HE IS RISEN

Scripture tells us that the women came to the tomb early in the morning. “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre” (John 20:1). When they arrived at the tomb however, they found it to be empty. Just as the sun rose that morning, the Son rose from the grave.

We hold our Easter SonRise Service to remember that Christ rose from the grave – a discovery that took place at sunrise. This service is a time of reflection on the cross and resurrection of Christ.

Why do churches celebrate the resurrection? The resurrection is foundational to our faith as Christ-followers. Paul explains the importance of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. There he proclaims, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Cor. 15:19-20).

Christ’s resurrection is the firstfruit – the proof – of our faith. Because Christ rose from the dead, Christians can know that we too will join him in resurrection after we die. Even more importantly, the resurrection tells us that Christ’s payment on the cross for our sins is complete and our eternal life is assured (Romans 8:11).

Because of the importance of this event, we set aside Easter as a special time of celebration of the finished work of Christ on the cross.

What does Easter look like at Grace? We begin the morning at 8:00 AM with our SonRise service. We then gather for an Easter morning breakfast at 8:30 AM. Our main service starts at 10:30 AM.

During our main service, we’ll have additional music and Scripture readings from the gospels as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ.