No Stone Could Hold HIM- A Rumination of the Easter Cantata of Davao City Alliance Church

I was blessed enough to attend the Easter Cantata of Davao City Alliance Church in commemoration to the Easter Sunday 2012. This is to acknowledge the day Christ our saviour rose from death. The church’s theme is “No STONE Could Hold HIM”. Needless to say that the phrase emphasizes how powerful our God. The message is all about hope in the midst of despair, that we have a God that can conquer everything, even death.

The choir members appeared in Black suit, but the red necktie of men and the red sashes of the ladies dominated my eyes. I am not sure if there’s a message behind this outfit because choir members usually wear white. Black maybe represents despair, remorse or grief over the death of our Savior. However, the dominating red represents joy or victory. And since they’re wearing red over black, I think it would make sense if I’m going to interpret this as Victory over Death.

The choir started with “Jesus is the ROCK in a weary land”, and I think this first line of the song explained everything about the theme “No STONE could hold HIM”. Logically, rock is much much bigger than a stone, and if Jesus is being compared to a rock, then no amount of stone could really hold him. This is the literal perspective of the theme.

The narration adds color to the presentation. It tells the story of the journey of Jesus Christ from the day he was tempted in the desert up to the day he was crucified on the cross in Calvary. With the combination of the narration and the song, it is as if I am watching a movie and at the same time reading a book. The voices of the choir members are powerful enough to affix my attention. The sincerity in the voice of the narrators are entertaining enough for me to understand the story they are trying to share.

Aside from the narration and the message in song of the choir members, Dr. Levi Quir supported the message of the song by giving emphasis on the power of Jesus Christ to overcome the stone that holds him after his death in the calvary. When Jesus died on the cross, his dead body was contained in a tombstone. It has been sealed so that nobody can steal his body. Opening the tombstone has corresponding punishment. But after three days, the tombostone had been opened and Christ’s body had disappeared . The angel confirmed that Christ’s has risen from the death. Our Christ did not remain lifeless on that sealed tombstone. With that fact, Dr Quir encouraged us to rejoice in the reality of a resurrected Christ and to Trust in the power of the resurrected Christ.

If no stone could hold our living God, then there’s no need to worry about life. Circumstances, problems, adversities and trials may come our way. But as a Christian, there’s nothing to be feared of, because Jesus Christ is our rock in a weary land and he is our shelter in the time of storm.

Have a blessed Easter Sunday everyone.