Rise and shine

“Arise, shine, for the light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” Isaiah 60:1

Rise and shine means it’s time to get up and start your day. This is said in Isaiah 60:1 where the Lord is being compared to “The Light”.

Not all of us are “morning people”, I have a friend who won’t speak to you until she’s had a cup of coffee. Grandma was an early bird and she would wake me up in a chipper voice saying, “Rise and shine sleepy head”. Now I’m usually up before the crack of dawn.

I’ve tried to imagine what it was like back in the day when Jesus was crucified. All the hope everyone had placed on him being the Messiah was hanging on the cross. According to John 20:1-23, Mary Magdalene decides in the wee hours of the morning (maybe she couldn’t sleep because of her grief) she’s going to visit the tomb where Jesus lay. To her horror the stone was moved and Jesus’s body was not there. I’m sure she was confused as she ran to tell the others the Lord had been taken.

When they ran back to the tomb, Simon Peter noticed the burial cloth from Jesus’s head was neatly folded rather than haphazardly lying on the floor. Even though they were standing at the empty tomb, they still couldn’t comprehend what had happened. John 20:9 says, “(They still did not understand from scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)”

As the others left, Mary stayed behind and wept. Jesus appeared before her, perhaps to comfort her but she couldn’t fathom the man was Jesus…that is until he called her by name.

Finally it was over! Jesus conquered death! Matthew 28:6 says, “He is not here; he has risen just as he said…” We have now been redeemed through his blood and are made new through the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. The one perfect sacrifice has been given so we can once again have fellowship with God. All we have to do is believe!

We’re called to “rise and shine” each day and live with an intentional purpose to glorify God. Numbers 6:24-25, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;”. Just as the grave couldn’t contain Jesus, as believers, we shouldn’t be able to contain our joy because our Savior lives. We are to be “his shining light” constantly reflecting the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.