Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us … (Luke 1:78)

This final epithet of God we are considering reflects on the newness, the freshness of God’s coming into the world in the fullness of re-creation. The dawn conjures a new start, with new potential of things to be accomplished and experienced. The night is past and the new day has arrived.

One thinks of the dawn of human creation, where we read of “the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” (Gen 3:8). He was on His way, so to speak, to fellowship with His image bearers—perhaps like someone going to look at Himself in a mirror. Though the day began with a good start, it did not end well, for Adam and Eve resisted that fellowship because of their sin and hid from God. It was like they wanted to cover over the image of God so that God could not see Himself reflected in them, and they could not see Him in person the way He really was.

All through biblical history, the image of God has been veiled. Moses could only see the “backside of God” (Ex 33:22-23). The sunrise was obscured.  When Moses came down from the mountain the reflection of the brilliance of God’s glory was shrouded with a covering over his head (2 Cor 3:7), fading as that reflected glory was.

Glimpses of the brilliance of the sunrise can be seen when Jesus “was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light…” (Matt 17:2). And when the empty tomb was discovered on Easter morning, the whiteness of the attending angel’s garments lit up the darkened cave. How could one not have sensed the atmosphere brighten in the Upper Room when Jesus appeared to all His disciples after His resurrection and when He said to Thomas, “Reach out your hand …”?

However, the glory of Christ as the Sunrise from on high is best seen arising from the darkness of our sinful souls. Peter put it this way: “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19). As believers we rejoice and celebrate that Jesus has arisen in our lives, as an eternal sunrise, a newness of soul that will never become old. An eternal new life in Him. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17). Now that is a Sunrise!

Praise God! I have a new, fresh day to experience for eternity because Christ has arisen in my life.