Growing up, my mom and I attended church two days a year: Easter and Christmas. She wanted to be there more regularly but being a divorced woman in the 70s wasn’t easy. Church members did not always welcome her, but the hymns sung on Easter morning embraced her with the same comfort as a familiar friend. Lyrics like “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow” and “I will cling to the old rugged cross” filled her with hope when life felt hopeless, a reality only made possible because of Jesus and His sacrifice.
Hymns (also known as lyric poems) and Easter poems for church and individual use have played an integral role in worship throughout history. Many churches continue to rehearse the power of the gospel in these same ways today. Poetry, set to music or not, has a unique ability to captivate the heart, mind, and soul simultaneously.
“When poetry has done its important work of revealing and describing the hidden hell we carry and perpetuate, it also has this power and privilege to cleanse and renew our vision and set us on the right road again.” Malcome Guite, The Word in the Wilderness
These ten poems invite us to pause and consider the wondrous truth of redemption and restoration found in the celebration of Easter. Each entry includes a suggestion on how to use the poem in a church setting.
Easter’s message is an invitation for all, and thanks be to Jesus Christ.
1. “Easter 2020” by Malcolm Guite
Malcolm Guite described this poem as arising from a personal quest to reconcile a peculiar year that changed everything, including the ability to worship Jesus on Easter in local church services. He puts the question this way: “…this Easter, he [Jesus] calls me to discern him in new ways and in different places. He is risen indeed, and if I cannot go to church then where am I to find him?”
You can read his poem here.
Suggested use as an Easter poem for the church: “Easter 2020” could be used as a “Spoken Word Time” of poetry, connecting the sermon and worship songs. The person speaking it would ideally memorize it and arrange it with a pleasing rhythm, appropriate pauses, and expression.
2. An Excerpt from Morning and Evening by C.H. Spurgeon
C.H. Spurgeon’s devotional book Morning and Evening includes various pieces that have a repetition that lends themselves to the sound and feel of a poem. This piece may sound like a Christmas poem, but it works equally well for Easter.
God with us in our nature,
In our sorrow,
In our lifework,
In our punishment,
In our grace,
And now with us,
Or rather with Him,
In resurrection,
Ascension,
Triumph,
And Second Advent splendor.
Suggested use as an Easter poem for the church: A liturgy reading led by a leader or read together as a congregation.
3. “The Resurrection” by M.S. Lowndes
The appeal of this poem is its use of simple words when describing the weighty events that followed the resurrection. The poet focuses on what occurred (here on earth and in the spiritual realm) due to the resurrection and our risen Savior.
You can read her poem here.
Suggested use as an Easter Poem for the church: “The Resurrection” can serve the visual listeners of your church by providing sign language as a leader reads it.
4. “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
George Herbert’s emblem-patterned poem “Easter Wings” is a meditation reflecting on the physical and spiritual resurrection mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15. When first published, it was printed sideways on opposite sides of the page to highlight the set of wings.
Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more
Till he became
Most poor:
With thee
O let me rise
As lark, harmoniously,
And sing this day the victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.
My tender age in sorrow did begin:
And still with sicknesses and shame
Thou didst so punish sin,
That I became
Most thin.
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel this day thy victory:
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.
Suggested use as an Easter poem for the church: The unmistakable tie-in between verse and imagery makes “Easter Wings” the perfect candidate for being offered in a print format, perhaps on a slip of paper that’s included in the Palm Sunday bulletins or handouts. The congregation would be encouraged to meditate on it throughout the Holy Week.
5. “Supernatural Love” by Gjertrud Schnackenberg
This modern-day Easter poem reflects on a tender memory experienced by the poet as a child with her earthly father. It is written from her perspective, using sewing as its central metaphor. Encyclopedia.com suggests that as the little girl stitches “Beloved” in her needlework sampler, a deeper meaning is woven into the poem. Other mentions, such as threads of blood, the word becoming flesh, and a father’s hand, support the idea that she was referring to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“Supernatural Love” was first published in 1985 in Schnackenberg’s second collection of poetry, The Lamplit Answer.
Suggested use as an Easter poem for the church: Considering the length of this poem, it could be used in a small group setting or for a women’s study, posing the question, Where do you see Jesus and His acts of love portrayed in this poem in both subtle and obvious ways? How do you see them in your daily life, even in the most mundane details?
