COEUR d’ALENE — The wooden cross on the stage at Heart of the City Church stands 11 feet, 3 inches tall. It’s 6 feet wide and weighs 180 pounds.

Shawn Frear made it from 100-year-old barn wood for Easter services at the church at 772 W. Kathleen Ave.

“I’m honored to be asked to make that,” he said.

With a crown of thorns made of barbed wire and railroad ties at each end, the cross will greet guests who arrive this morning for services at 9:09 and 11:11.

Frear is proud of the cross.

“It makes you think,” he said. “I’d hate to be the one to make the cross for Jesus to die on.”

Christ died some 2,000 years ago, and was raised to life three days later. It is his resurrection that Christians around the world will celebrate today.

Churches will be ready for large crowds with special music, videos, decorations, smiling greeters and messages about accepting Jesus as savior and being with him, and all believers, for eternity in heaven.

Seth Owens, a Heart of the City pastor, said the sermon will focus on “Homecoming,” as it will be a chance to share the good news of Christ and welcome people who have been away, or are coming to church for the first time.

The resurrection, Owens said, “is the defining factor of why we have hope.”

"It's incredibly important," he said.

What Christians are celebrating

The Bible says a man named Jesus lived 2,000 years ago. He had many followers. The New Testament says he claimed to be God, performed miracles and said he would be put to death and rise again in three days.

It says he was beaten, whipped, crucified and died. His body was placed in a tomb, blocked by a boulder and guarded by Roman soldiers.

Three days later, the tomb was empty. Each of the four Gospels says that Jesus appeared to his disciples and hundreds of others.

A Jewish historian, Josephus, wrote that a man named Jesus was crucified and on the third day “appeared restored to life.”

But many don’t believe it.

To some, Jesus was a great prophet, a man with followers, but not God, and he didn't come back to life.

Paul, an apostle, wrote in the Bible that if Christ didn’t rise, his faith — and the faith of all Christians — was meaningless.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,” Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 15:20.

Survey says

A recent WalletHub survey found:

• Americans are 15% more likely to celebrate Easter with friends and family compared to last year.
• 35% of Americans will stay at home to celebrate Easter this year, compared to 55% last year
• 51% of Americans said religion has helped them get through the pandemic.
• 30% of Easter-celebrating Americans said they will go to church on Easter this year

According to Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online surveys, 42% of American adults say they will attend a church service to celebrate Easter this year. That’s up from 40% last year.

Forty-two percent say they won’t be in church for Easter, down from 47% a year ago, while another 16% were not sure.

Pastors say

Candlelight Christian Fellowship in Coeur d’Alene is holding four services today at 7:30, 9, 10:30 and noon as it continues to experience strong growth.

Pastor Paul Van Noy plans to talk about Christ’s life, death, burial and resurrection, and how it translates into lives today, of regeneration and new life.

“It’s an exciting time,” Van Noy said. "Jesus is indeed alive and for this reason — among many — we rejoice."

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Rathdrum is having sunrise service at 7, pancake breakfast at 8:30 and worship at 10:15.

"This is love," the church declares in a picture that shows Christ on the cross.

Christ the King Lutheran Church is having services at 6:30, 8:30 and 11 a.m., with a free breakfast at 9:30 followed by an egg hunt.

Pastor Jon Muhly likes to refer to this quote from Jaroslay Pelikan:

“If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen — nothing else matters.”

"If it’s true, then everything changes,” Muhly said.

For Muhly and fellow Christians it is true.

“Our lives center on this,” he said.

Being a follower of Christ doesn’t mean life on Earth will be perfect or even easy, Muhly said. But it does mean believers have an identity in God. Life won't change with daily ups and downs.

“We can have hope and promise,” Muhly said.

Promises come in all shapes and sizes, he said. From drugs that help you lose weight to stain removers for clothes to sure-thing investments.

But they inevitably fall short. They are promises that are not kept.

Jesus, Muhly said, made amazing and bold promises, such as that he would be killed and rise again. He delivered, bringing with him eternal life and peace to those who believe.

“Easter is the pinnacle of that story,” Muhly said.