In the amber glow of sunrise, families pulling red wagons with children bundled in blankets made their way Sunday down the winding sidewalks at Riverfront Park in Little Rock for the 28th annual Community Easter Sunrise Service.
More than 800 people -- some clad in Easter finery and others in heavy winter coats over bluejeans -- clutched coffee cups with gloved hands in the 53-degree morning as they unfolded lawn chairs, spread out blankets on the grass, perched on cold concrete steps, or filed into the limited number of orange plastic chairs.
The hour long service, sponsored by Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, featured abundant Easter pageantry, including an interpretive "Holy Wedding Day" dance by the City Harmonic and New Creation Dance and a drum-pounding Danza San Jodas Tado pageant with dancers in full feathered headdresses.
Worshippers stood and raised their arms for performances by the combined choirs of Pulaski Heights UMC, St. Edward Catholic Church and First Baptist Church of North Little Rock; soloist Veena Akama-Makia; and Ozark Point Brass and gospel quartet Justified.
Easter, though, is not a major production at all, said the Rev. Britt Skarda, senior pastor at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church.
"The symbol of Easter is the empty tomb," Skarda told the crowd. "You can't depict or domesticate emptiness. You can't make it into pageants, string it with lights. It doesn't move us to give presents to each other or sing old songs. As far as Easter is concerned, expectations run pretty low and they have now for 2,000 years."
Referring to the biblical Easter story, Skarda said it was obvious no one expected the resurrection of Jesus Christ to happen.
"We have low expectations. Our schools struggle because our expectations are low. Civil discourse in the political process has gone out the window because we've come to expect nothing more than trash talk," Skarda said. "Homelessness is up because we fail to support organizations like Immerse [Arkansas] that work to eliminate problems that lead to homelessness in the first place. Our churches are lifeless because we've forgotten that it's Jesus who saves and not some slogan or slick advertising."
Low expectations are comfortable, Skarda said.
"When the rules change, it throws us. It frightens us," he said.
Skarda challenged the crowd to raise their expectations high.
"It's time to start living the resurrection of Jesus Christ with our lives," he said. "It's time to pray and prepare, and get off our backsides and make a difference for God in our community, our world."
Kathy Murphy of Little Rock, a member of St. Edward Catholic Church said, the service and the message were inspirational and put her in the spirit of spring.
"It's like a new beginning," she said. "Everything starts over. Flowers are blooming, the grass is green and birds are chirping. It's all part of the Resurrection."
After the benediction, Leigh Walters and her husband Rich Walters of Little Rock gathered the cold-morning supplies they had brought with them. The pair took turns instructing their children, Maddie, 15, and Connor, 11, on how to fold blankets and put away chairs.
Leigh Walters, who is 35, has attended the Easter sunrise services since she was 5 years old. It's a tradition she hopes will continue for generations to come.
"It's a time of renewal. Different religions from the community come together for the same reason. It's refreshing to see that," she said. "I want my children to receive the spiritual growth from the experience. I want them to understand that Easter is more than just a holiday where you receive little gifts and celebrate with family in the afternoon."
Donations collected at the sunrise service went to Immerse Arkansas, a faith-based organization that supports youth who have aged out of the state foster-care system.
"Thank you for bringing attention to this vulnerable group of young people," said Eric Gilmore, director of Immerse Arkansas. "Our world longs for resurrection. Countries war. Communities fight. Systems fail. Individuals stumble. Death is all around us. But if you look closely, you can see Jesus at work. You can see evidence of the Resurrection."
Metro on 03/28/2016