Dear Friends (from Helen)...
What a bright, sunny, clear, clean, Easter morning was presented yesterday here in Idaho. I was looking forward to the renewing of friendships at our church in Boise (Covenant Presbyterian) and being with our daughter and granddaughter again for a holiday.
Being my 72nd year on this earth, I believed I knew how this Easter would progress but God (as usual) had a huge surprise for me and my family.
The day began with a POWERFUL sermon by our Pastor Phil Moran which can be heard in audio form at cpcboise.org. Phil’s sermon explained in very factual tones the actual power of God and the resurrection. Phil has a talent for stating it simply but emphatically. How could anyone doubt? Having been a believer officially since I was 12 years of age, today I heard the Good News with a deeper understanding of how Omnipotent and Eternal God is in all the universe.
Phil stated in his sermon that the crucifixion and resurrection were both very public events. No transparency problem. It was done for all the world to see. It was God’s plan that these events occurred and not just happenstance in a chaotic world. And, His power is omnipotent over all of life, beings and events in our world and the world beyond; A very inspiring sermon.
After a joyful time with friends in church, we proceeded to our daughters home for a delicious Easter celebration dinner with all of the comfort foods, ham, deviled eggs, lime jello salad, THE green bean casserole and rosemary new potatoes. The banana pudding cake wrapped up all the Easter’s past and the parade of family members past and present came together at this meal with us.
As evening approached with an outrageously beautiful northwestern sunset, we arrived at the First Nazarene Church for a local presentation of the life and resurrection of Christ in the play “No Greater Love”. As we passed the camel and donkey waiting quietly outside the front door, I still had no clue what an experience we were soon to enjoy.
Our tickets lead us to the SECOND row of this enormous auditorium in front of a huge stage. We were seated center stage with four steps directly on stage in front of us. Larry was sitting on the aisle. (God had a plan for us!). A fifty piece orchestra with a director in tails was softly playing in the background until 7 o’clock and then they turned up the volume. A piece “Power Easter Medley” began and the old TRADITIONAL “ Jerusalem” rocked the audience. I knew then it was going to be a teary night. Did I mention the floor organ too?!
The stage is decorated very cannily with columns in various places, large rocks, and balconies. As we began, an enormous crowd of people (75 to 100) started descending down the aisles of the auditorium in authentic costumes of 2,000 years ago. Women had grown their hair long, men had grown their beards and hair long. No bathrobes or wigs in this bunch. I was too close and personal not to be able to see the authenticity. People were barefoot or in sandals. Make-up of course, but I could also see the tears causing make up to streak during the performance. Many many times during the performance, there was not a dry eye in the auditorium.
This performance has been presented for the past 34 years and is on going all Easter weekend from Good Friday thru Easter Sunday evening. What a commitment. It has an enormous endowment from memorials and the financial backing of the Nazarene Church.
I will try to make this short but here are the seven OUTSTANDING scenes we experienced in our VIRTUAL Easter celebration!
The audio and lighting were superb.
ALL of the people in the cast are part of this enormous choir. Adults, Teens and Children. There were astounding, outstanding solo voices for the lead characters including the disciples and Jesus.
The choices for the disciples were incredible for local talent but they were just like us right?!. Peter was a tall and well built sandy haired man with a great heart and spectacular presentation. About four times during the evening, I looked to the end of the row and Peter was standing right next to Larry! Yes, I know it was a play BUT the message and reality were enough to shake me. The rest of the disciples were just as spectacular in their roles. We all wept when Judas sat on the steps in front of us and cried in agony with his money bag in his hand “Lord, I just did not understand!” Doubting Thomas was truly believable. The disciples were what I thought the disciples would be like in real time. Shudders were felt.
The character of Jesus was totally believable – a man a little slighter than the towering disciples with dark hair and blue eyes of steel. We were so close that we could see everyone’s facial features. They were REALLY into their roles. Joy and tears!!!
A man enters the crowd with a beautiful little blond girl on his shoulders carrying a crutch. Her barefeet hang over her father’s shoulders and she is wearing a light blue tunic. You see them making their way toward center stage unannounced and suddenly the father swings the little girl down to the floor on her feet. She YELLS as loud as possible “JESUS!” and runs down the steps into Jesus arms as he enters ( by Larry’s arm) down the aisle toward the stage. It was a heart stopping moment. Jesus says, “You are healed!” and walks with her thru the crowd.
The choirs of people are singing “Hosanna/Before the Rocks Cry Out” and all of sudden I hear this strange loud noise like crying coming from behind us. All of us( including my granddaughter in her blue jeans with her phone on her lap), are surrounded by 30 or 40 shepherds, men and women and children. Two or three shepherds at a time were carrying live lambs that were bleating – BAA BAA- and kicking with excitement. There must have been a dozen sheep. And then a camel, almost too big to get in the building is walking across the aisle in front of us carrying an obviously wealthy Roman. The Roman is surrounded by his entourage. WE looked out of place in our 2013 clothes!
Saul who is converted to Paul is completely convincing and the Roman women in all their stylish robes and jewelry looked like the movie stars of today. Big gold shiny rings on every finger, gold bracelets, gold hair with extensions, gold glitter, gold necklaces. They made me sad. It was too REAL!! Shades of Neiman-Marcus. To their credit, the Roman women came to believe and cried buckets of tears.
Lazarus in a shroud of white cloths rose out of his tomb and was an integral part of the rest of the presentation.
Jesus seems to be everywhere and indeed He is. He appeared in the crowds, He appeared behind us speaking scripture in a postitive tone. He was in the garden. He descended from the balcony. Many times, He came right down the aisle beside us and would stop at Larry’s elbow. Unnerving to say the least!
NOW, all of sudden our aisles are flooded with 20 or so Roman centurions. The police of the day! Costuming and hair is superb with the RED short tunics and brown leather belts and armor. I could reach out and touch their spears if I dared. One was the spear that pierced the side of our Lord on the cross.
Three heavy crosses are bearing down on us from behind with masses of Jews crying “Crucify Him!” It was chilling but NOTHING like when the three crosses were raised 10 or 12 feet above us and Jesus forgives everyone! Mary was sobbing uncontrollably and all of the rest of us were too. Then THUNDER rocked the auditorium and the orchestra was at full volume. The curtain was TORN asunder and so were we!
“In Our Midst Again” the mighty choir sang as the Mary’s found the tomb empty! Awesome and chilling!! How could anyone NOT believe! What a miracle! God is Almighty! And, by the way, the director for the first twenty years of this production and the creator of the piece “In Our Mdst Again”, died yesterday Easter morning at 3:45 am. He is now with our RISEN Lord!
AS I SAID “NOT A DRY EYE IN THE AUDITORIUM!”
