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April 5, 2023
By Clara Thompson
Midweek Musings is a weekly Covenant blog with a variety of authors and a variety of topics.
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.” (John 20:1)
These words came alive for me on Easter morning of 2013. We were camping at the Grand Canyon and heard that there would be a sunrise service at the canyon’s rim on Easter. We were told to dress warmly; it would be cold. We set our alarm, rose quietly so as not to disturb other campers, bundled up.
All was quiet as we walked the path to the canyon. Others joined the journey, in the dark, in the quiet. It was as if we were walking with the women who went to the tomb on that first Easter morning.
As we walked to worship at the Grand Canyon it was dark, early dawn, and the world was hushed with holy expectation. As we drew closer to the rim of the canyon the first thing that we saw was the cross, the large wooden empty cross silhouetted against the dawning sky.
Tears filled my eyes.
As the crowd gathered at the rim of the Grand Canyon and the dawn began to break, the quiet remained with hushed "oohs and aahs," a mix of wonder and expectation, of listening and watching and waiting.
I wish I could remember how worship began, likely with some sort of a welcome and a call to worship. And then, just as the sun first kissed the horizon, at the exact moment, we sang the beloved Easter hymn, “Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!”
And the tears were streaming down my face.
As we journey with Jesus this Holy Week, to the upper room where he breaks the bread and shares the cup, to the cross where we witness his crucifixion, let us do so with faith and with hope.
For He is risen, my friends, He is risen indeed!