Christ is risen… Christ is risen indeed! These words will soon echo in all of Christendom on this highest of holy days. Easter Sunday is the pinnacle of joy for Christians and church musicians throughout the world as we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and his conquering of sin and death. Music celebrating the Resurrection can help us remove the burdens of life and replace them with the joy of the risen Lord.
In preparing to write this article, I turned to Luke 24 and reread this familiar story of the Resurrection I’ve heard all my life. What struck me as I read this today was the state of confusion everyone was in. This was not yet a time of celebration for Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, or the disciples. The empty tomb, the folded shroud, the angel’s appearance… all of these events wreaked havoc on their already grieving spirits. First was Jesus’ betrayal, his trial, beating, and his brutal crucifixion at the hands of the Romans. Now, amid their grief and heartache, it seemed as if someone had come and stolen Jesus’ body. Talk about chaos and bewilderment!
Like the disciples at the empty tomb, we are briefly baffled. But Christians today have the benefit of hindsight: we know where Jesus is. Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! What is our response to this revelation? Worship! This is what we are about. This is what we were made to do: to worship God with our whole hearts. When we worship Jesus, we draw nearer to God with our songs of praise and triumph.
How does your church celebrate and share the powerful emotions of the Resurrection through music? Do you sing songs that celebrate the promise of eternal life? Have you planned a worship service that celebrates the message of the Resurrection? Uplifting and triumphant music helps our congregations celebrate the joy of Christ’s victory. Many churches reserve this day for presenting a special Easter cantata featuring music and a dramatic retelling of the empty tomb story. Some houses of faith prepare worship bulletins with stunning, gleaming images of the risen Lord, while others invite children to provide their own personal artwork of the empty tomb. Many churches adorn their worship spaces with white lilies symbolizing purity, rebirth, new life, and the hope we find in Christ’s resurrection. Other churches invite professional instrumentalists, either soloists or full ensembles, to make the day more festive. For those churches that follow the tradition of removing all references to “alleluia” during the season of Lent, Easter Sunday is the day of the alleluia’s triumphant rebirth, often accompanied by streamers, banners, descants, or handbells to help highlight and punctuate its return. Music and the arts reinforce our faith and the belief in the power of the Resurrection. All of these special offerings of our gifts inspire the congregation with victory-filled music and give voice to our deep-seated need to worship the One who was, is, and is to come.
Whether your church holds an all-night Easter Vigil, celebrates with a sunrise service outside, prepares a special Easter meal, or presents a majestic time of worship with full orchestra and high-flying banners, find and explore ways to express your own faith at the Resurrection this Easter. Even amid the chaos and confusion, the disciples worshiped. We live in a world that often embraces chaos. The solution is to keep our eyes and faith fixed on Jesus, the peace-bringer who once was dead but now lives and reigns in heaven and in our hearts.
