Easter Service - Audio
from Hicksville Mennonite Hosted by Jay Mast
On Easter morning, the congregation gathered to celebrate the empty grave and to ask a personal question: what is different in my life because Christ rose? Rather than a traditional sermon, the pastor read a children’s retelling of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, pausing at key points on Christian’s journey so members could come forward and share their own stories from that stage of the road. The reading moves from the City of Destruction, through the Bog of Despond, the narrow gate, the Interpreter’s House, and the cross where Christian’s burden falls away, to the Palace Beautiful, the battle with Apollyon, Doubting Castle, and finally the River of Death and the Celestial City. Woven through the story were testimonies that mirrored each stage. Brandon Eicher spoke of rescue from addiction and despair and of finding his identity in Christ, where grace increased all the more. The pastor shared his own childhood conviction of sin and decision to count the cost and follow Jesus. Danielle Yoder described how the church community, like a lighthouse, carried her through depression and pointed her to the feet of Jesus. Marilyn told how Psalm 32 broke through the enemy’s accusations about her past. The service closes with the hope of the resurrection, citing 1 Corinthians 15 and the Gaithers’ song “Because He Lives,” a reminder that because Jesus lives, believers can face death without fear.
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