Celebrating Easter with the whole people of God


Stephen Kuhrt writes: For a number of years, I have written a Children’s Carol Service for use the Sunday before Christmas at Christ Church, New Malden. Both children and adults come in biblical costumes. The aim has been to combine something of the fun of Christmas Panto with conveying biblical theology that draws out the significance of Christmas and its themes – particularly the political significance of the off neglected roles of Herod and Augustus. This year I wrote an Easter equivalent which took place on Sunday 3rd April to try and provide a template with which the church could approach Easter over the next two weeks. Whilst the theology sought to challenge adults as much as children, the language used tried to be accessible for children (sin/evil as ‘the bad stuff’ and Messiah as ‘Special King’ and so on). Easter proved more of a challenge than writing for Christmas and there were things I discovered during the performance that will amend my approach in future years. But it was great fun, made a considerable impact and the script (which can be varied any way people want) is offered here in case anyone else can make use of it. 


(The Easter Bunny enters)

Easter Bunny: Well welcome everyone to the first ever ‘Easter Costume and Praise’ at Christ Church. I was told that people had to come dressed as a character from the Easter story and so here I am. I hope you like my costume – after all, you can’t get ‘more Eastery’ than the Easter Bunny, can you? And of course my role – a deeply moving and solemn one, if I might say – is that giving out chocolate eggs on Easter Day, a task, indeed a vocation which lies right at the heart of what Easter is all about.

Bartholomew: (appearing from the back dressed as a disciple) Excuse me, can I say something?

Easter Bunny: Oh dear, who on earth are you supposed to be? 

Bartholomew: Me? I’m Bartholomew, one of the disciples. 

Easter Bunny: Bartholomew, one of the disciples? What an earth do you mean? And what you do look like? We were clearly told in the instructions from that Vicar chap that we had to come dressed as a character from the Easter story – but look at you! Not a floppy ear, no big teeth or a chocolate egg in sight. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! 

Bartholomew: Well there’s a reason for that.

Easter Bunny: Oh yes and what that might be? 

Bartholomew: The reason is that I am a disciple and the disciples are very much to do with the Easter story. 

Easter Bunny: Are they? They can’t be a very big part. I’ve never heard of them

Bartholomew: Well it’s not the most important part in the Easter story, granted. But I’ve got to say its loads more important than yours because, well … (pausing to be tactful)… you’re not in the Easter story at all!

Easter Bunny: Not in the Easter story at all?? Me, the Easter Bunny?? Oh yes I am! 

Bartholomew: (encouraging everyone to join in) Oh no you’re not!

Easter Bunny: Oh yes I am!

Bartholomew: (encouraging everyone to join in) Oh no you’re not!

Easter Bunny: Oh yes I am!

Bartholomew: (encouraging everyone to join in) Oh no you’re not!

Easter Bunny: Oh yes I am!

Bartholomew: (encouraging everyone to join in) Oh no you’re not!

Easter Bunny: (starting to cry) I can’t believe it. Me – the Easter Bunny – not part of the Easter story. Not at all? I am gutted. And after all the church budget I spent on this costume. What is to become of me??!! 

Bartholomew: Well look, it’s not as bad as all that. When I said that you’re not in the Easter Story, I meant the original Easter Story in the Bible that tells us the whole reason that Easter is important. But like everyone, once you understand the story and its importance, you can find your place in it. 

Easter Bunny: Really, is that true? 

Bartholomew: It sure is. Easter is for everyone because Jesus – the person at the centre of Easter – is for everyone. I think we’d better hear the Easter story again this morning so that all of us – including you – can be reminded of how important this story is.

Easter Bunny: Well I’m up for that. How does it start?

Bartholomew: Well there’s a question. You could say it starts when God created the world. You could say it needed to start once that world went wrong through people disobeying God and all the bad stuff coming into the world. You could say it began when God started his plan for putting that world right through the people of Israel. In some ways, it starts with all of those things. But we’re going to start it with Jesus.

Easter Bunny: Jesus? Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

Bartholomew: Well Christmas is when we remember Jesus first coming into the world as a baby. But the most important things that Jesus did were much later – when he was about 33 years old.

Easter Bunny: Really? I’d like to hear about that.

Bartholomew: You will, you will. But we’re going to sing our first Easter Song. It’s called ‘Make Way’ and it’s all about when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Here is the donkey and here is (child’s name) who is going carry it around the church with all of the children in costume following.  Everyone should have been given a palm branch as you came in and as we sing this we’ve got wave our palm branches in the air – before – and only at the point that I say laying them down in the central aisle. That will only happen half way through the song, so watch me carefully and I’ll give the thumbs up for when we do this.      

