Matthew 28:2 - And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.
Have you ever been able to watch a sunrise? Nothing compares to a sunrise on the water. I snapped this picture on an early morning fishing trip in South Carolina in 2015. A sunrise stills a busy and broken world once a day, as God’s glorious light fills the horizon with the promise of a new and beautiful future.
One sunrise on a Jerusalem morning stands above all. The morning was in the wintertime, everything was dead. The trees were barren, and the exposed bark glistened as the morning light spilled across the hillside. The crisp cold air met the women as they made their way to the tomb before daybreak. The strong aroma of spices like frankincense made them seek to shallow their breath. The path was marked but tricky as they navigated the entrance of a garden in the damp, dew-covered dusky light. The tomb took shape before them. At that moment, the awareness left their surroundings and the spices that they were carrying and became focused on the shaking of the ground, an earthquake. The garden was filled with light as an angel descended from heaven, rolled the massive stone away from the tomb, and sat upon it.
The soldiers guarding the tomb fell as dead men. The angel announced to the women that Jesus was risen. They looked and found not the Lord and ran to tell the others. The tomb is empty. The Lord is alive. Our future is secure. Death has lost its sting. The grave has no power. It is sunrise and God’s glorious light fills the horizon with the promise of a glorious future. Rejoice today!