The worshippers, more than 100 strong, were more likely to have bought wardrobes at REI rather than Nordstrom, at Cabela’s rather than Macy’s.

Hooded rainwear, bumbershoots and Wellingtons were the order of the day as a diverse group gathered on the cemetery’s lawn to hear the Rev. Jon Olson of Messiah Lutheran Church of Auburn speak of Christ’s life, death and rebirth.

The temperature was in the 40s, and cold rain pelted down. The sun’s appearance over the Green River Valley came as subtle brightening behind a solid gray veil of clouds instead of in brilliant shafts of light pouring over the Cascades and Mount Rainier.

“This is the most difficult weather I can remember in a service like this,” Olson told the worshippers.

He wore a strap-on headlamp, the better to read from the gospel from the book of Matthew to those assembled. They gathered under two portable shelters and under umbrellas. A gas-powered lantern illuminated the makeshift altar. A choir from his church led the congregation in song.

Christi Gillette of Edgewood, a longtime volunteer at the sunrise service, said the service has fared much better weatherwise in past years.

“This is the second time it’s rained in the eight years we’ve held our services here,” she said.

Worshippers, having paid heed to weather warnings, came well-equipped, with battery-powered flashlights, fold-up seating and insulated, rainproof coats and headgear.

Among them were Patti Ryan and her daughter Krysten of Auburn. They sat on portable folding chairs they had brought with them, beneath a pair of oversized umbrellas. A high-tech flashlight illuminated their program.

Patti Ryan’s husband, Jack, who died two years ago in an accident, is buried not far from Sunday’s service.

“I do draw inspiration from these services,” she said. “They give me hope and contentment.”

Olson spoke of Christ’s suffering, his resurrection and his promise to come again.

Christ’s example, he said, exemplifies how humans can rise about their troubles to transform their lives through a closer relationship with God. Through that relationship with Jesus, he said, we will enter another world free from the suffering and travails of Earth.

John Gillie: 253-597-8663