Easter looked a little different in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. People couldn’t go to church or join their families for brunch. But even though it was an Easter in isolation, folks took to social media to make sure no one felt alone.
On Easter Sunday, celebrities and everyday people shared messages of faith, hope, and love to make the holiday a little less lonely. Some musical artists even took the time to film home performances of Easter songs to help lift spirts.
One such artist was Dolly Parton, who filmed a faith-filled performance in her home studio to share with fans on Easter.
The song Parton performed was “He’s Alive,” which she included on her 1989 album White Limozeen. It was written by Don Francisco.
If you’ve heard Parton sing “He’s Alive” before, we’re sure you’ve gotten goosebumps. You’ll likely have the same reaction when you see her acoustic, home performance of the song.
With nothing but her own guitar to back her up, Parton delivered her quarantine rendition of “He’s Alive.” As Parton noted while introducing the song, she usually sings it with a choir, but obviously wasn’t able to have one join her this time.
The stripped arrangement gave her voice the chance to stand out and soar, and resulted in a passionate performance.
It was uplifting enough to hear Parton sing “He’s Alive” in such a way, but it was also inspiring to hear what she had to say in a preface to her performance. She first spoke about all of the things people missed out on this Easter: the chance to wear their fancy dresses and hats, their church services, and their Easter egg hunts.
Then, she said we really don’t need all of those things to celebrate what Easter is all about:
“Well, this year we’re gonna kinda stay around the house a little bit, right? But that doesn’t mean we can’t worship in the same way that we should. Because we don’t have to go to a building, to a church, to worship God. The kingdom of heaven is within.”
You can watch Parton worship from home by tuning in to her Easter performance of “He’s Alive” below. It’s such a powerful thing to witness.