Today is Good Friday, the day that Jesus was crucified. Tonight is also opening night for Angels of the Empyrean: Journey to the Empty Tomb. Tonight I get to portray Jesus, and one of the scenes is the cross. Over the past few weeks as we've rehearsed the scene I've gained some new insights on crucifixion.
In the play I'm not having nails driven through my wrists and feet. I'm not being beaten with sticks or a whip with shards of metal on the tips. I don't have to carry a 300 pound cross over rough, uneven streets barefoot. My arm isn't pulled out of socket to make it fit the beam. And though I do have a crown of thorns, it isn't real, and it doesn't cut into my forehead. Because I don't have to undergo all of that, it has opened my eyes to another aspect of crucifixion.
As your arms are spread out and the weight of your body works with gravity, blood doesn't flow easily to your arms, and they begin to fall asleep. It gets to the point after twenty minutes that i cannot get my hands out of the rope loops on my own. Every little movement gives that uncomfortably painful feeling you get as your limb begins to wake up. And every time you take a breath while being crucified you have to pull yourself up.
On top of this, during the scene I'm not able to move my feet/legs since we're going for realism and during a real crucifixion they would have been nailed down. Since I can't move them and they are in one position on a small platform (not nearly as small as an actual crucifixion) there begins to be a cramp that moves down my entire leg. And again, being unable to move, I just have to deal with it.
And I only have to be on the cross for about twenty minutes, Jesus was up there for six hours. I don't have to endure the torture that Jesus did as well. So He got to deal with all of that, and the little discomforts that are just icing on the cake.
This experience has given me a new insight into the pain that Jesus endured. Yes it may seem small and insignificant, He may not have even noticed it with everything else He was going through, but it's a thought to add as we reflect on the sacrifice of today.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Friday, April 18, 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Portraying Christ
Several months ago my brother-in-law called me with a request. At the church he attends he writes the holiday plays, as well as directs different video productions to promote events. Two Christmases ago (2012) we saw part one of a play with a cliffhanger ending, that would wrap up Easter of 2014. This particular favor involves me participating in the Easter play. He asked me to play the part of Jesus. It's one of those feelings that I'm not really sure how to describe. It's still difficult for me to put words to all of this. I started writing this in December after our initial cast read through of the script.
We've been working for months, and in less than a week we perform. It's one of those experiences part of me has always wanted. I've studied my character for the better part of almost three decades. I've come to know Him personally and intimately in that time, and as part of that it's my role to reflect Him to the world. This is the chance to literally do that. To stand before hundreds of people this upcoming weekend and give a portrayal of Jesus.
Spoiler alert, in the Easter play, Jesus dies, and then comes back to life. There is a scene where after the resurrection Jesus confronts Satan (if I say anything else I'll probably get in trouble). But reading the lines, speaking to the devil as Christ, you can't help but feel powerful. You can't help but feel the authority of Christ in that moment. It makes chills run up your body. And at the same time there is a scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, drawing from the account in Luke, where Jesus is worshiped. In that moment there is a tremendous sense of unworthiness.
My hope is that this upcoming Easter weekend, the people in attendance will see a glimpse of who Jesus is. Not how the church has painted Him, or even how I have come to know Him, but who Jesus really is. The love that took Him to the cross. The victory that He won for us at the empty tomb. The authority that is ours because of His Spirit. The burden that is still there for the work that is still to be done.
My hope is that this is what my own life looks like every day. I want to live in the power of the Spirit, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, glorify the Father, and love God and others. That's what Jesus did on earth, and that is what I want every day of my life. Every day I want to be a portrayal of Christ.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
We've been working for months, and in less than a week we perform. It's one of those experiences part of me has always wanted. I've studied my character for the better part of almost three decades. I've come to know Him personally and intimately in that time, and as part of that it's my role to reflect Him to the world. This is the chance to literally do that. To stand before hundreds of people this upcoming weekend and give a portrayal of Jesus.
Spoiler alert, in the Easter play, Jesus dies, and then comes back to life. There is a scene where after the resurrection Jesus confronts Satan (if I say anything else I'll probably get in trouble). But reading the lines, speaking to the devil as Christ, you can't help but feel powerful. You can't help but feel the authority of Christ in that moment. It makes chills run up your body. And at the same time there is a scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, drawing from the account in Luke, where Jesus is worshiped. In that moment there is a tremendous sense of unworthiness.
My hope is that this upcoming Easter weekend, the people in attendance will see a glimpse of who Jesus is. Not how the church has painted Him, or even how I have come to know Him, but who Jesus really is. The love that took Him to the cross. The victory that He won for us at the empty tomb. The authority that is ours because of His Spirit. The burden that is still there for the work that is still to be done.
My hope is that this is what my own life looks like every day. I want to live in the power of the Spirit, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, glorify the Father, and love God and others. That's what Jesus did on earth, and that is what I want every day of my life. Every day I want to be a portrayal of Christ.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Jesus
When I was younger during Sunday School I was asked, "What Bible character are you most like?" You've probably been asked the same question. A lot of people say Peter, he's an old favorite, actually most people probably say Peter. But I really think that's the wrong answer, not in that it's not who people are most like, but because it is who people are most like.
The world doesn't need more Peter's. It doesn't need more David's, Moses', Paul's, Joshua's or Timothy's. The world needs more Jesus. What would happen if when Christians were asked, "What Bible character are you most like?" they answered Jesus? What would a world look like where Christ followers actually looked like Christ?
We are called to become like Christ. When we enter into new life through salvation, we enter into life with a new purpose and goal. Romans 8 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified" (verses 28-30).
God created us to mirror Him to creation. When sin entered the world the mirror was broken. Jesus came to earth in order to show us what the image looks like, and then die and resurrect in order to make it possible for us to reflect the image. God causes all things to work together for our good, because everything molds us into the image of His Son. The goal of the Christ follower is not to be like Peter, or David, or Paul, but Jesus Christ.
What Bible character do you want to be most like?
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
The world doesn't need more Peter's. It doesn't need more David's, Moses', Paul's, Joshua's or Timothy's. The world needs more Jesus. What would happen if when Christians were asked, "What Bible character are you most like?" they answered Jesus? What would a world look like where Christ followers actually looked like Christ?
We are called to become like Christ. When we enter into new life through salvation, we enter into life with a new purpose and goal. Romans 8 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified" (verses 28-30).
God created us to mirror Him to creation. When sin entered the world the mirror was broken. Jesus came to earth in order to show us what the image looks like, and then die and resurrect in order to make it possible for us to reflect the image. God causes all things to work together for our good, because everything molds us into the image of His Son. The goal of the Christ follower is not to be like Peter, or David, or Paul, but Jesus Christ.
What Bible character do you want to be most like?
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
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