It’s time to celebrate Jesus Braeside Church Choir is among groups that will worship with congregants this Easter
Braeside Church Choir is among groups that will worship with congregants this Easter

Braeside Church Choir is among groups that will worship with congregants this Easter

Lovemore Chikova Christian Entertainment
“Come let’s celebrate Jesus, oh! He is risen again!” For the greater part of this week, I could not stop singing this line from South African gospel music singer Itani Madima’s song “Celebrate Jesus”.

Itani goes on in the song: “Death couldn’t hold him down, on the third day he rose again”.

Indeed, it’s that time of the year again when Easter is upon us.

In its essence, Easter is about celebrating the death and resurrection of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.

Most importantly Easter is about celebrating life that came in abundance because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

When he rose on the third day, he released life to every dead situation and it is that life that was also contained in his resurrection power.

And it is that life, when it is declared today that many on the brink of death are suddenly brought back to life and even the hopeless find something to look forward to because of the freshness that life brings.

Well, I know as readers of this column you are already wondering why I am sounding so serious and in a preaching mood.

I am not a preacher man, but this is just a way of welcoming you to this week’s column which comes at an apt time when everyone is in a celebratory mood.

It is time to forget about everything else and just get into singing and dancing as we celebrate this remarkable achievement by Jesus whose resurrection brought life to all of us.

Let us embrace this life through joy and happiness this Easter.

I know many church choirs and other church entertainment groups have been preparing very hard for these Easter celebrations, which should be marked with befitting performances.

Many churches have lined up various entertainment programmes and for any church’s musical department, Easter is a great time of the year.

I have checked with many local churches and discovered that they are starting their Easter conferences and gatherings today.

Many of such gatherings will last up to Monday, which means five consecutive days of praising and worshipping God.

Emphasis, of course, will be on the preaching of the cross, especially the expounding of the benefits brought by that act when Jesus went to the cross.

Yes, many will also be eager to take advantage of Easter to discover how they can benefit from what came out of the cross. But the fact remains that apart from preaching and other rituals associated with Easter, people still need to be entertained to give full life to the celebrations.

This is where many church choirs and singers come short because they will not be adequately prepared for the occasion.

Many churches are holding conference where thousands will attend.

Five consecutive days of standing in front of such numbers to sing needs one to be up to the occasion.

Some choirs and singers tend to become monotonous to the extent of becoming too predictable and thus boring. This is why I said Easter is the most challenging period for any church choir as the demand is too high and the period of performing is long.

Of course, no one would want to sit there in church and appear as if they are looking at lifeless zombies when they look at the choir.

The singers must drive the congregants into the celebratory mood as they mark Easter because it is the appropriate time to be merry.

But all this should be done without departing from the real cause of such celebrations – the risen Christ.

A lively choir imparts life into the majority of the church members and contributes much in changing the atmosphere.

What is needed is a lot of creativity which will ensure that people do not get stuck in doing the same thing every year. And this calls for those entrusted with leading the celebrations through music to think outside the box in terms of song selection and other forms of entertainment they will offer.

During this Easter, musical directors must prepare their choirs in a special way so that they deliver memorable presentations.

Congregants will definitely not accept riff-ruff and disjointed presentations that clearly show lack of preparations.

For many, music is one of the best vehicles to express joy and happiness and it adequately captures the celebratory mood of Easter.

This explains why at some chapels and churches across the country, a certain type of music is reserved for this period. So, various entertainment activities are carried out in different churches for Easter celebrations.

But in doing all this, one must ensure that the programmes are perfectly done and reflect on the joy that comes with celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus. Some churches dramatise both the resurrection and death of Jesus as a way of reminding the people of the importance of the event.

There is no doubt that drama is another perfect way of celebrating Easter, but the act must be perfectly done and reflect on what really transpired.

There is a tendency of some people exaggerating what really transpired when they act in a drama.

Whatever entertainment for Easter your church is lining up, the fact remains that a lot of prayer, work and preparation is needed.

Leaving things to chance might end up killing the celebratory mood among the congregants and rendering Easter an ordinary day and period of the year.

Entertainment directors must ensure that they prepare their acts in a special way to celebrate this important period in Christian church history.

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