Easter Day
The Common Worship lectionary readings for Easter Day in Year A, the liturgical colour, and what changes in the order of service.
Year AEasterwhite/gold
The readings
- First reading
- Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6
- Psalm
- Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
- Second reading
- Colossians 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43
- Gospel
- John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10
Citations follow the Revised Common Lectionary as used in the Church of England's Common Worship principal service lectionary. Verse numbering can differ very slightly between Bible translations.
The liturgical colour
Gold, or white where a parish has no gold set, for the principal feasts of the year. On this Sunday the colour is white/gold.
What changes in the service
The Gloria returns and the Alleluia is sung freely, including in the dismissal.
In SundayHQ this is the eastertide template shape. You set your order of service once; when the season turns, one click applies the seasonal change and leaves the rest of your parish's own wording alone.
Hymns that fit these readings
Suggestions matched to the readings above, each with the reason it was chosen:
- Opening — The day of resurrection Ellacombe; keeps Eastertide going past week one
- Gradual — Jesus Christ is risen today The empty tomb; the hymn the day exists for
- Offertory — At the Lamb's high feast we sing The paschal feast, at the offertory
- Communion — Alleluia, sing to Jesus Hyfrydol; Easter communion
- Final — Thine be the glory The one they came for
When it next falls
| Date | Liturgical year |
|---|---|
| 1 April 2029 | Year A |
| 28 March 2032 | Year A |
| 25 March 2035 | Year A |
| 25 April 2038 | Year A |
Year A comes round every three years. The date moves because the whole calendar hangs off Easter.
The same Sunday in the other years
Questions
What are the readings for Easter Day in Year A?
First reading Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; second reading Colossians 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43; Gospel John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10.
What colour is worn on Easter Day?
White/gold. Gold, or white where a parish has no gold set, for the principal feasts of the year.
Which season is Easter Day in?
Easter. Fifty days from Easter Day to Pentecost. White and gold, the Alleluia everywhere, the Gloria back.