Son Rise Service

TITLE: SON RISE SERVICE

SCRIPTURE: ST. MARK 16:1-8

Imagine the most important thing that could possibly happen to you in your life happens, but afterward, nothing changes.

• You graduate from college, but instead of going out and securing a job, you just go home and continue to live with Mom and Dad

• Graduation day comes and goes – and nothing changes

• You finally get the promotion. But instead of going to your new office with its corner window and beautiful view of the Golf Course, you go to your same old cubical down in the basement

• Promotion day comes and goes – and nothing changes

• You get married, and after the wedding service, the bride goes home to her parents and the groom goes home to his

• It’s ridiculous to think these things might actually happen, because these are events that change things and should change our lives

Imagine Jesus being crucified.

• He is put in a grave

• Buried

• Three days later He is resurrected

• He comes back to us

• He lives again

• And that is it – nothing else happens

It would be ridiculous to think of living through Easter, Resurrection Sunday and then having nothing change. What would have happened if after Christ’s resurrection -

• PETER had gone back to his fishing boat and lived out his life?

• If all the Disciples just went back to their old way of life?

• If none of the Gospels had been written?

The resurrection of Christ was not the type of event that you celebrate once, but doesn’t change your life. It demands a change in your life. The Resurrection of Christ validates everything the Gospel claims about Christ, and it verifies everything Christ requires of us.

• You cannot come and celebrate this glorious Resurrection Sunday and go out and not love God and not be changed

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is asked which is the greatest commandment of the Law, and the first answer is to “LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.” This does not take place unless a change has taken place in you, a change that begins at -

• Calvary

• Old Rugged Cross

• Empty Tomb

• A Resurrected Savior

That is what we find in our text this morning. These women identified in our text didn’t arrive early in anticipation, but rather to take care of unfinished business, an act out of pure love for Christ. ST. LUKE 23:55-56 records they had seen the tomb and where the body of Christ was laid after he was taken down from the cross. Yet, they had to return home where they prepared the spices, and ointments, but their work was delayed because of the Sabbath.

• Even though Nicodemus, and Joseph had anointed the Lord’s body, it was done in haste, and was not satisfactory enough at least not for these women

Thus, as soon as they could, following the Sabbath they planned to take care of the proper anointing of the body of Jesus. I imagine these women were restless and sleep escaped them for days. Just like us when we have something on our mind, something we need to do or accomplish and we find it difficult or impossible to sleep. Early in the morning while it was still dark, they left their homes, met together, and began to walk toward the tomb of Jesus.

• One must admire the devotion, and courage of these women

• Oh, how they loved him!

• He must have a proper burial

• It was the least they could do

• They were courageous in what they did

• They did not fear the darkness

• Nor did they fear being identified with Christ

• Little did they know - they were on their way to a SON RISE SERVICE

Although these wonderful, courageous women were on their way to a different kind of Son-Rise Service, it was very early during the dawning of a new day when they set out to the sepulcher. I found my mind wresting with an interesting question - what is a sunrise? It’s not quite the simple question one might anticipate when you get down to it.

• How do you actually define a Sunrise

• How do you pinpoint when a Sunrise Begins

• Or for that matter, when it Ends?

Think about when a sunrise actually begins.

• The first semblance of light begins very early in the morning, as the sun begins to reach over the horizon

• The sky may still be dark - but you can sense the coming of the light

• We call this time DAWN