Photos: Easter sunrise service at the Garden Tomb

On Saturday I stayed home and inside all day to rest and try to come to grips with the flood of feelings and insights that were swirling inside me. I journaled for hours, and it is out of these reflections that I’m pulling these short paragraphs for you. I was quite overwhelmed (I keep saying that!)--and I still had the 6:30 a.m. Easter sunrise service, back at the Garden Tomb, to attend in the morning!

To be assured of a good seat, my friends, the Bennetts, and I left our apartment at 5:00 a.m.and made the short 10 minute walk to the Garden Tomb. (I still can’t grasp the fact that I live so close...) Only five other people were there before us--and two of them were “Bridges” people like us. Then an Irish tour group arrived, and led everyone in their boistrous way with joyful songs of Easter until the gate opened at 6:00 a.m. We were able to get front row seats again for this very exciting and exuberant service of worship. People continued to flow in and filled every bench and chair, stair and ledge, as the worship team from King of Kings Community Church led us in a prelude of songs that celebrated the resurrection of Jesus.

The service itself was uplifting and full of anticipation as we moved from song to Scripture to prayer, everyone probably as amazed as I was that we were here in this beautiful place for Easter this year. It was hard to register; to fathom the historical and spiritual and theological and mental realities of the resurrection--and that we were in the actual location where this supernatural, eternal event probably happened! You should’ve heard the singing: “Worthy Is the Lamb” and “Crown Him With Many Crowns” and “Jesus Is Alive” and “Thine Is the Glory” and, of course, “He Lives!” From the lips of people of every race and color and corner of the world, just as it will be in heaven when we all gather around the throne of the Lamb to praise Him for all eternity! The speaker preached from Revelation, in fact, where John is first confronted with Jesus in all of his glory. When we concluded the service with a great new praise song, “Glory,” it was hard to leave this precious place.