Rev. David Holwick                                 Easter Sunrise Service
First Baptist Church                                  (short meditation)
Ledgewood, New Jersey
March 31, 1991
                                                           Matthew 28:1

	                   MEETING BEFORE DAWN


  I. We are following an ancient Christian custom this morning.
      A. Pliny the Younger was governor of Bithnyia (Turkey) in
            AD 111-113.

      B. He wrote to the Roman Emperor, Trajan, about how to persecute
            Christians.  His policy:
          1) Christians were turned in, but not sought out.
          2) They were given a chance to curse Jesus.
          3) If they kept true to the faith, they were killed.
              a) Policy applied to young and old alike.

      C. Pliny also reveals one of the earliest descriptions of
            Christian worship, and the first by a pagan:

     "They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before
      it was light, when they sang an anthem to Christ as God, and
      bound themselves by a solemn oath not to commit any wicked deed,
      but to abstain from all fraud, theft and adultery, never to break
      their word, or deny a trust when called upon to honour it;

      After which it was their custom to separate, and then meet again
      to partake of food, but food of an ordinary and innocent kind."

                                          Pliny, "Letters" X:96, AD 112

 II. Origin of sunrise services is the resurrection of Jesus.
      A. Matthew's account of resurrection:               Matthew 28:1
           "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week,
            Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb."

      B. Disciples were few in number.
          1) By end of Jesus' appearances, only 120.
          2) Notice how few are here this morning!
          3) Jesus himself says few will have genuine faith in him.

      C. Even the disciples were reluctant to believe news.

III. The results of believing in resurrection.
      A. They were filled with joy and excitement.
          1) Joy is sign of real faith.
          2) Joy is often lacking in Christians.
              a) Easter message seems like old-hat.
              b) You don't have to believe or do much to be saved.

      B. They experienced changed lives.
          1) Even Peter went from denying Lord to preaching powerful
                 (and dangerous) sermon.
          2) Non-christians noticed, and felt convicted.
              a) Often a reason for persecution.

      C. They told everyone they could find.
          1) In one generation, Christianity spread throughout the
                 Roman Empire.
          2) Whom have you told about Jesus?