Each year I complain about losing an hour’s sleep when the clocks move forward, even though I know that means the days will be getting longer, brighter and hopefully a little warmer.
A few years ago this changing of the clocks coincided with Easter Sunday which meant the services that began at sunrise to celebrate the Sonrise felt very early indeed!
That year as we walked to the lake where we were meeting with people from churches right across the village, one friend asked why on earth the women who came to the tomb and discovered Jesus was alive couldn’t have done so at lunchtime!
I have to say she wasn’t alone in that sentiment, but we did see the most amazing sunrise as we sung, ‘Thine be the glory’. The women who came to the tomb at daybreak on that first Easter morning must have been filled with a mixture of emotions and no doubt left filled with a whole different set! From deep sorrow and hopelessness to shock, disbelief and rejoicing when they found the tomb was empty except for burial clothes and in some gospels an angel or two. How their hearts would have lifted when they realised Jesus was alive! The whole of God’s story reaching its peak in that moment.
A story of hope breaking through despair, of light overcoming darkness, and of life where there once was none. All around us we can see signs of new life with lawns that need mowing, trees full of blossom, and birds busy making nests. Somehow our spirits are lifted, and we have a sense of hope. The darkness of winter is past, and the warmth of a new season is here. The journey to Easter morning isn’t a straightforward one. It passes through uncertainty, loss, and grief. The events of Good Friday remind us that life can be painful and confusing, and that sometimes things don’t turn out the way we expect.
Yet Easter doesn’t ignore those realities, it transforms them. And so it is with us. Whenever we travel through dark and painful times when life feels overwhelming, God doesn’t leave us or remove our sorrow, he is alongside us and travels with us
The empty tomb is not just a surprising ending, it is a new beginning. It tells us that no situation is beyond redemption, no mistake beyond forgiveness, and no life beyond renewal. Easter is the ultimate reminder that God is always at work—even when we can’t see it, even when light and hope feel distant.
The resurrection reminds us that new life can show up in the most unexpected places. It encourages us to stay hopeful, to notice the small signs of renewal around us. In a world that can sometimes feel a bit heavy or divided, Easter gently reminds us to share wherever we can God’s love wherever we can and to remember: Hope is alive. New life is here.
And the story is not over. And in that we can rejoice as we say: Alleluia the Lord is risen!
Sally