Easter-Easter-Easter!
Let Everything that has breath praise the LORD. Psalm 150:6 (NIV)
There is a huge difference between Easter sunrise service in Lake Mary, FL and in Arnot, PA. The warm breeze in Lake Mary can almost melt you with a March or April Sunday. Not so in Arnot. We don our winter coats and wear thick wool socks as we gather in front of our church. The joyous celebration is still the same. We serve a risen Savior and He’s in the world today. Lori Hatchet (All God’s Creatures) shares a unique experience none of us are likely to forget.
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We hadn’t attended a church with a true sunrise service—you know, the kind where you rise before dawn, gather on the lawn, and sing “He Lives!” as the sun comes up—for years. But there we were, dressed in our Easter clothes, and seated under a group of oak trees with other Resurrection Day celebrants.
In the predawn hush, I heard a rustle overhead. I squinted, curious to see which feathered friend had joined our gathering. The canopy of leaves hid the bird from my sight, but when it hopped onto a low-hanging branch, I recognized the gray plumage and jaunty crest. A tufted titmouse. I often see them in my yard and smile at their cheery “peter-peter-peter.”
This day, though, as the bird joined the believers from our fellowship and blended its voice with our praise, it seemed to sing a new song. Instead of “peter-peter-peter” its little voice seemed to declare “Easter-Easter-Easter!”
As Jesus made His way to Jerusalem long ago, Jewish leaders scolded Christ for allowing His disciples to cheer Him on with shouts of praise. “I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40, NIV).
Every Easter since then, Jesus’s followers have heralded Him as Messiah and King, declaring His victory over sin, death, and the grave. I wasn’t surprised, therefore, that a bird, the subject of so many of Jesus’s parables, took up the stones’ chorus and added its voice to our Easter celebration.
In the days following our sunrise service, I’ve often seen a tufted titmouse on the church grounds. The tiny bird still wears its spring plumage and chirps happily, but all I hear now is “peter-peter-peter.” I guess our little soprano has closed its Easter hymnal until next year.
I, however, will continue to celebrate. Every time I think of the darkness of sin, death, and the grave, I’ll remember the sunlight triumph of “Easter-Easter-Easter!”
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)