Sonrise Revealed

The pale moon was hovering over the city behind me as the crimson sun slowly rose ahead of me. As the glorious sun peaked over the distant mountains, I joined the multitude of voices lifting praises to the Father above. It was early on Easter morning in Stuttgart, Germany, where believers in Christ assembled at the top of (what the Americans call) “Rubble Hill.”

Birkenkopf is most often called “Monte Scherbelino” by the Germans – which is literally translated as “Mount Shards.” Birkenkopf is the highest elevation of the surrounding hills of Stuttgart and has special meaning to those who live in the valley below. During the Second World War, most of Stuttgart was destroyed, and the remaining debris (almost 53 million cubic feet) from the 53 air strikes was accumulated and deposited on top of Birkenkopf – significantly increasing its height. Now Monte Scherbelino stands as a memorial for the victims and as a warning to the living.

But as I stood with others at the foot of the 10-meter-high (32.8 feet) cross overlooking the city below… my thoughts were far from the near-by rubble displaying some of the prominent façade pieces of destroyed WWII homes and buildings. Rather my eyes were drawn to the scarlet sun on the horizon and the metallic surfaces in the fog-covered valley below as they reflected the sun’s light through the surrounding darkness. I couldn’t rid my mind of a staggering question: “Would the city of Stuttgart ever glow from the reflection of the Son’s light through the Christian believers living among the population?”

I couldn’t escape the metaphors. Easter morning is one of the prominent moments when Christians reflect on the blood of Jesus Christ as He died on a crucifix and His ensuing resurrection on the third day. He died for people – for every one of us, because His love for us is beyond comparison. And here I was . . . standing at the foot of a cross, on a mountain of rubble, “seeing” the darkness in the valley below. As I watched the rising of the blood-red sun . . . my mind pictured the blood-stained Son rising from His grave. As the dense fog dissipated above the houses . . . I imagined the hazy confusion of Jesus’ followers as they began to understand His prophecies. The light began to shine through the darkness enveloping Stuttgart . . . just as the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as the Son of God began to spread across the earth. And as the reflections of the sun began to glitter across the valley’s mirrored surfaces . . . my thoughts turned inward as well as outward.

Am I . . . are you . . . mirroring Christ’s love? Is His reflection shining through our lives? How many hundreds and thousands of people were sleeping in Stuttgart – unknowing that a celebration of Love and Redemption was occurring just above them on a memorable hill overlooking their city? How many people didn’t know, because we didn’t tell them? Our mission is clear . . . to tell the world about Jesus Christ . . . every tribe and every nation. The risen Son should be revealed through our lives!

One young child touched my heart after our Easter Sonrise Worship came to a close. She climbed some of the rubble surrounding us where she could look into the distance. She paused for a moment as she turned in a circle . . . seeing the horizon in every direction. And then she loudly proclaimed, “Look! I can see the whole world!” And as she spoke, images flooded through my mind . . . of the faces of people around the world that have never heard about Jesus Christ. God does see the whole world, and He loves and longs for every soul to know and believe in Him.