Easter, Vol. 3

Holy Week 2022 is here, and Christ followers the world over are preparing their hearts for the upcoming Good Friday and Easter Sunday holidays. With the songs that I chose for this year's Easter Playlist, I feel like there are underlying themes of recovery, which is perfect for a global climate that's still healing from two years of isolation, and hope, which is perfect for the world no matter what is going on but especially in these current times when there's still so much suffering and uncertainty.

As before, each song has a verse or passage of Scripture to go along with it for you to get some extra insight. Note: All Scripture is from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible except for Isaiah 53:1-6 (Profession/ESV), which is from the English Standard Version.

Drenched in Love by Bethel Music, Daniel Bashta & Harvest (written by D. Bashta)

Featured on Bethel's 2019 live album Victory with vocals from worship leaders Daniel & Harvest Bashta, the chorus of this upbeat song is a reimagining of the classic hymn Nothing But The Blood while the bridge draws from the hymn There Is Power In The Blood. This is a great, uplifting song that reminds us of how much Jesus loves us and how we are called to love those around us.

Oh, precious is the flow/That makes me white as snow/No other fount I know/I am washed, I am washed, I am drenched in love/All souls atoned by the blood of the Lamb/I’m not a slave to what once held me damned/How beautiful, that cleansing flood/I am washed, I am washed, I am drenched in love

John 15:12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.

Ain't No Grave by Bethel Music & Molly Skaggs (written by J. Helser, M. Helser, M. Skaggs)

Featuring vocals from worship leader Molly Skaggs, this is my favorite song from Bethel's Victory album. I love everything about it, from the country music inspired vocalization and instrumentation to the incredible imagery throughout the lyrics of what Jesus's days in the tomb were doing for us.

Oh, shame is a prison as cruel as a grave/Shame is a robber and he’s come to take my name/Oh, love is my Redeemer lifting me up from the ground/Love is the power where my freedom song is found/There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down/There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down/When I hear that trumpet sound, I’m gonna rise up outta the ground/There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down

Isaiah 40:7-8 The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord. And so it is with people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.

There Is a Name by Bethel Music & Sean Feucht (written by B. Hastings, P. Barrett, S. Feucht)

Clearly, one of the big takeaways you should have from this post is that Victory is an incredible album to draw from for Easter. Featuring vocals from worship leader Sean Feucht, this beautiful song reminds us that while He humbled Himself coming to Earth as a human, it doesn't lessen the fact that Jesus is a King (THE King) on His throne in Heaven who still loves us and thinks about us and advocates for us every step of the way.

There is a name who reigns without contention/Whose power can’t be questioned or contained/With humble fame, He rules the earth and heavens/His glory knows no measure or refrain/And it’s bursting past the borderlines of space/Jesus/Enthroned upon the praises of our hearts/Jesus/You’re the King and You’re the center of it all

Philippians 2:9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names…

Holy Is the Lord/Hosanna by Caleb and Kelsey (arranged by C. Grimm, K. Grimm)

Featured on their 2018 album Timeless Worship, this Caleb and Kelsey mashup is a beautiful blending of two classic songs that proclaim the holiness and glory of God. I'm especially partial to the inclusion of Hosanna, one of my favorite worship songs of all time, because of its close ties to Palm Sunday.

We stand and lift up our hands/For the joy of the Lord is our strength/We bow down and worship Him now/How great, how awesome is He/And together we sing/Hosanna, Hosanna/Hosanna in the highest/Hosanna, Hosanna/Hosanna in the highest

Matthew 21:9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him where shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!”

Gone by Elevation Worship (written by D. Mutendji, S. Furtick)

Featured on Elevation's 2019 live EP At Midnight with vocals from worship leader Chris Brown, this is another upbeat banger meant for celebrating what Jesus did for us over those three days. He conquered death so that through Him we can live in Heaven forever, so all of the things that plagued us before we came to know Him are completely wiped away.

It wasn’t for nothing that You shed Your blood/So I’m gonna live like my shame is gone/Won’t be shackled to the way I was/Oh, I’m gonna live like my chains are/Gone, gone, now my sin is dead and gone/And I sing hallelujah/Done, done, He is risen, it is done/And I sing hallelujah

John 11:25-26 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

Graves Into Gardens by Elevation Worship ft. Brandon Lake (written by B. Lake, C. Brown, S. Furtick, T. Hammer)

Featured on Elevation's 2020 live album Graves Into Gardens with vocals by worship leader Brandon Lake, this is still one of my favorite worship songs no matter how many times I hear it played. Every word in this song is an incredible message of what Jesus did for us and the power of God and how much He loves us.

I searched the world, but it couldn’t fill me/Man’s empty praise and treasures that fade are never enough/Then You came along and put me back together/And every desire is now satisfied here in Your love/Oh, there’s nothing better than You/There’s nothing better than You/Lord, there’s nothing/Nothing is better than You

Matthew 28:5-6 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where this body was lying.”

Isaiah 53:1-6 (Profession/ESV) by Hillsong Worship (written by B. Tennikoff, M. Chislett)

Featured on Hillsong's 2021 album At Easter, this is such a cool interlude on the album having this passage from Isaiah 53 spoken over a beautiful instrumental. Hearing the words that were spoken roughly 700 years before Jesus was born prophesying His sacrifice puts even more weight on what His sacrifice meant for the world, and I wanted to share the entire passage here.

Isaiah 53:1-6 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Most of all this Easter season, I hope you find yourself at peace. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!