20 Easter Sunday songs we love

Summary

Music helps us refocus on the meaning of Easter amid the busyness of the season. Compiled from our team at World Vision Canada, we’ve shared 20 Easter Sunday songs both old and new, to invite listeners into a deeper awe of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Listen to the playlist on Spotify.

Preparing our hearts for Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday is arguably the most sacred holiday of the Christian church. After all, it’s the pivotal part of the Gospel as the Apostle Paul masterfully explains in 1 Corinthians 15. As news of Jesus’ resurrection spread, it fueled the rapid growth of the early church, despite heavy persecution.

The truth of Jesus' bodily resurrection remains today. He came for our salvation. He is victorious over sin and death because He rose from the grave. This gives us hope for today—and for eternity.

You might be planning Easter gatherings, scrambling for Easter gifts or organizing egg hunts. It's easy to quickly lose sight of the true reason for celebrating. For some, music is an instrumental way to centre our focus back on Jesus and His saving grace. Easter Sunday songs, whether traditional hymns or modern worship tunes, help us remember the victory won for us.

Our favourite Easter Sunday songs

At World Vision Canada, we’re a diverse group coming from many denominations and faith backgrounds. We compiled a list of our teams’ favourite church songs for Easter Sunday. And you’ll find it’s a varied list of old songs, new songs and unique genres. A true reflection of the mosaic of the Church.

Whether you’re looking for songs to add to your personal Easter playlist or you’re a church music director or worship leader looking for inspiration, these Easter Sunday songs will not disappoint.

Easter Sunday hymns (traditional)

There’s something special about singing church songs for Easter Sunday that have been passed down for generations. Authors like Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley and John Newton penned hymns that inspire congregations to sing about the cross and resurrection with awe and gratitude. Steeped in biblical truth, you might hear these songs for Easter Sunday worship.

1. Amazing Grace

Sung in congregations for hundreds of years, Amazing Grace reminds us of the basic truth of the Gospel. “I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.” What a way to praise God for His work of salvation. It’s His grace that saves us, carries us through life and finally brings us home. You can also listen to an upbeat, contemporary version.

2. Crown Him with Many Crowns

Another common favourite Easter Sunday hymn that we return to year after year is Crown Him with Many Crowns. Jesus’ kingship is at the centre of each verse. It reminds us that He not only came to save us, but He came to be Lord of our lives. He is seated on the throne in heaven and on the throne of our hearts.

3. Christ the Lord is Risen Today

“My grandmother grew up singing this Easter Sunday hymn every year. The long turning phrases as we sing ‘Alleluia’ would ring through the church halls. This joyful hymn ultimately reminds us that we will one day rise like Christ and join Him in eternity.”

--Amy Legault

4. How Great Thou Art

A classic Easter Sunday hymn, cherishing the moment at the cross. Jesus gladly bore our sin and He will soon come and take us home to be with Him. What a hope we have in our great, majestic God—He has done great things!

5. He Arose

“Vainly they watch His bed, vainly they sealed the dead. Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o’er His foes.” Just as Jesus’ body was quickened to life again, so the chorus that sings of His resurrection quickens with a tempo shift and more energy.

We also found a modern twist on He Arose from artists Phil Wickham and Tommee Profitt.

Modern songs for Easter Sunday worship

These Easter Sunday praise and worship songs are more recent, spanning the last twenty years. Maybe you’ll find a familiar favourite or something new that will bring a fresh perspective this Resurrection Sunday.

6. All Hail King Jesus

“This is one of my all-time favourite worship songs, but it’s even more impactful at Easter. The storytelling of the verses and pre-choruses reminds us of the darkness of Good Friday. But it shifts to remember Jesus defeated Hell and the grave. History is forever changed. It invokes in my heart the purest exaltation of my King and Saviour.”

--Amy Legault

7. Forever

“Just a powerful song about Christ overcoming the grave. Resurrection Sunday and celebrating the risen Christ has always been my favourite time during the Easter season.”

--Steve Geczi

8. Revelation Song

“‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.’ I love any worship song where we attempt to describe the vastness of our omnipotent God! Amen.”

--Stephanie Wilson

9. Who You Say I Am

“The lyric ‘in my Father’s house, there’s a place for me,’ speaks to unconditional belonging. Easter is about what Jesus did so we could belong. This song puts words to that truth, that our place isn’t earned; it was made for us through the cross and the resurrection.”

-- Christina Cook

10. You Are My King

“This song is a beautiful reminder that tells me of the grace and amazing love of God. It's sometimes incomprehensible and has me simply in continuous awe of God. I'm thankful that He paid it all at the cross for me and I can simply trust when He says, ‘Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11:28 NIV.

