We're sharing this reflection by Rev. T. Denise Anderson from the Again & Again Devotional. We've chosen the Easter Devotional to serve as an invitation to our Easter services!

Rev. T. Denise Anderson

Do we ever consider the mechanics of a sunrise? The earth spinning at 1000 mph, traveling an orbit of 584 million miles around a star that’s about 1 million times the size of our planet is dizzying. But because we’ve come to expect sunrises every day, we’re not always impressed by them. Often we sleep right through them. That doesn’t make them any less awesome or miraculous. 

Easter is as familiar to Christians as a sunrise. We know the story—at least one variation—and we likely expect to greet the day the same way every year. But if we’ve been sitting in the tension of last week, we may be able to experience this day differently. 

Mark’s gospel is, again, straightforward. There are no frills in this resurrection account. There’s not much joy in it, either. Sunday morning was a time of profound grief for those closest to Jesus. Consider those first few days after you've lost someone and the liminality between their death and funeral. There’s no closure yet, and mornings are reminders that the nightmare is real. It’s hard to imagine how you’ll face the day. 

Friday's terror gives way to new terror as the women arrive to find the stone removed and a strange young man with an outlandish story. Remember that nothing about this sight is recognizable to them. This isn't comforting. They run away terrified, unable to even speak of what they saw! 

But resurrection still came, even if they weren’t yet able to receive it. Things can be scary and okay at the same time. 

Again and again, the sun rises on a new day, often without embrace or acknowledgment. The same is true of resurrection. Whether or not we discern what’s happening, God is literally and figuratively turning the world around!