6. “Good Friday Evening” by Christina Rossetti
Christina Rossetti, Victorian-era poet, and lyricist of the Christmas carol In the Bleak Midwinter, wrote a series of poems for Good Friday in her work, Verses.
No Cherub’s heart or hand for us might ache,
No Seraph’s heart of fire had half sufficed:
Thine own were pierced and broken for our sake,
O Jesus Christ.
Therefore, we love Thee with our faint good-will,
We crave to love Thee not as heretofore,
To love Thee much, to love Thee more, and still
More and yet more.
Suggested use as an Easter poem for the church: As the title suggests, this poem is to be read on Good Friday, perhaps during church services. If your church doesn’t hold local services on Good Friday, it could be included in the weekly newsletter or posted on your church site to be read together as a family on Friday evening.
7. “An Easter Flower Gift” by John Greenleaf Whittier
Written in 1882, this poem is featured in the second volume of Whittier’s The Poetical Works in Four Volumes, published in 1892.
O dearest bloom the seasons know,
Flowers of the Resurrection blow,
Our hope and faith restore;
And through the bitterness of death
And loss and sorrow, breathe a breath
Of life forevermore!
The thought of Love Immortal blends
With fond remembrances of friends;
In you, O sacred flowers,
By human love made doubly sweet,
The heavenly and the earthly meet,
The heart of Christ and ours!
Suggested use as an Easter poem for the church: With its vivid imagery painting a picture of the gospel, this poem could be used in at least two ways: One idea is to type the poem on a half-sheet of letter-sized paper, being sure to include floral images. Include it inside your church bulletins, encouraging the congregation to hang it on their refrigerator for the week following Easter as a reminder that its heavenly fragrance lingers long after one day on a calendar. If the church budget allows, provide a single stem flower for each family. With the same theme in mind as above, ask the congregation to pick up a stem and a copy of the poem to take home after the Easter service.
8. “The Day of Resurrection” by St. John of Damascus
This ancient hymn was written by St. John of Damascus, a Greek poet and theologian, and translated by J.M. Neale.
The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad the Passover of gladness,
the Passover of God.
From death to life eternal,
from earth unto the sky,
our Christ hath brought us over,
with hymns of victory.
Our hearts be pure from evil,
that we may see aright
the Lord in rays eternal
of resurrection light;
and listening to his accents,
may hear, so calm and plain,
his own “All hail!” and, hearing,
may raise the victor strain.
Now let the heavens be joyful!
Let earth the song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph,
and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen
their notes in gladness blend,
for Christ the Lord hath risen,
our joy that hath no end.
Suggested use as an Easter poem for the church: Traditionally, Christians sang this hymn while lighting candles at midnight, the very start of Easter. You don’t have to do that, but you can echo the tradition by reading the hymn as a congregation while lighting candles on Easter morning. If lighting candles isn’t a part of your church’s celebration, consider keeping the lights dimmed until the reading of this poem, perhaps at the beginning of your service. As the poem is read, raise the lights!
9. “Pieta” by Madeleine L’Engle
This moving poem, written from the perspective of Mary, Jesus’ mother, is included in her collection of poems, The Ordering of Love.
Suggested use as an Easter poem for the church: Have a woman, preferably with experience reading poetry, share this during a Good Friday service, perhaps as the final reading.
10. The final paragraph in Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
At first glance, this selection may surprise you. However, Lewis began his writing career as a poet (collected in books like Dymer), and his prose writing often has a poetic feel. One indicator of prose poetry is that it’s often written in paragraph form. Another is the way it sounds when read aloud. As you read this selection from Mere Christianity aloud, note the repeated words “nothing” and “look.” Observe how they step forward to offer a contrast between man and God so persuasive that it sums up the Easter story in sixteen words.
Keep nothing back.
Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.
Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead.
Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay.
But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him, everything else thrown in.
Suggested use as an Easter poem for the church: Let this be the final paragraph in the Easter service or sermon.
If you enjoyed this article about poems for Easter, you may enjoy the following:
Top 10 Easter Poems for Passion Week
Classic Easter Poems to Inspire Reflection and Praise
11 Beautiful Easter Sunday Prayers and Blessings
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Javier_Art_Photography