Song: Make Way

Easter Bunny: (singing) Make way, Make way for Christ the King, in splendour arrives!! What a great song. I loved that! 

Bartholomew: Yes it is great and it all happened on Palm Sunday, exactly a week before Easter Day when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey to crowds waving palm branches as he came in. The prophet Zechariah in the Old Testament had said that when Israel’s special king came, he would come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey and that’s what was happening.

Easter Bunny: But what does it mean to say that Jesus was the special king?

Bartholomew: Ahh, well that was just the question. Why don’t we ask one of the crowd that waved those branches as Jesus came into Jerusalem. (Calling out to Jewish Revolutionary), you sir would you mind joining us up here on the platform?

(Jewish Revolutionary comes on to the platform)

Jewish Revolutionary: So what can I do for you?

Bartholomew: Well I’d like to ask you a question

Jewish Revolutionary: Of course, fire away

Bartholomew: So why did you turn out today and wave those palm branches to welcome Jesus on that donkey into Jerusalem 

Jewish Revolutionary: (secretively) Ahh. You saw me do that, did you? (Looking at Bartholomew) Well you look safe enough. (Looking at Easter Bunny) Not sure about your mate, it has to be said. But, yes I was here to welcome the… er … (whispering) new king, if you get my drift…

Easter Bunny: (loudly) The New King? 

Jewish Revolutionary: Sssh. Keep your voice down! We don’t want the Romans to hear us, do we? We’d be for the chop. No. I was there because I hate the Romans after all the bad stuff they’ve done to Israel with their taxes and their cruelty and what I was hoping – what I am hoping – that is this Jesus, will be the special king that God will send to rescue us.

Bartholomew: The special king to rescue us?

Jewish Revolutionary: Yes to rescue us by killing all the Romans! 

Easter Bunny: Killing them??

Jewish Revolutionary: Yes, killing them! They’ve be no point in God sending us a special king otherwise, would there? Yep, I hoping that Jesus was the special king God promised to send and I’ll know that’s so the minute that he starts killing Romans! I will see you later.

(Jewish Revolutionary goes back into congregation) 

Easter Bunny: Wow, I didn’t know all this was in Easter story? I didn’t think church was meant to be political.

Bartholomew: You don’t believe all that cobblers about church not being political, do you? Easter and Jesus is massively political. But not, I’m afraid, in the way that man thought with all that talk of Jesus killing Romans. He’d got that completely wrong and that was shown by what happened next. God had a very different plan for getting rid of the bad stuff. We’ll start hearing about that after we’ve sung our next song so let’s stand to sing…  

Song: O Lord the Cloud are Gathering 

Easter Bunny: Well that was another good song but it’s a bit of an odd choice to sing about ‘the fire of judgement’ on a day of costume and celebration, isn’t it?

Bartholomew: Maybe … but we can’t understand the message of Jesus without it

Easter Bunny: I don’t understand. A minute ago were hearing all about Jesus being welcomed as the special king and everyone being happy with him and it now all sounds a lot less happy…

Bartholomew: Umm…. It’s a bit difficult to explain. Ahh … here is someone who can help us…

(Temple priest enters)    

Temple Priest: (in a very cross voice) Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. It really won’t do. It won’t do it at all!! 

Easter Bunny: What won’t do? Why are you so angry?

Temple Priest: I’m angry because of what this fellow Jesus has just done in the Temple!! 

Easter Bunny: Oh and what’s that?

Temple Priest: Caused chaos and disorder, that’s what! It’s Passover, one of the busiest times of the year when we do loads of business selling animals for people to sacrifice in the Temple. And this Jesus comes in, turns over the all the stalls and basically announces God’s judgement upon us. There’s a picture of it happening. How very dare he!!!

Bartholomew: (knowingly) Announcing God’s judgement? What did he say?

Temple Priest: What did he say?? Something about God saying that his house being meant to be ‘a house of prayer for all nations’ but us turning it instead into ‘a den of thieves’. And to think, some people thought he might have been the special king that God sent to rescue us? To take the bad stuff away. The special king would never talk that way about the Temple and God’s people, would he? We’re going to need to get rid of him fast!! 

(Temple Priest angrily leaves) 

Easter Bunny: Wow… he seemed pretty annoyed with Jesus, didn’t he? Surely Jesus came to love people, not to make them cross?

Bartholomew: Well, he certainly came to love people but that involved being honest about what God’s people had done wrong.

Easter Bunny: And what was that?

