PASTOR’S CORNER: The SON will rise

Today I want to talk about the SON and the SUN. Now when it comes to the SUN nobody questions whether the sun will rise. We don’t lose sleep thinking that when we wake up the next day, there will be no sun. Think about it; when was the last time we had a sleepless night worrying about whether the sun would rise in the morning? It may be cloudy, and it may be raining. There may be an overcast and the sun cannot pierce through, but we do not doubt the fact that the sun is shining. The light of day gives evidence.

Community, God placed the sun in the sky when he said, “Let there be light and there was light (Genesis 1:3).” The sun is the star at the center of the solar system. It is nearly a perfect ball of hot plasma. Located 92.96 million miles away from earth, it is 4.603 billion years old. That’s old!

But, as old as it is the sun never gets sick. Never takes a day off. Never goes on vacation and never shuts down; what would the world be like if the S U N did not rise? The earth would freeze to death. Life and vegetation would cease to exist. The world as we know it would not be the same.

But the God of the universe who shines into darkness causes the SUN to shine, that’s not evolution, that’s the omnipotence and the power of the almighty God, the same power that causes the thunder to roar, and the lightning to zig-zag across the sky.

This coming Sunday will be Resurrection Sunday morning. Hallelujah! A time for all Christians to celebrate. It is a party at the graveyard, on Easter morning. But we will not celebrate the SUN. We are thankful for it, but we will not lift up the SUN because it was not the SUN that saved us from a miserable life of sin. It was not the SUN that woke us up this morning and started us on our way. It’s shining but it was not the SUN that gave us strength to put one foot before the other. Those who have been in the Intensive Care Unit know that it was not the SUN that brought you back out of it so you can live to talk about it. The S.UN can do wonders for the earth community, but there are some things that the SUN cannot do.

The SUN cannot turn clear water into red wine. It can’t cast a demon out of a possessed man. It cannot cause a blind man to see. I don’t care how bright it shines. It cannot tear down strongholds. The SUN can fry fish, but it cannot supply fish to feed over 5,000 men. And it sure enough cannot raise the dead.

But this coming Sunday, we will celebrate the greatest bombshell that ever hit human history. We will celebrate the SON of God. The SUN had set on Good Friday but the SON had also set on Good Friday. He dropped his head and he died. Good Friday has already passed. The crowd has dispersed. Everybody has gone to their separate homes. The religious leaders, having had their thirst for death quenched, have left Golgotha’s Hill.

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved having now secured Mary the mother of Jesus, has now taken her unto his own. The women who had wept there, whose hearts had been broken, had now walked away in grief. Those who had gambled at the foot of the cross, gambled for his scarlet robe had now laid down their bets and headed back to Jerusalem.

The centurion, after witnessing how our savior died, said “Truly this was the Son of God,” (Matthew 27:54). had gone back to his post. It was a sad time for his disciples as they just did not understand. What were they going to do now? Their leader, one whom they had invested 3 1⁄2 years of their lives; one whom they had left everything to follow, Christ, the Son of the living God, our savior had been crucified and died a criminal’s death. “Wounded for our transgressions; bruised for our iniquities … all we like sheep had gone astray; and the Lord laid on himself the iniquity of us all,” (Isaiah 53:5-8). “His blood streamed down his side, but without the shedding of blood there would be no remission of sin,” (Hebrews 9:22).

Jesus dropped his head and he died. The SUN had set…and the SON had set. It was the darkest day in human history. The sixth to the ninth hour (noon to 3 p.m.) was a personal time between Father and Sono. For no mortal man saw his face during this time for there was a darkness over the land. The sins of the world were upon him, our sins, and he was not a beautiful sight to behold and God would not allow mortal man to see his Son’s face at this time, so the darkness came.

And then that which Jesus dreaded the most happened; for the first time He was separated from His Father. For that’s what sin does it separates. With darkness over the land, He cried out, “Father, why has thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46). And then, our savior said “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” (Luke 23:46). He gave up the ghost, meaning he died. But this is not how the story ends. Praise God Sunday is coming, and the SON will rise!