Blog post
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in physical distancing, it has not made us any less of a global community. On the contrary, these troubling times have revealed just how connected we truly are. We have all been forced to find creative ways of staying connected whether it is from the smallest unit of a nuclear family to large transnational companies.
For us as the World Council of Churches (WCC), this pandemic has underscored just how important it is for us to stay spiritually connected. Having that connection during this Easter season is even more important. Though some expressions of our common faith vary, Easter unites us all together in our proclamation that the “Lord is risen indeed.”
One way of demonstrating our common faith at Easter is through singing. Therefore, we are delighted to share with you 11 videos of a common Easter song. Each representation reflects the cultural and musical idioms that comprise the fellowship of churches within the WCC. The text for the song originated with Gerardo Oberman, one of the leaders of Red Crearte. That these musicians were able to compose and submit their videos in a relatively short time is a testament to their commitment to ensure that, even though this pandemic has caused us to do some things differently, we remain connected as Christian believers.
These videos will be featured on WCC social media from 12-19 April to capture the celebration of Easter in both the Western and Eastern faith traditions. It is our prayer that these songs will enrich our faith in this time as we celebrate our Lord’s resurrection and affirm that life triumphs over death.
As we share the musical gifts of the ecumenical family in the common Easter song, we also invite others, who are so led, to also share their musical and spiritual gifts as we continue to prepare for the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in September 2021. Submissions can still be made until the end of April.
May these songs be added to your repertoire of Easter songs as we utter a joyful ‘Hallelujah! The Lord is risen!’
“Musicians around the globe share ‘ecumenical Easter song’” – WCC news release 9 April 2020
About the author :
Rev. Dr Mikie A. Roberts is an ordained minister of the Moravian Church. Since February 2019, he serves the World Council of Churches as programme executive for Spiritual Life and for Faith and Order.
Hailing from the island of Antigua, his most recent ministry assignment was on St Thomas (US Virgin Islands). Rev. Mikie has previously served the Moravian Eastern West Indies Province as provincial director of music. He holds degrees in theology and sacred music from the University of the West Indies, and the Westminster Choir College of Rider University, respectively, as well as a PhD in Liturgical Studies from the University of Birmingham, UK.