Preaching Easter

Resist the Pressure to Be New—Just Tell the Story

This year marks the first Easter in a long time that I won’t be preaching, and I’ll admit, I’ve got some mixed feelings about it. I’m embracing the chance to worship with my family, invite some friends, and walk into the story all over again.

A few friends have reached out asking for help with their Easter messages, and honestly, it’s a real honor to lend a hand. There’s something special about the chance to walk alongside others during this season.

Preaching on Easter weekend is a whole different animal. It carries a unique weight, doesn’t it? It matters. It’s the Super Bowl of the church calendar—more guests, more energy, more effort from the whole team than any other weekend. And that’s good. Healthy weight. We want to treasure that. Someone has spent their relational capital to get a friend or family member there, praying they'll hear the gospel in a way that clicks, in a way that changes them.

We want to preach the gospel in a way they can understand, with a power that’s transformational.

But, there’s this sneaky pressure that can creep in—this sense that you have to bring something new or revolutionary, some fresh angle on Easter that no one has heard before. Let me just say this: resist that pressure. Easter isn’t about finding something novel—it’s about telling the timeless story. The story of all stories.

So, how do you approach the Easter message?

This is the week to dive deep into the story.
Don’t overthink it. Don’t try to craft a three-point, practical message. Don’t get caught up in application. Just step into the story.

Read the story of the crucifixion. Let your congregation feel it—the sweat, the blood, the pain, the betrayal, the forgiveness. Let them see Jesus. See Him getting beaten. See Him forgiving those who wronged Him. See Him carrying the cross, bleeding, breathing, dying. Then, on Sunday, invite them into the garden. Let them feel the weight of the stone being rolled away. Let them hide in the upper room, feel the fear, and then, let them touch His nail-scarred hands and pierced side. Let them enter the story.

The gospel isn’t primarily about what Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection do for us. It’s about the story itself.
1 Corinthians 15:2: "It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me: Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died."

So, be comfortable entering the story.

This is the moment to lose yourself in the story.
Read it.
Bring it to life.
Then hammer home what it means for us, and how we respond.

There are so many ways to do this that fit your style. Maybe you focus on the words of Jesus from the cross or His interactions with the people in the Passion story. Use these moments to keep people in the story and reveal its power. And then, do the same with the resurrection story on Sunday.

Whether your service includes communion, an altar call, a song, or a creative element, don’t miss the chance to call people to respond—to repentance and faith.

This is the week to be bold.

We are all sinners, in desperate need of saving. Christ has paid the price for our sins. He has defeated sin and death. There is forgiveness, there is freedom, there is life—in no other name. So, what must we do to be saved? Repent. Believe. Be baptized.

So, be bold. Pray for boldness, as Paul did. And, in light of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, call people to turn from their sin and turn to Him.

Don’t get so caught up in the Easter planning, logistics, and creative hoopla that you forget your primary role this weekend: to preach the Word.

I’ll be praying for every pastor I know this week, trusting for a powerful outpouring of God’s presence, love, and power in every church.

If you need help finishing off your message, or just want to brainstorm, reach out.

Much love,
Joel Milgate