MANSFIELD – Worshippers at Kingwood Center Gardens on Sunday morning were actually celebrating two holidays.
As Pastor Paul Lintern pointed out, Sunday was the first time since World War II that Easter Sunday and April Fools’ Day fell on the same day. The shared holiday was actually appropriate.
“It’s perfect that it falls on April Fools’ Day because we tricked the devil,” Lintern said. “Christians have always considered this a triumph against the one who thought he won.”
Dozens of people braced the cold morning weather to attend the 61st annual sunrise service organized by St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. In front of a living cross of lilies, Sunday’s congregation sang hymns and recited scripture to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
“If His obituary had been in the paper, it would have been wrong,” said Rev. Ron Daley. “Today, 20 centuries later, we gather to tell the whole story.”
GloryWay Quartet provided special music for the service. Lintern also invited children to participate in a sing-along, the 12 days of Easter, mirroring the other holiday centered around Jesus.
Amidst the calling of birds around Kingwood, Daley challenged those present to think about why they attended Sunday’s service.
“Perhaps because of tradition, perhaps your mother expects you to sit next to her on Easter,” Daley said. “Or maybe you’re hurting. You’ve discovered that life is tougher than you thought, but people are tougher.”
Daley reminded the congregation that the Easter holiday celebrates victory over both physical and spiritual death. Followers of Jesus celebrated his resurrection, he said, because they were no longer afraid of living – because they were no longer afraid of dying.
“You are here today because God wanted you to be here to hear this Easter message,” Daley said. “The message that God can raise us up to be what He created us to be.”
