The Graves That Face the Morning

Walk through the old churchyard at First Presbyterian in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where tombstones date back to 1664. Notice something peculiar: nearly every grave faces east. This was no accident. For centuries, Christians buried their dead with feet pointing toward the rising sun, so that on resurrection morning, they would rise facing the dawn. Think about that. These grieving families, through tears and aching loss, positioned their loved ones not as the defeated but as the expectant.…