See What A Morning (Resurrection Hymn)

Another great modern hymn by writers Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, “See What A Morning” takes us through the discovery of the empty tomb of Jesus on Easter morning. Luke 24:1-3 “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”

See what a morning, gloriously bright
With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem;
Folded the grave-clothes
Tomb filled with light,
As the angels announce Christ is risen!
See God’s salvation plan, wrought in love,
Borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man, for He lives,
Christ is risen from the dead!

Romans 8:24-25 “For in this hope we were saved. Now Hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Sin and death exist in the darkness. Jesus’s sacrifice overcame both of those and thus His tomb was filled with light. And just as the angels announced His birth, they announce His resurrection, the prophecy fulfilled!

See Mary weeping: ‘Where is He laid?
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name:
It’s the Master, the Lord raised to life again!
The voice that spans the years,
Speaking life, stirring hope,
Bringing peace to us,
Will sound till He appears,
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!

Easter celebration, for believers in Christ, is not without the knowledge of the whole story. But, as we know, the disciples and followers of “the way” didn’t believe the whole story, despite being told it by Jesus Himself. His word is life, hope and peace and we shall sing of His wonders until we meet him face to face!

One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit
Who clothes faith with certainty,
Honour and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned
With power and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won
Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!

We have certainty that one day, we will be with Jesus in heaven singing praise with the angels and saints for all eternity. All that needed to be done has been done. When Jesus uttered the words “it is finished,” it really was. And now He lives!

The cross didn’t become a beloved symbol of Christianity until all the people who witnessed crucifixions had died. A crucifixion was so extreme that no eyewitness would’ve worn a cross on their neck or hung one on a wall. In orthodox traditions, they are more fond of the crucifix than the empty cross. This is because seeing the body on the cross reminds us of the extreme pain He endured on our behalf and causes us to face the tension that makes us want to look away. In protestant traditions, the empty cross represents the pain is no more and salvation is complete. These are both true and important. We cannot have one without the other.

God sent His Son to die for you (me). To stand in place of you (me) and take the punishment meant for you (me). And now He gives us life everlasting. My heart is overwhelmed. The English language or my knowledge of it fails to interpret the emotions of my heart. Jesus gave me a second chance at life after He watched me make a mess of it. And He knows I’ll make a mess of things in the future and He still did this for me! Tears of joy leak from my eyes as I consider what the cross means to me. What does the cross mean to you?

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