It is appropriate that a sunrise service is conducted on the shoreline of a lake. Water was integral to so many of the events which were documented about the life of Jesus. 

One of the local churches conducting an Easter sunrise service, the Lake Fork Baptist Church, took advantage of their near-lakeside location to hold a sunrise service on the western shoreline of the west fork, just south of the Highway 17 bridge.   

It was an inspiring setting for celebration of the greatest day of Christianity.

For the congregation it provided an environment of drama and dignity. 

The rising sun seemed to invite contemplative thought about the meaning of Easter.  

That contemplation was aided by music courtesy of Steven and Rebekah Palmer and Hattie Watson. The music was excellent, and on this morning, it served as accompaniment to the rising sun.

After the trio led the congregation in Hosanna (Praise is Rising), Glorious Day, Christ Arose and Nothing but the Blood, they yielded the podium to Assistant Pastor Tracey Bartley.

“The resurrection is the center of our Christian faith,” proclaimed celebrant Bartley. His message, delivered in equal measures of Biblical verse and modern day anecdote, was at its core a message of thanks and awe and hope. 

He relayed how, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples of Christ had to work feverishly to instruct the early church about the meaning of the resurrection.

The pastor then easily compared that with the doubts believers have today.

He explained how it was only because of the resurrection that they can fully share in God’s kingdom. 

Bartley preached how the Holy Week steps them through events from the struggle (the crucifixion) to the solution (the resurrection) – with a day of waiting in between. He cited James (5:7), “Be patient, my brothers.”

He finished his sermon by posing the question, “Is hope wrapped in cloth and sealed behind a rock?” Bartley then joyously reiterated from the Book of John, “He is alive!”

The West Texas native, with family ties to Sulphur Springs, was clearly energized by the hope that Easter brings and the opportunity he had to share that message. 

Following Pastor Bartley’s remarks, the crowd headed back to their cars  for the short drive to the church. A pancake breakfast awaited.

Among those in attendance Easter morning were the landowners of the immaculately-maintained grounds where the service was held. Jerry Lucas, a Navy Vietnam veteran and retired IBM engineer, had been one of the founding fathers of Lake Fork Baptist. 

When approached by founding pastor David Smith about holding a sunrise service on his property, Lucas never hesitated. “We’ve had as many as 300 people here on occasion,” he said.

Lucas strolled down from his porch to join his wife, Betty, for the service.

Also in attendance this year were Ross and Donna Milliken, who reside in Rains County. Donna best summarized the sunrise service. When asked what it meant to her, she paused, smiled and simply stated, “It’s just special.”