Jesus Is Risen: Celebrating Easter

Jesus Christ lives. We invite you to celebrate the Savior’s life, His sacrifice, and His Resurrection with us on Easter Sunday and throughout the year. This page contains information highlighting what we believe about Easter and how to celebrate this sacred season with us.

What We Believe about Easter

Easter is a joyous celebration of what’s possible because of Jesus Christ. Because of Him, we can have a fresh start as we repent and are forgiven for our sins. We can live with God and our loved ones forever. We can look forward to the future with hope.

Jesus Christ Is the Son of God

We believe Jesus Christ is the literal Son of God, sent to earth to redeem us from sin and death. He willingly took on the role of our Savior to help fulfill God’s plan of happiness for His children.

He Understands You Perfectly

Jesus suffered for all of our sins as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and was hung on the cross to die. He gained a perfect, divine understanding of everything you have ever experienced.

He Died for You on the Cross at Calvary

The Savior’s ultimate sacrifice for all of us, which we call the Atonement, makes it possible for us to repent and be forgiven for our sins, making us worthy to live with God again someday.

He Was Resurrected So You Can Live Again

Jesus Christ’s victory over death through His Resurrection makes it possible for all of us to live again. If we live Christ’s gospel, we can look forward to living with God and our families for eternity.

Jesus Visited His “Other Sheep”

After His Resurrection, Jesus visited His people in the Americas. The Book of Mormon recounts how He ministered to the people there and established His Church as He did in the Middle East (see 3 Nephi 11).

Jesus Christ Lives Today

After Christ returned to live with our Heavenly Father, parts of His Church were lost over time. In 1820, Jesus Christ’s true Church was restored. He leads it through a living prophet and apostles today.

Study the Easter Story

Follow along with this Holy Week guide to the final days of Jesus’s ministry, His death, and His Resurrection.

Holy Week Study Guide

Common Questions about Easter

How do Latter-day Saints celebrate Easter?

Year-round, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints try to keep the Sabbath day holy by worshipping at church and focusing the day on activities that help us draw closer to Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday brings a special focus on Christ’s Resurrection. That might look like families reading passages about the Resurrection from the Bible together or congregations including Easter musical numbers in their worship services. 

Many Latter-day Saints celebrate events leading up to Easter, like Palm Sunday and Good Friday, by studying the events of Holy Week, listening to songs about Jesus Christ, and enjoying a special meal with family and friends. Some members also choose to celebrate the holiday season with traditions from their country such as decorating Easter eggs, having an Easter egg hunt, giving gifts of chocolate or other presents, buying Easter lilies, or serving others.

Why does the date for Easter change every year?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrates Easter on the same day as most other Christian denominations around the world—a schedule that depends on the moon. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the ecclesiastical spring equinox.

Early Christian churches attempted to match their celebration of Easter with the New Testament account of the Resurrection, which states that Jesus’s Last Supper with His disciples before He was crucified was part of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Passover is celebrated according to the Hebrew lunar calendar. Over time, adjustments were made to create a more standardized calculation of the date (such as having it always fall on a Sunday), and the result is that today’s Easter date is still influenced by lunar cycles but no longer matches the dates for Passover.

What are Sunday church services like?

If you have never worshipped with us before but you would like to come to church on Easter Sunday, here’s a little about what to expect. You can also learn more here.

Our main worship service is called sacrament meeting. It includes an opening and closing prayer, hymns sung by the congregation, and sermons (or “talks”) given by members of the congregation.
We also take the sacrament, where we have the opportunity to take a small piece of bread and cup of water to remember Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us, as He taught His disciples during the Last Supper.
You can participate as much as you’d like—sing along with the hymns or just listen, and you can take the sacrament or just pass the tray along.
Most women in the congregation will likely be wearing a skirt or dress, and most men will likely be wearing a white dress shirt and tie. But please wear what you feel most comfortable in.
We don’t ask for donations or pass around a collection plate during services.

Does the Church hold special worship services on Easter?

Our worship services throughout the year are centered on Jesus Christ, including the time we spend each Sunday remembering Him during the sacrament.

On Easter Sunday, sermons are focused specifically on Jesus’s sacrifice for us and His Resurrection. Local leaders often choose to have the congregation sing Easter-specific hymns such as “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” or ask someone to perform a special musical number about the Savior.

Additional meetings outside of the main worship service, such as Sunday School classes or choir practice, are canceled so that people can spend more time with family.

What scriptures tell the Easter story?

What does the Book of Mormon teach about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is a book of holy scripture that, along with the Bible, testifies of Jesus Christ’s role as our Savior and teaches us how to follow Him.

The pinnacle event of the Book of Mormon is Jesus’s visit to His “other sheep” in the ancient Americas after His Resurrection. There, the people felt the prints of the nails in His hands and feet and the wound in His side and worshipped Him as the prophesied Savior. Just as He did during His ministry in the Middle East, Jesus healed, blessed, and taught the multitudes and organized His Church.

You can read the full account in the Book of Mormon of Jesus Christ’s visit to the Americas here: 3 Nephi 11–28.

Celebrate Easter with Us

We would love to worship the Savior with you on Easter Sunday. We’ll pray together, sing hymns together, remember Jesus Christ as we take the sacrament (similar to Communion), and listen to sermons. 

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