There was already a promise of bright sunshine on the horizon Sunday morning as people carried blankets, young children and camp chairs on walkways and through dewy grass along the Arkansas River bank to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The annual outdoor ecumenical Easter Sunrise Service, sponsored by Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, was the community's 31st, and it was attended by nearly 1,000 people at Little Rock's First Security Amphitheater.
Ryan Johnson of Little Rock said he and his family like to go to the service when the weather permits.
"This is the way it should be [on Easter]," Johnson said. "The sun's coming up, and we're here with community."
Johnson's wife, Emily, spread a quilt on the grass for her and the couple's daughters, Audrey, 8, and Nora, 5, before helping him set up a camp chair.
Potted Easter lilies lined the stage in front of the assembled participants, as well as the Philander Smith and Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church choirs and the Arkansas Youth Chorale. The sun rose higher over their performances and those of New Creation Dance. Ozark Point Brass played the prelude.
During the service, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. led a brief prayer for peace. Eve Jorgensen, the Arkansas chapter leader for Moms Demand Action, and Ross Owyoung, director of UA Little Rock Downtown, were among those who gave readings during the service.
In his Easter sermon, the Rev. Britt Skarda, Pulaski Heights' senior pastor, drew a parallel between current events and the story of the women who first glimpsed Jesus' empty tomb and then rushed to tell the disciples of the news.
The women were not believed to be telling the truth -- which was characteristic of the way women were treated at the time, Skarda said. But questioning what one is told has become an unfortunate norm, he said.
"We live in a culture ... of lies, a culture of recklessness, a culture in which not only women but also men and children and athletes and politicians and religious figures -- everyone is under suspicion for telling idle tales, for lying through their teeth," Skarda said.
"The resurrection is not an idle tale ... if it inspired Luke and Matthew and Mark and John to write their gospels so that future generations would know this story," said Skarda, adding that because the story of the resurrection "embraces all people ... not only those who wear the cross of Christ, but those who wear the Star of David and the star and crescent as well, then there's something to it. And it's not a lie."
The community offering for this year's service benefited Central Arkansas Freedom School, an affiliate of the Children's Defense Fund. The fund supports nearly 200 students of the Freedom School, creating a safe environment where students are given structured literacy lessons to curtail the loss of reading skills during the summer months, according to Ella Sergeant, the school's executive director. The students also receive two meals and two snacks a day.
"It is difficult to feed a hungry mind when it's connected to a hungry body," Sergeant said.
John Lambert of Little Rock said he thought the service was very inspiring and that the Easter sermon Skarda preached was "pertinent to today."
"It's kind of interesting how the truth isn't always the truth or you kind of have to dig in almost anything you see or read," Lambert said.
The Johnsons, who attend St. James United Methodist Church in Little Rock, expressed their appreciation for the service's ecumenical tradition and how it sets the tone for their Easter celebration.
"It gives us a great way to begin Easter before we do anything else," Emily Johnson said of the service. "And you can just kind of come as you are."
Metro on 04/22/2019