The slogan, "This changes everything," goes far beyond the folks at Dodge trying to get you to buy one of their vehicles.

The Rev. Jody Neifert, of St. John's Lutheran Church in Palmerton, said it's also the best way to describe the lasting impact of tomorrow, Easter Sunday.The highlight of the church calendar, Easter is a time during which Christians celebrate Jesus' resurrection three days after he was crucified."The fact that he rose again means most of our lives are merely training grounds," Neifert said."There is something more for all of us. In essence, our life is like a boot camp. We're no longer defined by our past."More than egg hunts, bunnies, chocolate and ham, Easter is both a culmination and a new beginning.It marks the end of Holy Week and the 40-day period of Lent, but for many, it also signifies hope."When people leave our service Sunday, I hope they take away the fact that the Lord died and rose again so that we would have eternal life and forgiveness of our sins," said the Rev. Nancy Moore, of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lehighton. "We'll kind of take people through that transformation. Our service starts and the music is on the dark side, but as the Easter candle is carried down the aisle, the lights come up in the sanctuary and we start the celebration of the resurrection."It's no coincidence Easter and spring are close by on the calendar.Plants and animals are made new in the month of April, and so are people, Moore said."As our part of the world comes alive with newly budding plants and trees, take time during this season of Easter to embrace the new life being raised up around us. Give thanks to God for claiming victory over death in the constant hope we receive in the resurrection of our Lord."For the Rev. John Fink, of Saint John XXIII Parish in Tamaqua, Easter is "the season of joy, the reason for our faith, and the reason we are called disciples."It is by far the most attended church service of the year, followed by Christmas and Mother's Day.People in the seats put a certain pressure on the men and women putting the holiday into perspective."It's difficult because Holy Week is one of those times you are supposed to produce more and because of that you probably end up producing less," Neifert said. "What Easter means, however, is so important to us all. It means we have an open future and a hope and a love. When you are down, you get back up again. You had no hope and now you have hope again."The Rev. Rodney Hall of The Primitive Methodist Churchin Tamaqua said the message of Easter is based on the fact of the resurrection."The very same power that brought Jesus back to life is available today to encourage us, to help us."He said many times people try to make sense out of things that make no sense."What looks like an end might be the beginning of God working."At Saint Joseph Church's Holy Thursday service in Jim Thorpe, the Rev. Francis Baransky noted all the troublesome events in the world today."If you watch the news, you hear of war and violence," he said. "Easter is our time of hope and our chance to be Jesus' true disciples."Spreading Easter's message to children is also important."On Thursday, we had our children receiving first Holy Communion re-enact how Passover became the Last Supper," Moore said. "Words are great, but having them experience it through a re-enactment is a wonderful way to pass that message down through the ages."Moore's church will hold an 8 a.m. service on Easter, highlighted by music, both instrumental and vocal."Through the lyrics of each song, it helps to enhance the story of what happens on Easter when Jesus came out of the tomb and met up with Mary Magdalene," she said. "The angel tells him do not be afraid."So what message does Neifert hope people take away from Easter?"Hope in the end is more powerful than anything," Neifert said."Love is more powerful than hate. Doubts are ok, but there is faith that will overcome that. We might fail, but every failure with a good mindset is only opening a door to something else in life."