Video: Pastors Prepare For Easter

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TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – For months now, Pastor Will Rogers has led his congregation at Christ the King Lutheran Church through lessons and readings in preparation for Good Friday and Easter.

“We start with Lent. The Lenten season gives us an opportunity to walk the journey that Jesus walked,” said Dr. Rogers.

Doctor Rogers has been pastor at Christ the King for four years. His church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, or ELCA. All ELCA churches are literally on the same page through the Revised Common Lectionary. The red worship book provides Sunday readings used in all ELCA churches.

For Pastor Rogers, Good Friday and Easter represent a new beginning.

“It’s no accident it coincides with Spring, when all things are made new again, but through death, life is created so we celebrate life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” he said.

Over at West Jackson Street Baptist Church, a huge banner invites everyone to Easter services. Pastor Keith Cochran has been at the Southern Baptist Church for only two months, and nearly every Sunday has been leading up to Easter.

“For us, the month of march, we’ve been looking at the things Jesus said from the cross and so we walked through His 7 statements He said on the cross,” said Pastor Cochran.

Pastor Cochran knows that as he preaches this sunday about the resurrection of Christ, there will be some in the audience who only see the inside of a church once or twice a year.

“Easter especially you will have people who may be would claim they’re Christians and would come to church because it’s Easter, you will have have people who are curious and definitely, probably more than most sundays we make sure we preach, not only preach the Word of God, we’re going to preach Jesus. We do that every Sunday,” he said.

Bottom line, both pastors we spoke with emphasize the importance of Easter in the Christian faith. They may be from different denominational backgrounds, but they agree that the empty tomb sets Christ apart from any other religious leader and brings true hope to those who call themselves Christians.