Nagaland observes Easter with calls for faith, hope and renewal

April 21, 2025 11 Views No Comment

Our Correspondent
Kohima | April 21

Easter Sunday, marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ, was celebrated across Nagaland with religious fervour and gaiety on April 20, with calls for faith, hope, and renewal.

The day was observed with special services and other related events at churches throughout the region, affirming and celebrating the resurrection of Christ, a cornerstone of the Christian faith.

In some churches, Easter Vigil started at midnight on April 20, while Sunrise Services were held in many locations.

In the State’s capital, Kohima, scores of believers joined the Resurrection Sunday Sunrise Service organised by the Kohima Baptist Pastors’ Fellowship at Khuochiezie (Kohima Local Ground).

Addressing the service, Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) General Secretary Rev Dr Mar Pongener said that the resurrection of Jesus cannot be denied, for He has risen.

However, he noted that the denial of Christ’s resurrection remains very real even today for intellectual, spiritual, cultural, emotional, and other reasons.

Nevertheless, the Bible, God’s trustworthy and ultimate authority, clearly affirms the resurrection, Rev Dr Pongener asserted.
Alluding the day to the present context, he said that people encounter “grave” situations in life and go through moments that feel hopeless—times with seemingly no way forward, no return, or no future.

It can feel like the end of the road when relationships fall apart, marriages end, or trust breaks down, while disputes over land can divide families and neighbours, grudges grow, and gossip creates distance between people, he illustrated.

“We lose jobs and feel helpless, wondering how to survive without a salary. Worries stack up. Illnesses linger without signs of healing. Hope begins to vanish. Our dreams collapse, and it can feel as if we’ve reached our final hour,” Rev Dr Pongener added.

“These are our grave situations. But Easter Sunday tells a different story. It doesn’t speak in the voice of mourning; it shouts the sound of a miracle,” he underscored.

The tomb was no longer a place of hopelessness—it became the very place where the message of hope was declared, he added.

Thus, the NBCC General Secretary held, the message of the resurrection is of hope rising from despair and “breaking through every barrier, casting off every chain, and stepping into a brand-new life. From the grave to glory and from suffering to victory.”

Stating that the power of resurrection is alive in every believer, he added that it lifts the faithful from “fear to faith, from sorrow to strength, from defeat to destiny. The power that raised Christ from the dead is still working. Still moving. Still speaking.”

To this end, Rev Dr Pongener exhorted: “Let us rise. Let us step out of the tombs of depression, addiction, and hopelessness. You may be down, but you are not done—because Christ is alive! Let us stand in faith. Let us lift our eyes from the tomb.”

He also expressed hope that the truth of the resurrection would fill believers with strength, ignite their faith, and lead them to trust God more deeply than ever before.

The service also featured special numbers by Kohima Lotha Baptist Church and Khedi Baptist Church Choir, Bible readings, and special prayers.

At the Easter Vigil in St Paul’s Catholic Church in Wokha, the parish priest also reflected on renewed life and hope to all believers through Christ’s resurrection.

In many churches, the day was celebrated with Feast, while a tinge of festivity is added with the observance of Easter egg hunts in many locations.