3 Tips for Planning Easter Worship Sets
Easter Sunday represents the pinnacle of the Christian calendar. As worship leaders, we have the privilege of guiding our congregations in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here are a few thoughts on how to craft a meaningful Easter worship experience that will keep the focus on Jesus and help your church engage in worship!
The Heart of Easter: Celebrating the Resurrection
Easter is fundamentally about one thing: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This historical event is the cornerstone of Christian faith—the moment when death was defeated and Jesus rose from the grave! As you plan your worship set, keep this truth at the center.
Remember that our goal isn't to create an impressive production but to point to Jesus and get out of the way! The resurrection isn't just a nice story; it's the definitive moment in history that changed everything. Let your song selections, scripture readings, and transitions all point to this reality.
Think about how the very first thing you do in your service can point to and celebrate the resurrection. Last year, we opened our service with this call to worship:
Good morning, church! We have gathered here today for one reason: because we believe that when Jesus died two thousand years ago on the cross, he defeated sin and death. And we know that Jesus didn’t stay in the grave; in fact, Acts 2:24 says this: God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death. We celebrate this morning that Christ is RISEN!
I want to invite you to join me in reading this celebration this morning with everything we have:
Leader: This is the good news: The tomb is empty, and death has lost its sting!
Congregation: Praise the Lord! Christ is risen!
Leader: This is the good news: In his resurrection, we too are raised to life!
Congregation: Praise the Lord! Christ is risen!
Leader: This is the good news: Not even death could hold Jesus! He is risen!
Congregation: Praise the Lord! He is risen indeed!
Remember Who Is In the Room: Familiarity Matters
Easter Sunday typically brings many occasional churchgoers and visitors into our sanctuaries. While it might be tempting to showcase your team's newest material, Easter is the perfect time to lean into familiar songs that allow everyone to participate.
Think about songs that are familiar and resonate with your congregation, and lean into those! Consider including a song or a tag of a song that would be ultra-familiar even for those who haven’t been in your congregation for a while! When people can sing along confidently, they're more likely to engage with the song rather than struggle to follow unfamiliar melodies and lyrics.
This doesn't mean your set can't be creative—but try to aim for a balance of familiar and fresh so that your people can fully engage!
What About New Songs?... Plan Ahead
If you have your heart set on introducing a powerful new song this Easter, consider working it into your worship sets 6-8 weeks beforehand. By the time Easter arrives, your regular attenders in your congregation will know it well enough to sing it confidently.
A song becomes truly congregational only after multiple exposures. When people are comfortable with the melody and lyrics, they can move beyond just learning the song to actually worshiping through it. This is especially important for Easter morning when you want the congregation engaged in celebration rather than just learning the songs.
Another option for introducing a new song is to consider doing something creative with it. You can use a song to connect to a testimony or story and interweave the song with the story. This might create a powerful moment for your church, but don’t be surprised if people don’t engage as much in singing since they won’t know the song.
Take People On a Journey
While Easter is certainly a celebration, effective worship sets take people on a journey rather than maintaining a single emotional level throughout. Consider the narrative arc of the gospel story itself. These categories have a lot of overlap, and songs may fall into multiple categories, but this can be a helpful framework as you think about planning your set.
Praise/Adoration: Begin with songs that declare the majesty and victory of the risen Christ. This sets the tone of celebration while immediately focusing on Jesus. Songs like “Praise” by Elevation Worship, “You’ve Already Won” by Shane and Shane, or “What He’s Done” by Passion could all work well as you start your service!
Confession: Even in the midst of celebration, including a moment or a song that references our sin and need can really help highlight the power of the gospel. Depending on the energy level of the first song you choose, you could contrast that with something like “Living Hope” by Phil Wickham, or if you started with something more mid-tempo at the top of your service, you could go into a song like “Glorious Day” by Passion, which has language of confession while also being celebratory and high energy.
Gospel/Pardon: This is where the Easter message truly shines—songs proclaiming Christ's victory over sin and death and the pardon we receive. It is likely that any song you include that has language of confession will also have the gospel message in it, like the song “Living Hope,” but you can also use a song like "O Praise the Name (Anastasis)” to really highlight the work of Christ on the cross and his defeat of death in the resurrection.
Response: Maybe after the sermon, you can use a song that gives clear language for a response to what God has spoken to your church through the sermon. Another song of resurrection might be appropriate, or perhaps something more responsive like “I Surrender All” or “We Fall Down” could be the right response. Other great songs could be “Who Else” by Gateway Worship or “Behold Him” by Paul Baloche. Depending on how many songs you do after the service, I think Easter is a great opportunity to end your service with a high celebratory song as well! Consider leading something that allows your church a chance to “Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry.” - Psalm 47:1
This gospel-shaped framework can help take your church on a journey of being reminded of who God is and what he has done, reminding them of who they are in need of a savior, and then giving them the chance to respond to the finished work of Christ and his resurrection!
Remember that dynamics matter too. Include moments of both celebratory praise and reverent reflection. Consider incorporating scripture readings or brief responsive elements between songs to let the truth of the resurrection sink in deeply. Leading only high-energy "bangers" misses the opportunity to help people process the significance of what we're celebrating.
If you keep these principles in mind, it will help take the pressure off trying to impress people and let the gospel engage the hearts of your people by putting the focus all on Jesus!
