There I was at 7:30 a.m., Easter Sunday morning, standing in the middle of an empty plot of land off Highway 27, a small gathering of parishioners from Cornerstone Baptist Church, lead by Pastor Jim Lyons watched the sun rise and celebrated the Son Rise. I was blessed and honored to be a part of this solemn, yet joyful, occasion. I have attended many sunrise services over the years and even participated in some of the more elaborate celebrations but none could compare to this.
There were about 40 people present, making it a very intimate and even more reverent time. Looking back through history there were only small gatherings that celebrated this day for fear of ridicule and worse, persecution. We are set apart from many nations in that we can openly worship without trepidation.
I thought about Jesus a lot during the week leading up to Easter. Of course I think about Him everyday when I simply look at the blessing around me, but He weighed heavy on my heart this week. I touched on His crucifixion in my last column in hopes that we would view the cross in a different light. This week I began to realize that the very name of Jesus is probably spoken more than any other name, whether it is in admiration or mockery. It breaks my heart to hear His sweet name taken in vain. I cannot even imagine what it does to the heart of the Father. If I had sacrificed my only son to die for the sins of this world and someone scorned him or spoke about him with disdain, my first response would probably be uncontrollable anger. It just goes to show you how much God loves us.
