Easter Around the World: Stories from One Collective Leaders

March 27th, 2025 |

One of the greatest pictures of an Easter (resurrection) celebration has to be from Revelation 7:9-10 —

9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

While we look forward to that day, we are already seeing glimpses of it now. Across the world, people from different cultures, languages, and backgrounds are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus in ways that are deeply personal and often costly.

What follows are stories from leaders and teams with One Collective, sharing what Easter looks like in the communities where they live and serve. Some are public and full of celebration. Others are quiet and hidden. All of them point to the same truth: the grave is still empty!

South East Asia

“Friends of ours in SE Asia gather in simple structures, many times with a dirt floor. Our friends also love drama, music, and acting out scripture. Every year they reenact the crucifixion and resurrection. Uniquely, because they have dirt floors, they literally dig a grave in the floor of their meeting space. On Sunday when they come to celebrate the resurrection there is a literal empty grave in the floor of their gathering space. The grave is empty and Jesus has overcome death!

In other areas of SE Asia, we thank God that there are new believers. They, however, belong to peoples that severely persecute Jesus followers, and so they are gathering with only a handful of other Jesus followers, sometimes in cars, or homes, and secretly celebrating the resurrection, and some for the first time in their lives taking communion with another believer to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection.”

Zambia

“In Zambia, we have off on Good Friday and Easter Monday. Easter Sunday is for church. The thought of Easter baskets, coloring eggs, eating chocolate, or a big dinner is not celebrated. Easter Sunday is serious business, a day for celebrating our risen Lord and Savior. After that, most use Easter Monday to catch up on sleep or chores.

One Easter Monday, we invited our youth over to our house to watch The Passion of the Christ. A few had maybe seen parts of it on TV or somewhere but many had never heard of it.

I was glad that Hazel had showed up to view it. I had been discipling her for about 5 months and it was clear through some deep questions and conversation she was not saved, nor knew how to be. If you had just observed her in youth group, you would have assumed she was. This is an issue in Zambia. Many go to church and claim to know God but do not know the gospel, or have any understanding of the Bible. I had asked Hazel one day prior to this to tell me how she knew she would be with Jesus for eternity when she died. She had no idea. This opened up the conversation about the gospel and what God’s Word said about this good news.

Back to movie day. Many of you have experienced how moving The Passion is. Our youth were no exception. Tough young men who sat on our couch had to leave and go outside to cry, others sat stunned, and dear Hazel soaked the side of my couch with her tears. I knew something was happening. The next day we met. I asked her about the movie and what she was thinking and feeling. Our previous conversations were making sense and the verses we had looked up had come to life. She was overwhelmed by Jesus’ act of sacrifice for her and she ended up giving her life to Him and accepting the costly gift of Jesus’ blood on the cross to cover her sins and restore her relationship with God. The smile that spread across her face was the beautiful evidence after we prayed.

This day-off on the calendar of Zambia became a turning point in one young woman’s life from a small community in a village town in Africa. Easter Monday has a whole new meaning for Hazel now. A beautiful reminder that the message of Christ’s journey to the cross ends in victory, power, and life.”

Nepal

“In Nepal only about 1.76% of the population identifies as Christian. Easter is marked by fasting, prayer, and deep reflection. On Easter Sunday morning, everyone wants to be the first one to the celebration service because there is joyful worship, thanksgiving, a resurrection message, and a shared breakfast. In some churches special prizes are awarded to those who arrive earliest for the Easter morning service! After celebrating in local congregations, thousands join together for city-wide rallies and mass prayers. Christians from various churches come together for conventions, exhibitions, and the larger Resurrection Festival. Church leaders share the message of Christ’s death and resurrection, inviting non-believers to place their faith in Him. The celebrations end with more fellowship meals that unite families and church members in gratitude and joy, highlighting the faith and public devotion of Nepali Christians.”

South Asia

“Easter is more than a festival for Christians—it is the celebration of new life. Many in the community may not fully understand its meaning, yet believers who have experienced spiritual renewal celebrate it with deep joy. Early on Easter morning, church youth walk through the community singing Easter carols, proclaiming the powerful message, “Jesus is risen from the dead.” Their songs echo through the streets, sharing hope and reminding people of the victory of life over death. Those who once felt spiritually lost now rejoice in the risen Christ. Afterwards, the congregation gathers in church for a joyful Sunday service, worshiping and celebrating the living Savior together.”

Greece

“After a week of Holy Week services accompanied by rituals in remembrance of Christ’s passion, Easter in Greece concludes in a joyous celebration with fireworks. The Saturday night service ends with the priest lighting a great torch, representing the resurrection of Jesus. All the congregants then light their own candles from the torch’s fire, representing the resurrected life Christ gives us, and our mission to be the bearers of Christ’s flame. Although Greeks are increasingly Orthodox Christian only nominally, their cultural participation in remembering the resurrection confronts them once more with the glory and mystery of what God has done.”

These stories are different in setting, language, and expression. Some happen in open streets with fireworks. Others happen quietly in homes, cars, or small gatherings. But they are all part of the same story. The same resurrection, hope, and Jesus.

At One Collective, we have the privilege of walking alongside leaders in communities all around the world. Each one is working toward the same vision we see in Revelation, where people from every nation, tribe, and language stand together to worship the Lamb.

Until that day comes in full, we keep showing up and striving. We keep celebrating the empty grave in every place, in every language, in every life changed. This is what Easter looks like around the world.