March 25-31: Easter
He Shall Rise With Healing in His Wings
Eva Timothy (American, born Bulgaria, 1976)
Come Unto Me (2012)
fine art photography, dimensions variable
Collection of the artist
artist’s website
Permission of the artist
Ultimately, our reactions to the Savior’s death and resurrection are personal. The gift of the atonement is individual and intimate. Photographer Eva Timothy tells the story of the image above:
“Some time ago when visiting Temple Square with my three young children, I was busy corralling my two older boys when I noticed my 4-year old daughter Skye had slipped away. Frantic for a moment, I scanned the vistor's center only to find her scaling the Christus. My first impulse was to call her to get down from this priceless piece of art and Church heritage. At the same moment the thought ‘Suffer the little children to come unto me’ ran through my mind and the image of my own little one climbing her way up to sit at the feet of Jesus sank deeply, leading me to take this photograph.”
She continues:“While I don't wish to promote the flaunting of museum boundaries, I think the symbolism of the moment holds great meaning. As a responsible, albeit distracted guardian, I could see ropes, signs and other barriers that would sway me from letting my children venture too far. My daughter saw only Jesus. It is my hope at this Easter season that we may look past the distractions, the barriers and difficulties we face to seek and see more of Jesus with all the enthusiasm of a little child. That we may see him with arms open, the signs of his sacrifice engraved on upturned hands, his body alive, renewed and victorious with the power of transforming, redeeming love.”
Discussion Questions:
As part of your celebration and honor of the Savior this Easter, think about the way you "decorate" your spaces. What music will you listen to to help focus your mind on the gift of the Atonement? Are there any pieces of artwork that you might wish to display particular to this time of year that speak to you about His sacrifice? What plants or flowers feel most celebratory of the new life He gives? Maybe the "decoration" could be something as simple as cleaning the windows to let in more light.
The Atonement is the gift that changes everything for each of us. What gift of self can you share with someone else (possibly an artistic creation) during this Holy season?
Questions for Children and Youth:
At Christmas people display nativity scenes to tell the story of Jesus' birth. Using clay, chenille sticks, beads, rocks and any other art supplies that you have, create a "nativity scene" but one that tells of the Resurrection. Which people will you include and what will be the scene? Using your resurrection scene characters, tell the story of the Resurrection to someone else.
Resurrection means to bring something back to life or bring something back into use. Do you have any old relationships that you could resurrect with new life by making contact with an old friend, someone that you haven't talked to for a long time, or a family member who is far away? Think of a way that you can resurrect this relationship during Resurrection Week.
One of the flowers that we often see during this time of year is the Easter Lily, a flower with a lot of symbolism for the season. An Easter Lily is shaped like a trumpet. If you had a trumpet on Resurrection Morning, how would you announce to the world the good news brought by Jesus? Would you do it with a song or with shouting words? What song would you sing or what words would you shout?