“Mary Magdalene mistook Jesus for a gardener,” said the Rev. Dr. Scott Black Johnston, Senior Pastor of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, in his Easter sermon. “On Easter morning, Christ shows up wearing a disguise,”

On that bright Sunday, the faithful at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church eschewed disguises. Instead, they adorned themselves with the simple joy of worshiping the risen Lord together on a beautiful New York City morning. They came with flowers for their hats and the cross outside. They came beaming to see one another. They came with the love of God. Each person, young and old, shone.

Over twelve hundred people worshiped at Fifth Avenue that day, across our two services. Over two hundred more joined us on livestream. In the days to come, thousands viewed our YouTube video of the second service. Together this throng of Easter people blessed our church with their participation and were blessed in turn by one another.

“What does it mean to be Easter people?” asked the Rev. Dr. Scott Black Johnston to the crowd. “Clearly it’s not snapping on rose-colored glasses. Easter people know that Good Fridays keep coming. Easter people know that traumatic events, illness and heartache, war, and disaster, are still unfolding all around us. Easter people know that Pontius Pilate was not a one-off. Mary Magdalane gets this. She’s well-versed in how rough the world can be. So what does it mean to be Easter people? It means, my friends, that even in the midst of dark valleys, the good news of this day shines. It shines like a beacon.”

Here are some shining snapshots of our 2025 Easter celebration. Join us this Sunday at 9:30 for Chapel Church in Jones Auditorium and 11:00 am in both the Sanctuary and online.

All photographs by Porter Binks.