At First Light

"Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week. . . "

The women who loved Jesus did not wait for a clear path to the tomb.

They did not wait for the warmth of midday.

They did not wait for the noonday sun to make friendly the place where their Lord had died.

They did not wait for men to help them carry their supplies or face the soldiers.

They did not first finish the tasks the Sabbath had left undone.

Stumbling through their tears, in that cold light, they journeyed their way through the sorrowful path, carrying their burdens and facing their fears, to the place where their teacher and master lay.  These holy women went first to Jesus, even though they knew Him to be dead.  They loved him and they had a job to do: to prepare his dear, broken body according to God's law and the customs of their people.  And for their love, their courage, their obedience, they were given a special grace: an angelic message that restored their hope and filled them with a tremulous joy.

"He is risen. He is not here."

This Easter at first light, may we follow the holy women, bringing our fears, our burdens, and our brokenness. May we go through the place of the cross and to the tomb of our beloved, where we find that everything we left behind no longer matters, because those fiery words still hang in the air.

"He is risen."

And let us answer with all our hearts, "He is risen indeed."