The Easter season provides one of the greatest opportunities for the Christian church to witness for the risen Christ. In many denominations this is the pivotal point toward which the liturgical year moves and from which it proceeds. In other churches this major event of the Christian church passes with barely a nod.
Since most Christians are at least in tune with the meaning of Easter, this period of time offers ample opportunity to share the true, deep meaning that the Son is risen.
Imagine you are sitting in church. The choir is singing "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" It's a familiar hymn, and you are following the words. Suddenly through the back doors strides a Roman centurion, complete with sword, spear, and flowing red tunic. His armor shining, the blood-red cape billowing, sword in one hand, spear in the other. As he walks to the front of the church, he says, "Not only was I there, but in fact, I was in charge. I was in charge that day when He died. Let me tell you what it was like to take the life of Jesus. To nail Him to the cross."
Question---would you pay attention? Or would your mind drift off into the gray, foggy mist waiting for the call "And now for the closing hymn..."? If you would pay attention, then so will your congregation.
A creative opportunity
The Easter season brings pastors an unparalleled opportunity to preach the gospel. We know that the date and time of year was accurate. The Christian world is tuned in and thinking of the Easter season and its meaning.
Capturing the meaning of Christ's climactic final weekend on the earth and sharing that with the congregation requires creativity. Interestingly, creativity is the very first picture we see in the Bible. The Genesis account shares with us the majesty and the meaning of God's creativity. Being able as a pastor to be creative in celebrating Easter is very much in tune with the picture of the creativity we see in God throughout Scripture.
What can be done in Adventist churches around Easter? We can draw on the richness of Adventism to give us some ideas in leading up to a meaningful celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Liturgical churches focus on Lent, that period leading up to the day of Easter, also known as Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. In Adventism the logical lead is to do a series on the meaning of the Day of Atonement, and the whole sanctuary service. Services leading up to this week can be either simple or more complex, but they can in fact illustrate the depth of theology that is revealed through the cleansing of the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Here are some ideas that you may wish to consider as you plan next year's Easter season in your church.
A Tenebrae service
A Tenebrae service is one in which the sanctuary is lit only with seven candles. Meditations are read on each of the seven last words of Christ. At the end of each meditation, one candle is extinguished. As the seven last words are contemplated by different speakers or by the same speaker, lights are successively put out until there is only one candle left. At the last word, as Christ dies, the last light is extinguished and the congregation sits in absolute darkness. The impact of "And the light of the world went out" is sure to strike the people and help them realize that without Christ, we are in darkness.
The seven last words
This process has been used frequently. The focus is on the last hours of Christ's life. By building either sermons for the seven preceding weeks around the seven last words or by having one service in which vignettes and small sermonettes are given on each of the words, the focus on Christ and what He has done for us at the cross can be made more real.
Nails in the cross
A large cross can be constructed out of heavy timber or a "box cross" made from plywood. The congregation is invited to come forward after a meditation on how Christ nailed our sins to the cross so that we do not bear them anymore. The people are invited to come forward, pick up a nail and hammer, driving the nail into the cross. As they do so they are invited to leave their sin and guilt at the cross. This brings home the realization that it was not the Roman spear that killed Christ, but my sin. Yet, thank God, I need no longer bear that sin. This is a very effective service when combined with music, depending on what's available at the church in which you serve.
Faces around the cross series
In the weeks leading up to Easter, biographical studies can be done about those individuals with whom Christ had contact prior to His death. They can be narrative sermons, they can also be first-person presentations, they can be done in multiple-voice readings, or in a variety of ways featuring individuals such as Peter, Caiaphas, Pilate, Nicodemus, the centurion at the cross, the thief on the cross, Barabbas, John the Beloved, Mary, and many others. You can look at the last week of Christ's life leading up to the cross and the events of the cross from unique and powerful perspectives.
Dramatic presentations
A new play has been written by Tom Neslund of the General Conference Health and Temperance department called Matthew's Miracle. It may be done in five parts or all at one time. It is the story of a tomb builder whose job it was to prepare Joseph's tomb. Matthew is a Jew: he does not believe in Christ. Matthew's wife, however, is a believer, but she dies because she cannot get to Christ before the Lord is crucified. Matthew's miracle happens when he understands the meaning of Christ's death and accepts Jesus as the one who can give life not only to himself but to his beloved wife. (This original play is available by writing: Tom Neslund, Health and Temperance Department, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, or calling 301-680-6720.)
Communion and the Easter season
An agape Communion service on Friday evening is an appropriate way to celebrate Easter and shows how it links to the real meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection and the washing away of our sin.
Arranging the church decor
The visual aids used in the sanctuary can be a reminder of Christ's passion and help the spoken word have more of an impact on the congregation. One pastor began a special series with a small wooden cross placed in the front of the church sanctuary. Each week the smaller cross was replaced by a larger wooden cross until the front of the church was dominated by a huge cross. From week to week he expanded on the reality of Christ moving closer and closer to the cross, which at first seems very distant and nonthreatening but ultimately became that which dominated all. Again, the visuals made the spoken word more effective.
The use of the cross in front of the church draped with different colored cloth on it also has deep meaning. In anticipation of the Crucifixion, a white drape is placed on the cross indicating the purity of Christ. On Friday and over Sabbath the cross is draped with black indicating His death. Following the Resurrection, the cross is draped with purple indicating the royalty of the Son of God, whose sacrifice was accepted that I might live. The front of the church may also display appropriate items such as a large mallet with huge nails, a whip, and a crown of thorns. The impact of this visual helps drive home the point of Christ's death and my deliverance.
A series of sermons can be developed around these items: the three crowns of Christ the crown of royalty that He gave up in order to take on the crown of thorns for us, and then the victorious crown that He now gives to us because of His sacrifice. These can be placed in front of the church sanctuary as illustrations for a series of sermons. The visuals of the church are not merely for decoration; they are to illustrate the meaning of Easter.
Ellen White tells us it would be good to spend an hour a day contemplating the life of Christ, particularly the last days of His life. Sermons, illustrations, and church decor leading up to and including the Easter season give us an unsurpassed opportunity to focus on and gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of Christ's death and His resurrection. In Adventist theology we certainly can draw on our understanding of the sanctuary and its meaning, and how that links to Jesus' last weekend on earth. We can also deal with another key aspect: He not only rose from the tomb, but He is coming back again for us.
Whenever visuals are being planned, care should be taken to be sensitive to the concerns of a given congregation. Some will not be comfortable with every suggestion made here. Being prayerful and thoughtful in the light of any worship planning is always a must. Special programs leading up to and including Easter are not celebrating a day or a season, but instead are giving homage and worship to the Son who has risen and is soon to return.
