Easter sunrise on Red Oak Mountain: ‘a magical moment’

Trinity Church carries on 40-year-old tradition 

The Trinity Episcopal Church Sunrise Easter Service on Red Oak Mountain — 6 o’clock April 20 — is all about overlapping: The highest feast in the Christian calendar overlaps with the celebrated burst of spring, which overlaps with the birth of a new day and an appreciation of one of the most treasured mountaintop sites in the county. 

Easter hymns are interwoven with morning birdsongs, and liturgical vestments join the colors of early spring. Dark turns into light, waiting turns into arriving. Winter is swept away. The Biblical story two days earlier focused on the injustice of a chaotic trial, and a cruel execution. Then, Sunday at sunrise, it’s all about that dark story not being the end of the larger story at all.  

Some are thinking: Christ is risen. Some are thinking: Spring is here. Some are simply feeling hopeful, surrounded by majestic beauty and a trusted community. “I think the message that’s amplified is that God does all of this,” said The Rev. Elizabeth Keeler, Trinity’s rector. 

Rick Johnson packs dirt around the base of the cross while Tom Johnson holds it steady. (Photo/Ireland Hayes)

Trinity Episcopal Church convenes the celebration and hopes to welcome people from other churches in the county, along with people who aren’t affiliated with any church.

“The natural setting is just spectacular,” said Bruce Jones, a church member. “The soft red glow of the rising sun in the east illuminates the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. It creates a magical moment for those in attendance.” 

Keeler seconds these observations, and she adds: “It’s a production.” A committee organizes  coffee and hot cross buns for the conclusion of the service. Another group prepares red signs to point people up the mountain in their dark predawn drive. An outdoor altar and cross are set up. 

Trinity began its sunrise services some 40 years ago. “It’s been a great tradition in our church,” said Jenks Hobson, who served as the church’s rector for 42 years. “For many years we held  the sunrise service on hilltops around Washington. They have always been community-wide events where people of all faiths can participate in a glorious moment of worship and of welcoming our creation.”  

Tom Johnson, a Trinity member whose family’s ownership of the property dates back to the 1700s, makes the mountaintop available each Easter morning. 

“This is such a special place,” he said. “Its connection to nature, the mountain views and the quiet solitude make it the perfect place to remember the resurrection of Christ. We welcome not just Episcopalians, but hope members of all denominations would be able to participate in the service. ”

Keeler leaves the Trinity rectory in the Town of Washington at 4:30 a.m. each year. When she reaches the ascent, it’s dark, cold and generally barren, she said. “Then you see this little line of headlights.”