Sunrise Service 2025

Connection

I wish we could start this message in the dark, b/c that is how the disciples felt on Sunday morning. They were in a dark place. Think about it, they placed all their faith in this man who did things that made you believe he was the Son of God but here he was, dead.

On Sunday morning, there was no faith, no trusting in God b/c from their viewpoint God hadn’t shown up.

The tomb had the body of their leader and friend, and I imagine very human questions swirled in their minds. Doubts swirled.

Why didn’t you save him?

God are you even there?

Was he actually the Messiah?

Who was he really?

How could he do all those miracles but couldn’t save himself?

Tension

Let’s honest for just a moment here… you’ve had doubts before too right?

Is God going to come through?

(When he doesn’t) Does he even care?

How can you sit by and do nothing, don’t you see the suffering in the world?

Those are moments are the moments when our faith gets a little wobbly and gets a little weak. When doubt starts to creep in and pull us away from the Lord. Again, this happens to all of us. Sunday morning, in the dark of the morning, the disciples had no faith.

Zero. No one was waiting for Jesus to come out of the tomb.

Truth

John 20:1–2 NIV

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

Sadness and now even more pain. This is the worst possible thing that could’ve happened.

Jesus body was stolen which meant it wouldn’t be long before they saw his head on a spike somewhere in Jerusalem.

This was the worst possible outcome.

Looking from her perspective, the tomb was empty which meant defeat. From our perspective the tomb was empty which meant victory.

This is important in all aspects of your life. Perspective is everything.

John 20:3–9 NIV

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

John recounts this from his memory as an old man. He is writing the events of that day because he was there and no one had given the account from the perspective that he did. He backs out of the story for a second and tells us “we did not know he had risen.”

No one was thinking resurrection. It’s not even part of the equation. They wanted to take his body off the cross to go through the burial rites b/c they couldn’t do that on Saturday.

John 20:10 NIV

Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

All is lost.

John 20:11–16 NIV

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

You can hear the desperation in her voice. She loved Jesus b/c he had delivered her from demonic oppression and possession. She had been tormented by demons and Jesus comes along and frees her with just a word. They had tried to free her before but no one could, except for this Rabbi from Nazareth...

She exhausted, emotionally drained and spiritually defeated until she hears her name in his voice...

John 20:11–16 NIV

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

HOPE — LIFE — EXCITEMENT!!!

Called her by name —> To claim her as his own, a child of God.

John 20:16–18 NIV

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

That is what this morning is all about.

Mary had doubts… until she heard his voice.

Application/Inspiration

That’s true for us also.

When he came out of that tomb he called all our names. We have access to the Father and relationship with Jesus when he came out of that tomb.

Here’s the rub … sometimes we’re not listening. Sometimes we don’t snap out of the questions we’re asking. Mary is attempting to find Jesus and she misses him. Looks right through him bc she is so preoccupied with her circumstance that she misses the savior.

Listen for his voice.