Bartholomew: Well, the thing about the people of Israel is that they were meant to be like a really bright light that would show everyone else in the world what God was like. The Temple even had a special place for these people – it was called ‘the court of the Gentiles’ – you can see it there in the picture – that big open space there. The idea was that the Jews would help lead everyone to God.

Easter Bunny: And that didn’t happen?

Bartholomew: In a word, no. In the very place where the people from other countries were able to worship God, the priests instead piled up stalls to make money. And part of Jesus being Israel’s special king meant making it clear that God’s people had got it wrong and not been that special people that God made them to be?

Easter Bunny: Oh, is that why Jesus did that thing with the fig tree? I heard that Bible story once and couldn’t make out what it was on about?

Bartholomew: Yes that’s right. Just after Jesus came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he saw a fig tree which didn’t have figs growing on it and so he said the tree would die.

Easter Bunny: That sounds a bit bad tempered! I didn’t think Jesus did bad things.

Bartholomew: Well it wasn’t a bad thing. Jesus was using it as a picture. God’s people were meant to be like a tree with loads of fruit growing on it – producing loads of good stuff through their love and kindness. But they weren’t – because of the way they were living they were like an apple tree with lots of leaves but no apples. And that meant the tree itself was going bad and would have to go! It would end up a bit like that tree in the Vicar’s garden! 

Easter Bunny: Wow. No wonder Jesus upset people. But I guess we need the bad stuff pointed out if we’re going to change… in our lives as well. 

Bartholomew: Spot on Easter Bunny! You’re learning!! It’s all part of what made Jesus the special king. And soon we’re going to find out soon how Jesus was going to take all that bad stuff away. But first we’re going to sing again. So let’s stand and sing ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’… 

Song: What a Friend we have in Jesus

Easter Bunny: Well that was a bit more comforting. Nice to know that Jesus wants to be our friend…

Bartholomew: Yes that’s really important … and the way that Jesus showed this was important too. 

Easter Bunny: What do you mean?

Bartholomew: I’ll tell you in a minute. Here is one of my fellow disciples, Thaddaeus. 

(Thaddaeus comes on)

Thaddaeus: (shaking his head) Very, very strange. 

Easter Bunny: What’s strange? 

Thaddaeus: The evening I’ve just had with Jesus. Very strange in all sorts of ways

Bartholomew: I was there and I agree. But why do you call it strange, Thaddaeus?

Thaddaeus: Well Jesus got us together in a room and we assumed that we were there to celebrate Passover – you know the special meal that we Jews have once a year to remember God rescuing us from slavery in Egypt, taking us through the Red Sea and off towards the Promised Land – all that stuff.

Easter Bunny: And didn’t you?

Thaddeus: Well we did … but with some big differences. At Passover we’d normally eat a lamb but this time there wasn’t one. The bread and wine were there as usual but when Jesus took them, he said they stood for his body and blood. And rather than remembering the escape from Egypt, he said that whenever we had that meal in the future we had to do it in remembrance of him. I didn’t really understand it at all.

Bartholomew: Yes, it was a bit strange. And what happened next Thaddaeus?

Thaddaeus: Well it got even stranger. We were used to Jesus being our leader and a few of us had started to really hope that he would be the special king to drive out the Romans and set us free. But do you know what he did? Jesus got a towel and a bowl of water, got down on his hands and knees and started to wash our feet! Just like a servant would! So strange! 

(Thaddaeus goes off shaking his head)

Easter Bunny: Well that is odd. You can’t be both a servant and a king, can you? Either you’re a king in charge of people and telling them what to do or you’re a servant being told what to do. Isn’t that right? 

Bartholomew: Well perhaps not. We’ve sung about Jesus being our friend and perhaps he did that by being a ‘Servant King’.

Easter Bunny: A Servant King? I’ve never heard of one of those before.

Bartholomew: Well perhaps we’d better sing about it as a way of helping you learn. 

Song: The Servant King  

Easter Bunny: Wow I am learning a lot this morning. So Jesus came to be the special king but in way that no one expected?

Bartholomew: Spot on Easter Bunny. And he did this by becoming the Servant King!

Easter Bunny: So was there nothing in the Bible stories that meant that people saw this coming?

Bartholomew: Well there was lots of stuff about God sending a special king – someone who would be a bit like King David – and there was some other stuff – particularly in Isaiah – about there being a special servant. But, before Jesus came, no one had thought how those two things might go together…

Easter Bunny: Well it does make sense of a lot of the things that Jesus did, doesn’t it? Showing God’s love to people by healing them, getting rid of the bad stuff from people’s lives and being kind to people who no one else had time for.

