Easter Sunday 2020
A Resurrection Acclamation
Kenneth Pettigrew
In empty streets may it echo—reverberating on walls of wood and stone, metal and concrete: Christ is risen!
In empty sanctuaries, let the empty pews clap their hands and windows show forth the glory of God and proclaim, “Christ is risen!”
In the isolation of our homes, where fear and our anxieties have been our returning company, let them be vanquished by the resounding chorus: “Christ is risen!”
For those who are without shelter—whose needs have yet to be met—let this cry build shelter where all are welcomed and fed: “Christ is risen!”
Surrounded by death and saddened by its gaze, let those who know the story proclaim from living rooms, front porches, offices, and dining tables everywhere that death has lost its sting, because Christ is risen!
Though victory seems distant and justice a long way off, let valleys and hills re-echo our resurrection hope that death is swallowed up in victory, and all nature proclaim, “Christ is risen!”
May the people of the resurrection, called by God, redeemed and sustained by grace, tell forth the story from an empty grave that Christ is risen!
Let the voices of God’s people gather in distant lands and proclaim in lamented praise that Christ is risen!
Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Kenneth Pettigrew
Winston-Salem Urban League, Winston-Salem, NC
