2024 Easter Sunrise Service Devotional

Intro

Good morning everyone. Isn’t it beautiful outside today? It's a little cool outside, but it’s great. Take a look around and breathe the fresh air. There is no better way to celebrate Easter than to worship Jesus together outside.

My name is Jayson and I am the Student Ministry Director here. And I just wanted to share a little bit about the importance of Easter with everyone.

I remember back in high school that I wanted to try out a sport, so I started track. They had a bunch of different events to choose from ranging from pole vault, sprints, and even distance. So I decided to try the high jump and the 800m.

After a couple weeks, I realized I wasn’t very good at those things compared to others, and if I couldn’t be good at track then I was going to quit. So I quit after 2 weeks. The whole track experience left a bitter taste in my mouth for running and sports in general.

But then something changed. I started to run on my own. I got better and I fell in love with it. Something that once left a bitter feeling turned into one of the best parts of my life.

Sometimes when we don't fully understand something, we miss out on something that we could really love. But then, when we see it for what it really is, everything changes. Just like when I started running, everything became so much better for me.

As Easter is officially here, I believe this—when you see Easter for what it really is, everything changes.

Today and every day we want to focus on THE reason…THE motivation behind everything Jesus went through and the resurrection He pulled off…THE whole purpose of this holiday…

The reason for Easter is love.

Tension

We just got through a series with the students that was all about Easter. And we talked about how…

Love is the reason Jesus lived.

Love is the reason Jesus died.

And love is the reason Jesus rose again.

On the opposite end, in your life, maybe you’ve felt like God is anything but loving…because your idea of God is that:

· God is annoyed with our constant poor choices.

· God is angry because we’ve messed up.

· God is a perfectionist.

· God is absent. God doesn’t really care what happens to you.

· He’s irrelevant. God is old news, and not at all that helpful with today’s problems.

If you’ve ever felt any of these ways about God, you’re not alone. I’ve felt that way before. And if we’re being honest, at one point or another we’ve all had one or more of these thoughts about God. So here’s the question for us this morning—what does it take to experience the love of Jesus in our lives?

Truth

John, a close friend of Jesus who played a significant role in leading the early Church. He wrote one of the four Gospels in the Bible that detail the life and ministry of Jesus. In this letter, he talked about Easter…

To set the scene, in John Chapter 19, John writes about the torture and misery that Jesus went through on the cross, then talked about his burial in a tomb. Then he talks about something happening at the tomb…

“20 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.” (John 20:1-10 NLT)

Here, we see that Jesus is no longer in the tomb, Mary goes to get Peter and John to tell them the news. Then Peter and John quickly run, in a race against each other, to the tomb, and realize Jesus is gone.

Here’s the amazing thing…John made it to the tomb first, followed by Peter. In our world, as well as theirs, the one who comes in first is the winner. But that morning was different.

The tomb was left empty. Jesus had already risen. He already paid the price. The greatest love in history was put on display through the death and resurrection of the most loving person to ever live. Jesus won the race for us.

But Peter and John did do something right that morning….they simply did this…they ran to Jesus. We all have different walks of life, ups and downs, goods and bads. But on this day, as well as every day, Jesus simply wants us to run to Him.

Landing

Maybe that’s why Easter is supposed to be such a celebration. Sure those events 2,000 years ago were brutal…but remember how it ended, with the resurrection. THAT showed us just how much love can do.

Love is the reason Jesus lived.

Love is the reason Jesus died.

And love is the reason Jesus rose again.

Forrest Frank, a newer Christian artist, said this in his song “Lift My Hands”

Oh, what a friend I have in You

You tore the veil to let me through

All of my stains, I’ve been made new

All just because You wanted to

Imagine what could happen if this Easter, and every Easter in the future…could be a reminder of just how much God loves you and the world around you. No matter how fast or slow you run this race called life, Jesus can be with you and will be there at your finish line.

That is the Good News for everyone.

Let’s Pray.