‘‘It gets people’s feet tapping,’’ said Reverend Geoffrey Flynn.

The syncopated service was born out of  a partnership between the Belmore Basin Jazz Band and the Wollongong’s Uniting Church formed at the Illawarra Jazz Festival longer than anyone can remember.

Mr Flynn said the up temp genre suited Easter Sunday’s celebration of rebirth and life.

‘‘Good Friday services can be sombre with people reflecting on grief, Saturday is a bit of emotional space but Sunday is about joy and new life,’’ he said.

About 140 parishioners attended the Wollongong City church to hear the reverend’s sermon which focused on grief and new life.

Inspired in part by recent tragic events including the Lindt Cafe, Mr Flynn urged parishioners to stay positive by seeing new life in death.

‘‘Our message is one of discovering new life from death in a time of grief and loss,’’ he said.

‘‘At Easter the story begins at the grave site.’’

In the wake of recent anti-Islamic protests over the weekend, Mr Flynn reminded attendees that all religions have the right to practice their sacred values.

‘‘It seems a no brainer to many people that religion is the cause of a lot of violence and the world would be a much better place without it,’’ he said

‘‘However, to attack religions like Christianity or Islam misses the point.’’