Every year, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ in their homes and churches across the world. The discussion of importance and impact of the story of resurrection is the main theme discussed during the resurrection Sundays every year. On April 4, 2021, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II discussed the importance and impacts of resurrection in his sermon “No lie can hold this body down” (Repairers of the Breach, 2021). Starting from the 45th minute in the video, Rev. Barber II states that God came to the world in the form of the human body to change lives (Repairers of the Breach, 2021). According to the preacher, the resurrection was a form of “disruption” that should not necessarily have happened (Repairers of the Breach, 2021). Humans did not expect God to transform himself into their physical form but God had other intentions. By transforming himself into the human form and coming into their midst, God used interruption of the norm to interpret himself. He allowed humans to persecute him on the cross and as a result, there was an interruption. Secondly, God interrupted the norm once again when the body of Jesus disappeared from his tomb and was resurrected, which is not common in nature.
The concept of interruption leads to the second point in Rev Barber’s sermon, which revolves around the question of what Christians do with the story of resurrection. In his view, the preacher states that Christians often tend to forget about the power of the resurrection of Jesus and what the story teaches them (Repairers of the Breach, 2021). Accordingly, Jesus died and was resurrected to save every person, regardless of whether one is an immigrant, oriented to the same sex, Muslim, or any other background. In essence, the power of the resurrection of Jesus teaches humans about social justice for every person and the need to defy the evils of this world such as discrimination against others. According to Rev. Barber, the power of the resurrection can change our ideas of right and wrong as we accept each other as equal and refuse to accept what worldly evil declares (Repairers of the Breach, 2021). Similarly, when John Winthrop left England to establish new Christian communities in America, he sought to make the conditions of the natives, who did not know God and Jesus, his own (Carrier, 2020). Even though it was difficult to convert the natives who had their own established beliefs, Winthrop took the bold step of making their troubles his own just in the same way Jesus came to the world to reveal the will of God to mankind.
I have changed my thinking of right and wrong at one point in life. For example, I initially thought that it was right for the government to arrest, prosecute, and repatriate individuals who have immigrated to America because they do not belong here. Then, after reading some history and religious materials, I realized that almost all of us in America are immigrants in some way. I realized that apart from the natives, we all came from somewhere- Africa, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Therefore, we should also welcome others just as our ancestors came from other continents to establish new communities.
The American poet Maya Angelou, when describing her relationship with her mother, states that ego holds but love liberates. According to Maya, love does not bind but changes one to love and accept others regardless of whether they are (Sanchez, 2013). She states that whether one is in Harlem or China, love makes one accept and love them as they are (Sanchez, 2013). Evidently, Angelou talks about the Christian theme of loving and accepting other people, regardless of their origins, race, gender, sexual orientation, and other backgrounds.
In his case, Lev Tolstoy states that when he was reading the Gospels, he felt that he needed something because he was empty. However, when he read the ‘Sermon on the Mount, his life was transformed and the evil in him was interchanged with good. According to Lev Tolstoy, the doctrine of Jesus should change people to think positively of others and accept each other in society. The best way to fight sins is to use kindness and love, which Tolstoy thinks are the best weapons against the evils of this world.
The imaginary scenario in Van Gogh’s painting “The Starry Night” resonates well with most people, whether Christian or non-Christian as it depicts a tranquil night on a normal evening, which evokes some strong emotions within the viewers. The painting portrays the vast power of nature and the interactions between man and nature (The Van Gough Gallery, n.d). When looking at the painting, it can be seen that both the tree and the church point to the heavens, which makes the viewer realize that there is some hidden power of nature over humans.
References
Carrier, H. (2020). Ripeness is all: A boomer’s mindful spiritual journey. Page Publishing Inc.
Repairers of the Breach. (2021). No Lie Can Hold This Body Down” | A Resurrection Sunday Sermon by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. YouTube.
Sanchez, L. (2013). Dr. Maya Angelou – Love Liberates. YouTube.
The Van Gough Gallery. (n.d).Vincent Van Gogh: Starry Night.