Black preachers have a long and storied history of contextualizing scriptures and holidays to make them “real” and relevant to the realities of the present moment.
Easter and the resurrection, at its core, is no different.
So, how are Houston-area Black pastors approaching their Easter 2025 messages in light of the political turmoil and seemingly non-stop attacks on Black humanity?
First, let’s examine how past turbulent times led Black people to interpret the Easter resurrection story
Historical interpretations
Wheaton College New Testament professor and author Dr. Esau McCaulley argues that for enslaved Black people, the Easter resurrection story represented more than just the traditional interpretation of Jesus’s “victory” over death.
McCaulley says during U.S. slavery, enslaved Blacks saw the resurrection as a rebuke of state power (i.e., the power of “massa” and all institutions that enforced slavery).
“The fact that Jesus was the one being beaten and killed at the hands of the state though he was innocent functions as a critique of the [overwhelming] power of the state,” said McCaulley.
So, for the enslaved, McCaulley asserts Easter Resurrection “represented the defeat of the state,” or what many today would label “white supremacy.”
On Easter Sunday 1967, during the turbulent days of the Civil Rights/Black Power movements, Reverend Albert B. Cleage Jr. unveiled at his Detroit church an 18-foot-tall mural that was considered controversial at the time. The mural depicted Mary as the Black Madonna holding her baby, Jesus, the Black Messiah.
For Cleage, the mural symbolized the rebirth (resurrection) of Black people’s pride in themselves and desire for self-determination as expressed by their participation in the Civil Rights/Black Power movements. That year (1967), Cleage interpreted the Easter resurrection as “the resurrection of the Black Nation.”
So, how are Houston-area Black preachers connecting the angst many Black people are feeling due to the erosion of civil rights via White House actions with Easter and the resurrection story at its core?
The Luke Church
Like Black religious leaders of old, Dr. Timothy W. Sloan, senior pastor of The Luke Church (2380 S Houston Ave, Humble, TX 77396), has considered the “signs of the times” in fashioning his church’s series of sermons leading up to and including Easter Sunday.
The series, titled “Keep Your Head Up: Mental Wellness,” plans to explore mental health through the emotions and resilience of Jesus on his way to the cross.
“When we started looking at some of the changes that are happening socially and culturally and what we’re dealing with, we realized that one of the biggest issues was anxiety and mental wellness,” said Sloan. “We started thinking about how do we address mental health as we walk toward resurrection.”
Sloan said his sermon series will “retell the story of the resurrection and Christ and going to Calvary… through the lens of mental wellness and talk about how people are dealing with that in this season.”
Sloan is crystal clear on what he wants congregants to get out of his Lenten/Easter season messages.
“We want them to know that you can deal with anxiety, acknowledge and deal with it. That you can face betrayal and rejection that everyone struggles with,” he said. “You can deal with your trauma and past wounds, and you can find victory in overcoming all of it as we become focused on Christ and the cross and the victory it affords us.
“You don’t have to turn a blind eye, nor do you have to ignore the reality of it. All of us are struggling in some capacity, or we’re real close to someone who is, and we wanna face it head on, knowing that our, our spiritual strength can help us to overcome and rise in power.”
Trinity United Methodist Church
Ed C. Jones III, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church (2600 Holman St., Houston 77004), wants to pique the interest of those who only come to church on Christmas, Mother’s Day and Easter (i.e. “CME” Christians).
“So, my thought for the sermon for Easter is what I call to activate. It’s activating a resurrected faith and that type of understanding to push us beyond the mindset and the thought that we are powerless; that we don’t have the ability to do that or this,” said Jones.
Jones chose to approach the Easter resurrection story in this way because of things he noticed taking place with his members.
“Something that I’m finding, particularly with the senior Saints, they’re studying NBC, CBS, CNN and listening to Fox News. And they’re so much in a frenzy that they operate as if they have no faith,” said Jones. “There is a need for us to make sure that instead of being fearful we operate full of faith. So, when it is time to resurrect faith, it is to resurrect holistic opportunities, social, mental and emotional, and move the needle in those areas and seize this moment.”
Jones cited a past real-world experience to further explain the thought behind his 2025 reading of the Easter resurrection story.
“Some of us remember when Katrina hit. One of the things that we realized, behind every storm is an opportunity to be positioned somewhere where you never would have positioned yourself,” Jones shared. “So, even with the social-political chaos that’s going on everywhere, we have to have eyes of faith to see the opportunity, to seize the opportunity and step into the opportunity.”
Blueridge Methodist Church
Reverend Ross Adams, a Yates High School alum, has recently taken over as pastor of Blueridge Methodist Church. His vision for Blueridge and the Sunnyside area centers around the themes of love and renewal.
In this political climate, where racial tensions and divisions threaten to overshadow hope, Adams says Blueridge “will stand as a beacon of unity and love.”
“By coming together, we can make our neighborhood and our city a better place—a place where God’s love shines brightly and where every family feels empowered to thrive,” said Adams.
His Easter message will address Project 2025 America with four areas of focus: 1) Revitalizing community through resurrecting power, 2) Liberation and empowerment rooted in the resurrection, 3) Unity and faith in times of division and 4) a vision for the future.
“The Resurrection is a model for revival and renewal—a guiding principle as we work to reclaim run-down homes and breathe life into neighborhoods that have faced neglect and systemic disenfranchisement,” said Adams. “Just as Christ restored humanity, we are called to restore not only physical spaces but also the spiritual and emotional well-being of those who reside within them.
