Before the Dawn: Hundreds Hike Mount Rubidoux to Celebrate Easter Sunday
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — In the still 5 a.m. darkness, street lights flicker as cars circle to find parking. Friends and families embrace at the base of Mount Rubidoux as the crowd quietly begins the 2.7 mile climb. Parents push strollers, while others help the elderly.
Hundreds have gathered atop this mountain for the past 116 years to enjoy the sunrise and celebrate Resurrection Sunday.
“It is the longest running tradition of Riverside, and it is the longest running Easter sunrise service that is interdenominational in the United States,” said Brad Curry, pastor at Antioch Church. “All the different churches and pastors are invited to be a part of the committee; everything is paid for by the pastors themselves through donations to help keep this going.”
Mount Rubidoux is located just west of downtown in the city of Riverside. It has been designated as a city park and landmark and remains a popular Southern California destination.
As the surrounding mountains lightly edge with the break of dawn, the service starts with the ring of a bell. A tradition that dates back from the early 20th century, Ike Logan, a resident of Riverside, began climbing Mt. Rubidoux every morning and ringing a bell near the summit around 7 a.m. It is now known as the “alarm clock of Riverside.”
Hundreds gathered atop Mount Rubidoux to celebrate Easter. (Photo by Esther Wickham)
More and more people scatter across the top of the mountain laying blankets down, setting up chairs and sitting on rocks as Pastor Mark Davison from Born Again Christian Church greets the crowd and leads a prayer.
“We stand here before you Father, a bunch of sinners who are thankful that Jesus came and lived His life to be our perfect sacrifice,” he told the crowd.
Next, Davison invited Riverside City Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson to say a few words.
“Can we thank God for this day today!” she exclaimed. “Thank God that we can come together as a community and share this beautiful morning.”
The Antioch Church worship team leads the congregation in a series of songs, including “All Hail King Jesus” by Jeremy Riddle, “Great I Am” by New Life, “How Great Is Our God” by Chris Tomlin and “King of Kings” by Hillsong.
After worship, three pastors from different churches led devotionals. The themes of the early morning service rang of freedom from a debt that had been paid in full.
“The Greek word for it is finished is one word, Tetelestai. … Jesus is all in all and Jesus says tetelestai,” preached Pastor Charles Campbell of Restored Life Fellowship.
The pastors preached through different passages of the Bible, wanting to reinforce to the crowd that repentance leads to rejoicing.
“Repentance is incredibly important, but we are not just the church of Good Friday, we are the church of resurrection Sunday as well,” Curry preached. “We were set free to be free…we remember the cross, but we celebrate the resurrection and that He lives.”
In closing the service, Pastor Brian Park, founder of Global Outreach, led the congregation in prayer and encouraged all to give and donate in order to set families free that are living under slavery in Pakistan.
“God, what a great day to be here on Mt. Rubidoux to celebrate the freedom we have found in Jesus Christ,” Park said. “We owed a debt that we couldn’t pay and Jesus you paid that debt off in full, Tetelestai, on that mountain.”
As the crowd began to descend down the mountain, volunteers in bright green vests collected cash donations while handing out pins and Bible tracts.
“There is something that feels magical about it and incredibly sacred, holy and powerful,” Curry said of this annual Easter gathering. “We recognize that most people who are willing to wake up at four in the morning to climb a mountain to come and go to a church service, probably already believe in Jesus, so for those we just hope they are inspired to press on and press deeper in their relationship with God.”
Esther Wickham is a freelance writer based in California. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including The College Fix, amNew York and the Washington Examiner.