How to Prepare for Easter

Easter is one of the most significant moments each year in the life of our church. It’s more than a holiday on a calendar.  It's a moment in history when everything changed.  And it’s not just a celebration.  It’s an opportunity. Every year, people who don’t normally attend church walk through our doors open to something more.  It’s the friend in our life who is struggling in a broken marriage.  The family member who just received that dire diagnosis.  Or the co-worker who is stuck in a purposeless existence.  These are the people that God desires to draw to himself…and there’s no more strategic time than Easter to lean into what God desires to do.

So the question is: how do we prepare for that well?  Not just logistically but spiritually.

Here are five simple, practical ways to prepare your heart (and help others encounter Jesus) this Easter.

1. Pray Boldly

   If we want to see God move, we start by asking him.  Over these next couple days, commit to praying daily using the 21-day prayer guide. Don’t rush it. Slow down, read the Scripture, and actually talk to God.

   Pray specifically:

   • For friends and family who don’t know Jesus

   • For people to show up on Easter Sunday to encounter Jesus.

   • For baptisms and the lives that God has changed.

   We’re not just going through a guide.  We’re asking God to do what only He can do.

2. Fast Dependently

   Fasting is one of the clearest ways we say, “God, we need You.”  When we fast, we’re not trying to impress God.  We’re reminding ourselves that we depend on him more than comfort, routine, or even food.  As a church, we’ll be fasting during this final week leading up to Easter. Whether that’s a full day, one meal a day, or something else, choose something intentional.  Let hunger become a trigger for prayer:  “God, do more than we could ask or imagine this Easter.”

3. Ask Expectantly

   One of the simplest and most powerful things you can do is invite someone.

   Don’t overthink it. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. And don’t decide for someone else whether they’d be interested.  Just ask.  You never know what God is already doing in someone’s life. A simple invitation might be the exact moment they’ve been waiting for.

   We pursue the one by taking a step.

4. Show Up Ready

   Come expecting God to move, not just for others, but in you.  It’s easy to treat Easter like an event we attend. But what if we came ready to engage? Ready to worship. Ready to listen. Ready to respond.  Take a few minutes before you arrive to pray:  “God, speak to me today. Help me see you clearly.”

   When we come expectant, we often see more clearly what God is doing.

5. Serve Joyfully

   Easter creates space for people to encounter Jesus, but that space doesn’t happen automatically.  It happens when people choose to serve.  From the moment someone pulls into the parking lot to the moment they leave, every interaction matters. A smile, a conversation, a seat made available.  These are small things God uses in big ways.

   When you serve, you’re not just filling a role, you’re helping create space for someone’s forever to change.  It’s not too late - sign up to serve here.

This Easter, let’s not just attend.

Let’s pray.
Let’s depend.
Let’s invite.
Let’s expect.
Let’s serve.

And trust that God will do what only He can do.

Here’s how you can start TODAY: Open the prayer guide. Write down 2 names. Send 1 invite.

I can’t wait to see all that God does in and through Port City this Easter.  Let’s prepare well.

Pastor Jeremy