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Easter Day
Daily Scripture Passage: John 20:1-18

I always expect something different. Each year the beautiful flowers, the soaring hymns, the bright sunshine of our Easter services suggest a day that is sparkling and spectacular.

But the Easter Gospel begins in the dark. It’s a hard moment. The disciples have fled following Jesus’ crucifixion. People are afraid. The women have come to remember and mourn. Their hearts are broken. Care represents an act of courage. Jesus’ death was meant to serve as a warning— the story is over. Stay away.

We know there’s more. That’s why we gather on Easter mornings and proclaim Jesus’ resurrection as the center point of our Christian faith through our whole lives. We believe in new life. It’s joy.

That’s not today’s gospel, not yet. The opening darkness offers us a spiritual gift. The women and the first witnesses to the risen Christ struggle to understand what was happening. They were prepared for loss. They didn’t expect the dawn, and it took a moment for them to adjust to new light.

Like those first witnesses, our own vision of what’s possible is too often too small. Our broken hearts harden and close. Like those first witnesses, loss isn’t the end of our story. God surprises us. The Gospel passage begins in the dark and calls us to look for the light within our own lives. Jesus is risen! We’re given new life. Our hearts can be healed and made whole. Dawn has come once more. That’s more than we can ask or imagine— and it’s completely spectacular.

Happy Easter.