If you are looking for Bible readings for Easter morning, this list gives you fifteen passages from the Gospels, Paul’s letters and the Psalms that you can read before the church service, around the breakfast table or alone with your coffee. It is written for Christians who want the resurrection to shape the first hours of the day, not just the liturgy later on. Each passage points to the empty tomb, the risen Christ or the new life that his victory makes possible.
Readings for Quiet Time Before Sunrise Service
These passages are short enough to read slowly while the house is still dark. They tell the story of the women at the tomb and of the first moment the stone was seen to be rolled away.
Matthew 28:5-6
5 The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.
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The angel speaks to frightened women who came expecting a burial and found an empty grave. Before you leave the house, name one fear you carry into the day and tell God you are choosing to hear this message first. Then say the words of the angel aloud, slowly, as if you were hearing them for the first time.
Mark 16:6
He said to them, “Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him!
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Mark’s account is spare and sudden, and it ends with an invitation to look at the place where Jesus had lain. Carry that invitation into your morning by pausing for a moment at the sink or the front door and asking, where in my life have I been looking for the living among the dead?
Luke 24:1-3
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they and some others came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 They entered in, and didn’t find the Lord Jesus’ body.
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The women came early, carrying spices, and found the stone already moved. Notice that they went to the tomb while it was still dark, which tells you that faithfulness often begins before the light arrives. Let that encourage you to keep showing up even when the morning feels unfinished.
Verses on the Resurrection and New Life
The next group moves from the empty tomb to what it means for the believer. These readings connect the resurrection to daily living, forgiveness and the hope of being made new.
1 Corinthians 15:20
But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep.
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Paul calls Christ the firstfruits of those who have died, meaning the first of a harvest that is still to come. When you read this, think of one person you have lost or one loss you are grieving, and let the verse hold that grief inside a larger promise.
Romans 6:4
We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
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Paul uses baptism to show that believers are raised into a new way of walking. Ask yourself which habit or attitude you would like to leave behind today, and make a small, concrete choice to walk differently at the first opportunity this morning.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
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Easter is a fresh start, and this verse says the old life has passed away. If you feel stuck in a past failure, write one sentence describing what you would like to be true about you in Christ, and read it again before you go to work or school.
Colossians 3:1-2
1 If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.
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Paul asks readers to set their minds on what is above, because they have been raised with Christ. Choose one screen, task or worry you will set aside for an hour today, and use that time to think about the risen Lord instead.
Psalms and Passages of Joy and Victory
Easter morning is a time for praise as well as reflection. These passages from the Psalms and the Gospels are good for reading aloud and for singing under your breath on the way to church.
Psalm 118:24
This is the day that the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!
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This is the day the Lord has made, and the psalmist calls us to rejoice in it. Say the verse aloud as you open the curtains, and let it be the first thing you tell the people in your home about the morning.
Psalm 30:5
For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
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The psalm contrasts a night of weeping with a morning of joy, which fits the story of Easter exactly. If the night has been long for you, treat this verse as a promise you can hold onto while you wait for the light to grow.
John 20:16
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him, “Rabboni!” which is to say, “Teacher!”
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Mary Magdalene hears her name spoken by the risen Jesus and recognizes him. Try saying your own name slowly before you pray, and remember that the same Lord who called Mary knows you by name.
Revelation 1:18
And the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
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The risen Christ declares that he holds the keys of death and Hades. Let this verse steady you when you think about the people and situations that seem beyond repair, and speak it over one of them in prayer this morning.
Psalm 16:9-10
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety. 10 For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.
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The psalmist rejoices that the Lord will not abandon his holy one to the grave. Read this with the hope that God’s faithfulness reaches even into the places we fear, and pray that hope into your own morning.
How to Use These Verses
You do not need to read all fifteen passages in one sitting. Choose three or four that speak to your situation, write them on a card or in the front of your journal, and keep the card where you will see it at breakfast or beside your keys. Reading the same short passage several times across the day often does more than reading a long list once.
Read these passages aloud if you can, or ask someone in your household to read one with you before the service. Pair each reading with one brief response, such as a line of thanks or a request, so that Scripture moves from the page into conversation with God. Over time you may find that a single verse from this list becomes the one you return to every Easter.
A Short Prayer for Easter Morning
Lord Jesus, you rose from the grave on the third day and you are alive today. Thank you that the stone has been rolled away and that death no longer has the final word. Meet me in the quiet of this morning, and help me to hear your voice in these passages as clearly as the women heard the angel at the tomb. Let your resurrection shape how I speak, how I forgive and how I walk through the hours ahead. Thank you that you are risen, and that you are still with me. Amen.
