John 20:1a

Posted by DJL on Apr 6, 2015 in Daily Bread | 0 comments

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark…

There is something simply perfect about the fact that the Easter story begins both on the first day of a new week and while it was still dark.

Think about it. It is the first day of the week. The first day of the week calls to mind the first day of creation, when God created light and separated day from night. And now God recreates on this first day, calling not just light from darkness but life from death, and not only separating but actually sundering forever the hold death has upon us.

The first day of the week, the day of creation and now re-creation.

But also while it is still dark. It is not simply that it is early in the day because there was a lot to do, or that such tasks were normally performed before it got too hot. Rather, it’s critical to notice that in this part of the story those who will venture to the tomb have no idea what to expect. They depart, figuratively and literally, in the dark because they only know of Jesus’ death. And with their expectations and sorrow and grief as backdrop, the news of the resurrection will be so glorious as to be nearly incomprehensible.

Similarly, how often, I wonder, does God come to us at the darkest times of life? Or is it simply that we are more likely to notice God’s presence and activity in our lives when all around us seems dark. God is always present, but against the backdrop of our limited expectations and immediate experience of loss or disappointment, God’s new activity is hard to miss, even as it is sometimes hard to believe.

Just so, the Easter story begins on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, for that is when it’s easiest to perceive the new work God is doing…in this story and in our lives.

Prayer: Dear God, give us the vision to see you at work both in us and through us for the sake of this world you love so much. In Jesus’ name, Amen.