4 BEST PRACTICES FOR LEADING WORSHIP FOR EASTER
INTRODUCTION
How do we lead worship during Easter?
Easter is the great day of triumph. It is the ultimate yearly Resurrection Celebration of the Church.
It affirms the saving event of Christ in the world, breaking the chains of sin and death and inviting us into the new creation, resurrection life of the age to come.
Easter goes on for fifty days (approximately six Sundays) and includes Ascension Day and the culminating joy of Pentecost Sunday.
Easter is the central celebration of the Christian year and is the greatest storytelling Sunday of them all.
INTRODUCTION
1. Plan ahead.
2. Study the resurrection.
3. Integrate special pieces.
4. Celebrate for 50 days.
PRACTICE 1 – PLAN AHEAD
Plan ahead.
Don’t leave your worship planning to the last minute for Easter Sunday, or the Sundays following.
This is the highest, most glorious celebration of the Worship Year. Without the resurrection, the Apostle Paul said, our faith is meaningless.
It is worthing putting significant effort into the Easter set, service elements, and special songs you prepare for that special day.
Pull out all the stops, and treat Easter as the grand celebration it is. Its meaning to the Christian cannot be overstated.
PRACTICE 2 – STUDY THE RESURRECTION
Study the resurrection.
Many worship leaders assume they understand what the resurrection means for the Christian. But when pressed beyond Jesus rising, and him “conquering death,” many of us aren’t exactly sure what else to celebrate.
Study themes of the resurrection, baptism (dying and rising with Christ), new creation, what life after death means according to the new Testament, how Paul understood the resurrection, and God’s plan for the end/beginning at the renewal of all things.
Read Col. 1:15-20 to inspire your thinking.
Use tools and books that will give you insights you may not have considered
before, and grow in your own understanding of Easter and the worship that should surround it.
You’ll be glad you invested the time on this important topic.
PRACTICE 3 – INTEGRATE SPECIAL PIECES
Integrate special pieces.
Easter is a service that many of your congregants are looking forward to. There is anticipation that has been built (hopefully through the season of Lent) that has created a sense of joy in preparing for Easter.
Knowing that people are coming with a sense of joy and anticipation in their hearts, leverage that energy by adding in fresh elements that they may not be expecting: choirs, readings, food, festive elements, creative retellings of the Easter story and more can all create a unique, memorable worship experience for your congregation.
PRACTICE 4 – CELEBRATE FOR 50 DAYS
Celebrate for 50 days.
It comes as a surprise to many pastors and worship leaders that the most important theme of the Worship Year – Easter – is actually designed to go on for 50 days!
Over the course of the Sundays following Easter, all the way to Pentecost Sunday, considering extending the use of songs and readings specifically centered on living the resurrection life.
Giving extra focus to this most central event in our faith, Christ’s rising from the dead, is worth any extra energy you put toward it.
ACTION STEPS
Try at least one idea this Easter.
- Plan ahead for Easter, and put extra time into planning this very special worship event.
- Study the resurrection, new creation, and its implications for the Christian life in the here and now – as well as in the future.
- Integrate special pieces that are unique, and memorable for all those gathering for your Easter services.
- Finally, consider celebrating Easter for the full 50 days of the season. Even if you extend your own Easter celebration this year, on just a personal level, there could be a revolution in your own perspective that will last you a lifetime.
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