My Easter journey this year followed a pattern of expansion in relationship. It started Maundy Thursday, continued Good Friday, and came to light Easter Sunday.
Maundy Thursday, I attended a Seder at First Christian Church in downtown San Jose to hear again the 2,000-year-old story of Jesus’ walk along the Dolorosa in Old Jerusalem. A Seder Supper is a ritualistic Passover meal to remind Jewish children of their ancestors who were saved from death by the blood of the lamb. It has also become a Christian event based on the Last Supper.
Good Friday, I was joined by five others to do a gig at Sunrise home for seniors in Palo Alto. We had been invited by recreation director Mike Jones.
We performed “An Easter Retrospection”, a poem. We arrived mid-morning to meet the residents – some Christian, some Jewish, all mature – living out their sunset years at Sunrise. Our Judeo-Christian audience of 15 reminded me again, as it had the night before, that as followers of Christ we have a rich heritage wrapped in Jewish culture.
“An Easter Retrospection” points to the crucifixion, symbolized by the death of Jesus – rabbi to His disciples, fraud to the Roman Guard, rejected by His own, savior of the world.
This oral symphony, a poem in four movements, was written by my cousin Sandee Pauls, who lives is a Mennonite village in Canada. She wrote it in 2005 for a Good Friday service in which four local churches participated.
Her play has come a long way, now being read in California.
“The reading is a summary of the Bible,” Mike interpreted for his residents at the end of our performance. “You have listened to a short introduction to the Bible that starts with the history of the Jewish race and ends with the death and resurrection of Christ. Today we remember His death, and in two days we remember that He rose from the dead,” he said.
Easter Sunday, we were in our pews at Lincoln Glen, the church I attend. As I sat through the service, I contemplated my Easter Journey, and the light came on! It had started with two friends Maundy Thursday, expanding to a small group the next day, and was now ending with all of us sitting in the narthex of our church.
We have Small Group potential!
We like each other and get along just fine! Our comments later on showed we had enjoyed doing this gig – Lois on piano, Ray on bass, me on the tenor sax, Dakota on percussion, and readers Sherry, JoAnn and Evelyn. Eldred was “The Voice of God”.
We appreciate our Judeo-Christian background.
We fellowship together as Christians in the same church.
During Lent I had suggested to worship pastor Larry Albright the possibility of performing “An Easter Retrospection” in our church, not during Holy Week, but soon after perhaps.
“Put it together, Irv,” he said.