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How does an Easter sunrise service connect with the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection?

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Raphael: Resurrection of Christ — Easter *Resurrection of Christ*, oil on wood panel by Raphael, 1499–1502; in the Museu de Arte de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 52 × 44 cm.

The Easter sunrise service is a distinctive Protestant observance that draws its inspiration directly from the Gospel narratives concerning the Resurrection of Jesus.1

These biblical accounts describe women, including Mary Magdalene, visiting the tomb very early in the morning. Specifically, the Gospel of John notes that Mary Magdalene arrived "while it was still dark" (John 20:1), while the Gospels of Matthew and Luke describe the women arriving as dawn was breaking (Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:1).1

By holding the service at sunrise, the practice symbolically mirrors the biblical timeline of the women's arrival at the tomb. It is characterized as a service of jubilation, designed to take place as the sun rises to physically and metaphorically dispel the darkness, reflecting the Christian belief in the light of the Resurrection emerging from the darkness of the tomb.12