By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

There’s something divine about a sunrise.

The splashes of pink and red on the horizon and the cool, brisk morning air makes you feel like you’re truly living again.

The sunrise speaks of newness and second chances. Another opportunity to breathe and try and work and live.

It was sunrise on Easter Sunday and Jesus was there.

But He’s always been there. Even in the beginning…was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

With the famous words that mark the page of Genesis 1:1, Jesus was there.

When Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony with each other, God, and Creation, Jesus was there.

When they took the bite of the apple…Jesus was there.

When God spoke to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Jesus was there. When Joseph was thrown in a cistern, thrown in a prison, and thrown into power, Jesus was there.

When David was made King, lusted over Bathsheba, rode victoriously into battle and wrote his songs, Jesus was there,

When Solomon built the great temple, counted his wealth, asked for wisdom, and fell miserably from the throne, Jesus was there.

When the Israelites were tossed into exile, when they found themselves under foreign rule, when the prophets lamented and cried and wept, when the People of God were met with a silent God for 400 years, Jesus was there.

When John the Baptist foretold of the Messiah, when the people hoped and dreamed of their Savior, when the Jews longed for someone to set them free, Jesus was there.

When Nathanael sat under the fig tree and Philip told him of the one spoken of by the prophets, Jesus was there.

When the wine ran out and the temple was overrun with greedy hands, impure hearts, and poor intentions, when the Samaritan woman stood at the well, Jesus was there.

When the man lay helplessly by the pool of Bethesda, waiting and watching for the waters to stir, when 5,000 men and their families sat on the lawn, hungry and in need of food, when the disciples were on a boat in the middle of a stormy sea, Jesus was there.

When the man born blind had lost all hope, when the Pharisees had questions and accusations, when the teachers of the law wagged their fingers and screwed up their eyebrows, Jesus was there.

When Lazarus lay dead in a tomb and began to rot, when his family was mourning, Jesus was there.

When the sinful woman wanted to show her selfless love with a jar of perfume, when the people in the room judged, Jesus was there.

When great crowds gathered with palm trees and shouted Hosanna!, Jesus was there.

When people’s hearts were hardened and unbelief was on everyone’s lips, when the disciple’s feet needed a good washing, Jesus was there.

When death and hatred was foretold, when a Spirit was promised, when a prayer was uttered, Jesus was there. 

When an angry mob gathered in the night and the betrayer was revealed, Jesus was there.

When Peter denied Christ three times, when He was no better than those who beat Him and spit in His face, when he was a coward and a liar, Jesus was there.

When Pilate considers the accusations, when the crowds shouted, “Crucify him!”, when the verdict is made: death, Jesus was there.

When a Messiah is hung from a cross, humiliated, beaten, mocked, and tortured, when they cast lots for His clothes and fed Him wine mixed with vinegar, Jesus was there.

When He utters the words, “It is finished”, Jesus was…dead.

When the first day passed, Jesus was dead.

When the second day passed, Jesus was dead.

But, when the sun rose…the splashes of pink and red on the horizon and the cool, brisk morning air that makes you feel like you’re truly living again; the sunrise that speaks of newness and second chances, another opportunity to breathe and try and work and live…Jesus was there! He’s alive!

When Mary came to check on the tomb, Jesus was there! When the disciples gathered in fear behind locked doors, Jesus was there! When Thomas had doubts, Jesus was there!

He is alive! Praise be to God!

When you have doubts, Jesus is there. When you receive the unexpected diagnosis, Jesus is there. When you have questions, disappointments, sorrows, and fears, Jesus is there.

When you feel like you can’t go on much longer, Jesus is there. When you are in need of strength and healing, Jesus is there.

When you need to be cleansed of sin, Jesus is there. When you need to be born again, Jesus is there. When you need to experience new life–ETERNAL life, Jesus is there.

This Easter Sunday, we celebrate the fact that Christ is not dead, but HE IS HERE.