Lowcountry Easter celebrates the resurrection

“He is not here; He has risen! Remember how

He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee:

“The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of

Sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be

raised again.”

Luke 24: 6-7

Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, March 27, is a holiday celebrated by recognizing the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the New Testament as occurring on the third day after his crucifixion on the cross at Calvary.

And when they were come to the place, which is called

Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors,

one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said

Jesus, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

Luke 23: 33-34

The day of His crucifixion is known as Good Friday. The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday, respectively commemorating Jesus entry into Jerusalem. Thursday of this same week known as ‘Maundy Thursday’ recognizing the Last Supper of Jesus with the twelve apostles.

And He said unto them, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”

Luke 22: 15

Sunrise service on Easter Sunday morning is a common Easter custom in the Christian world with the Easter lily being a symbol of the resurrection. Many are the times come Easter Sunday morning when attending an outdoor service on the banks of a river or outside of the church sanctuary when the sun came up it was still too cold to wear special Easter finery without having to still wear a winter coat. But even the cold morning did not deter the gnats that loved to ‘dive-bomb’ in a hair-do. Most churches still host an Easter sunrise service, but the majority of them are held in the sanctuary, which, to me, takes away from joyously singing; “He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose!” with the rising of the morning sun.

Other customs recognized in both the Christian and non-Christian worlds include decoration of Easter eggs (a symbol of the empty tomb), egg-hunting, the Easter bunny and Easter parades as well as various traditional foods for an Easter Sunday dinner.

Correlative to Easter sunrise services being held as the sun rises in the east is the fact that head-stones or memorial monuments in a cemetery face the east and the rising sun, thus for the Christian believer in the resurrection of the dead, placing the body facing the east will allow the dead to see the Second Coming of Jesus as stated in Matthew 24:27 - “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

Happy Easter!

This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 6:26 AM with the headline "Lowcountry Easter celebrates the resurrection."