The Resurrection of Christ: Devotion for September 8

From Pastor Laurie:

This summer I had the joy of traveling to Rome and Florence, where breathtaking works of art seem to greet you at every turn. Among them, I came across a painting displayed in the same museum as Michelangelo’s David, which immediately caught my attention. Curious to learn more, I discovered it was The Resurrection of Christ, painted in 1505 by the Florentine artist Raffaellino del Garbo. Though not as widely recognized as contemporaries like Raphael or Michelangelo, Raffaellino was admired in his time for his ability to combine narrative clarity with deep emotional resonance. His oil-on-panel masterpiece depicts the very heart of the Christian faith: Christ’s triumph over the grave, the dawn of Easter, when death was defeated and new creation began.

The painting presents the risen Christ emerging from the tomb, banner in hand, surrounded by soldiers who recoil in awe and fear. The light of the resurrection contrasts with the shadowed figures below — a visual theology of victory breaking into human confusion. The detailing reflects early Renaissance interest in naturalism, but also the enduring symbolic power of medieval iconography: Christ is central, radiant, and unshakable.

When I look at this painting, I am reminded that the resurrection is not only an event in history, but the very center of our hope. The soldiers’ reactions mirror humanity’s divided response: some shield their eyes, some fall back, and some seem stunned into stillness. Resurrection is disruptive — it challenges the powers of fear and death that so often dominate our lives.

Notice how Christ stands above the chaos, not in aggression but in serene authority. The banner he holds, marked with the red cross, is a symbol of victory — not over nations, but over sin, guilt, and mortality itself. The artist draws our eyes upward, teaching us that resurrection is not simply about escape from death, but about transformation in the midst of it.

In our own lives, resurrection hope calls us to trust that God is still bringing life out of what looks lifeless, healing where there is brokenness, and peace where there is turmoil. Like the soldiers, we may find ourselves caught off guard by the ways Christ shows up. But Easter faith means living in the assurance that the stone has been rolled away, and nothing — not even death — has the final word.

Art like Raffaellino’s reminds us that resurrection is more than doctrine — it is a lens through which we view all of life. To be “Easter people” is to embrace hope in despair; stand in awe, not fear, and live in victory, not defeat.

Featured art: Raffaellino del Garbo, The Resurrection of Christ, 1505, Gallery of the Academia, Florence, Italy