Thank you, Lord, that I'm forgiven because you were forsaken, condemned, died but, up from the grave you arose and gave me life that I might live in abundance.”

-- Michelle Cole

Easter Sunday modern hymns

Many traditional hymns have stood the test of time. Richly dense with theology and truth. It’s easy to latch on to the melody because of its musical structure. Several Christian songwriters take inspiration from hymn writers of old, crafting new hymns in a similar structure.

These Easter Sunday hymns, though they’ve been written in our modern day, carry a similar depth and focus on theology.

11. All Sufficient Merit

“It's a modern hymn that feels like it's always been. In fact, when I first heard it, I assumed it was a cover of a song that I probably grew up singing in church. I love the melody of the chorus – so do my five- and two-year-old. It’s one of the songs they both run around the house singing.

Especially the lyrics, ‘It is done, it is finished. No more debt I owe. Paid in full, all sufficient merit now my own.’ What a beautiful truth—that my sin, the debt I owed, was bought and paid for by the blood of Christ. That's what Easter is all about.”

--Jordan Raycroft

12. I Know That My Redeemer Lives

“‘On heaven’s throne, and in my very soul I know that my redeemer lives’

[I] Love the tie in with this Old Testament verse ( Job 19:25 ) and the reality of the cross and resurrection from the New Testament and that my redeemer will return again.” --Cheryl Molczanski

13. In Christ Alone

“‘In Christ Alone,’ sung by the more stoic members of congregation on the beach every Easter Sunday morning, as the sun lifts over the horizon (approximately 6:30 a.m.). Different lines speak to me each year. Most recently: ‘No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.’”

--Deborah Wolfe

Classic Easter Sunday songs for church

These Easter Sunday praise and worship songs are oldies but goodies. For a moment, allow yourself to be transported back to years gone by. Though styles change, the reality of Christ’s freedom and hope remains the same.

14. Because He Lives

This classic Gaither gospel song about Jesus’ resurrection has inspired hope for many decades. It connects Jesus’ resurrection to our personal struggles. When we experience challenge or loss, we can face it because He lives. Life is worth living because we know Jesus holds the future.

15. Celebrate Jesus

This Don Moen classic was a staple in churches in the 90s, but the simplicity and truth still ring true today. It’s an invitation to celebrate that Jesus rose from the grave. “He is risen. Come on and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.”

16. Easter Song

“Here's an oldie (1974) that I love. I play it every Easter morning before I head off to church because it tells the whole story and is so joyful... ‘Joy to the world, He is risen! Hallelujah!’”

--Janise Somer

17. Jesus is Alive

Ron Kenoly penned this familiar chorus in the early 90s. Full of vibrant energy and truth, this song had churches celebrating that death is no longer victorious. Jesus overcame the grave. He’s alive!

Artistic Easter Sunday songs

Not all Easter songs are meant for congregational worship. Some songs invite us to sit, to think and to wrestle with narratives of scripture in a thoughtful way. While you might not hear these songs this Easter Sunday, they bring unique perspectives that are worth exploring.

18. God Rested

“I love it because it's an amazing meditation on the day we don't often think about—not the day of the crucifixion (Friday), or the day of the resurrection (Sunday), but the day in between—the Saturday. It was a Sabbath day. It's beautiful to consider how God was resting in a completed, ‘very good’ work on the seventh day.

‘Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.’ Exodus 35:2 ESV.

Even in death, Christ was obedient to the whole law of God. He rested on the Sabbath.”

--Andrew Taufeek

19. I Have Seen the Lord

From Mary Magdalene’s perspective, she recounts her past and how Jesus delivered her from demonic oppression. When she visits His tomb only to find it empty and instead encounters the resurrected Jesus, she runs to tell the other disciples saying, “I have seen the Lord.” The emotion of the original passage in John 20 is captivating.

20. The Joy Set Before Me

Set from Jesus’ perspective during the Last Supper, the lyrics contemplate what He may have felt in those last hours with His disciples. Knowing the joy to come—the gift of salvation to the whole world—He endured the cross and scorned its shame.

Celebrating Easter through worship and action

Jesus came to bring us life in all its fullness as He says in John 10:10. And before He ascended, Jesus sent out His disciples to do good works in His name—to care for the helpless and vulnerable.

So, this Easter, we invite you to celebrate with more than songs, but with action.

At World Vision Canada, we support vulnerable children so they can experience life in all its fullness, as Jesus commissioned. Your gift or child sponsorship brings lasting change in a child’s life and their community.