may we ask for forgiveness, seek a fresh start, be filled with hope, and accept a new and eternal life in Jesus Christ.

 

Benediction:

Christ is Risen today! Raise your joys and triumphs high! Hail the Resurrection! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, go, transforming lives as you live well and wisely in God’s world. Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

[i] You can view a sunrise anywhere. Perhaps that is why when travelling to Minnesota, Alaska, Florida, Virginia, and West Virginia you can find whole towns named “Sunrise.” Perhaps that is why countless song writers include the word pictures of sunrises in their songs or poets write about this time of day. Even artists paint pictures and landscapes with sunrises often as the time of day portrayed because sunrises hold so much meaning.

[ii] He is Risen Up by Micah Betzner:  “A bruised heel, a pierced side, On cruel cross my Savior died. He did not stay in death’s cold grave, But risen up, He vict’ry gave. Though He was slain, and under laid, He rose again, our sin-debt paid. According to the Scriptures true, He giveth life free unto you, He is in Heav’n, our Christ and Lord, He giveth grace to trust His word. Though Satan toils us to accuse. If we trust God, we cannot lose.”