Our Sunday best March 23 2026

By Elizabeth Ritchie Sherrill

The Southern phrase tugged at my heart and reminded me of Easter

My daughter came home from school the other week with an invitation. She is being inducted into the National Elementary School Honor Society, something I never even knew existed at this level. While I was beyond proud and the unexpected honor made me smile, one line in particular tugged at my heart: “Wear your Sunday best.”

As a Southerner, I have many times donned my Sunday best. Requiring that you do so carries an unspoken understanding. The sentiment behind the expression often seems lost, either because it is infrequently used or because we douse our social requests with other, more catchy words. But “Sunday best,” we all know what that means deep down to our bones. Not merely dressing up, but showcasing your most cherished attire reserved for the occasion. And immediately, my mind drifts to Easter.

One of my favorite Easter memories, beyond the egg hunts of course, was attending our church’s sunrise service in Memorial Garden. While located in the middle of Downtown Concord, it seemed that you stepped through iron gates and out of time, into a serene and peaceful forest of greenery and flowers before the sun even woke. Those quiet moments stretched out on the lawn are what I remember, not the sermons themselves. Just the uniqueness of putting on my Easter dress and getting to be in nature, yet not. I had visited that garden many times, but on that day it felt like a different world entirely.

Skimming through my closet, hanger by hanger, I smile again. I am looking for my Sunday best, my cherished attire, the dress that takes me to another place because I get to sit quietly in an auditorium and watch my daughter walk across a stage honoring her hard-earned achievements. It might even be better than a garden before sunrise.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Easter!