Bartholomew: That’s right. And a lot of us disciples were really slow to wake up to this. So much so that he once had to tell two of us – James and John, if I remember rightly, that he came ‘not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many’ 

Easter Bunny: ‘To give his life as a ransom for many’? I’m not sure I understand what that means.

Bartholomew: Well the best way to understand it is if we sing about it. Our next song is a bit of a sad one if I’m honest but a happy one at the same time.

Easter Bunny: Sad and happy at the same time? I don’t understand. 

Bartholomew: You will in a bit. Let’s sing the song…

Song: There is a Green Hill Far Away

Easter Bunny: Well that’s really sad. So Jesus – the person who was so full of God’s love and truth – was killed. Those priests who he had got so annoyed by what he did in the Temple were able to get him? 

Bartholomew: Yes and not just the priests. There was loads of bad stuff involved in the death of Jesus. All of us disciples ran away rather than staying with him – we were scared you see. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate knew that Jesus had done nothing wrong but in the end, rather weakly, he gave into the people who hated Jesus. And then the Romans took Jesus and put him on a cross to die with everyone who was there saying nasty things and being really horrible to him.

Easter Bunny: This is so sad. But you said it was happy as well – I just can’t see it!! 

Bartholomew: Well there are two ways in which it’s happy. One – that we’ll see in a minute is that Jesus didn’t stay dead – he came alive again! But the other really important one is what Jesus’ death made happen

Easter Bunny: What Jesus’ death made happen? What do you mean? Surely someone dying doesn’t make anything happen? They just die?

Bartholomew: Well you know we spoke about Jesus being full of God’s love – totally and utterly?

Easter Bunny: Yes but so what?  

Bartholomew: Well when Jesus died, all of that bad stuff that put him there – the anger of the priests, the cruelty of the Romans, the weakness of people like me and his other friends, the meanness of everyone there – all of that bad stuff (evil we sometimes call it) came face to face with God’s total and utter love. And guess what – that love was more powerful than all of the bad stuff and took away its power!

Easter Bunny: Oh is that the reason why they call the day that Jesus died, ‘Good Friday’?

Bartholomew: Spot on, Easter Bunny!! You’re learning, aren’t you?

Easter Bunny: (suspiciously) But how can we know all that stuff was true about God’s love breaking the power of the bad stuff when Jesus died? Sounds a bit far-fetched to me.

Bartholomew: Well for at least three reasons.

Easter Bunny: Go on…

Bartholomew: Well first of all at the point Jesus died on that cross, the big curtain in the Temple split from top to bottom. And that showed that because of Jesus’ death, all of the bad stuff keeping people away from God had been taken away. 

Easter Bunny: Wow. So every bad thing I’ve ever done was taken away? 

Bartholomew: Yep, you and everyone here. Because Jesus died, we could all be forgiven and come close to God. And that’s links to the second thing that showed this. Get ready everyone to welcome the Roman Centurion who was in charge when Jesus died…

Easter Bunny: I’m not sure I want to welcome him. In fact I suggest we boo him instead…

(The Roman Centurion comes on to massive booing led by the Easter Bunny)

Easter Bunny: You might look sad, but you deserve everything you get for being part of killing Jesus. You’re totally horrible!!

Roman Centurion: Yes I deserve the booing. I was as horrible and cruel as anyone. We dressed Jesus up as a king to be nasty to him and we even put a sign above him on the cross laughing at the idea that anyone might think he was the special king. We were really horrible and he did nothing at back to us. Nothing at all. But something really amazing then happened to me when Jesus died…

Bartholomew: I think we need to hear this everyone so let’s quieten down. What happened Centurion? 

Roman Centurion: Well it was really odd. When Jesus died, having shown all of that love, a strange power made me suddenly realise that he was the Son of God. And I said as much – ‘Truly this man was the Son of God’. Those were the words that I said. I don’t completely understand it but I knew that something incredible had just happened through this special servant king…

(Roman Centurion goes off shaking his head)

Easter Bunny: Wow, that’s stranger than anything so far. A Roman Centurion – one of the soldiers putting Jesus to death – declared that Jesus was the Son of God. What was all that about?

Bartholomew: Well you know we just heard about the curtain ripping in the Temple to show that everyone could now come to God? Well that means everyone. God’s love had won such a mighty victory that everyone – no matter how bad the things that they had done – could now come to God. Even that Roman centurion!

Easter Bunny: Wow this is amazing.

Bartholomew: Yes but the most amazing bit is still to come. Because Jesus was so full of God’s love and because that love is more powerful than any of the bad stuff, Jesus didn’t stay dead. He came alive again!

Easter Bunny: Came alive again. After being dead? Really?

Bartholomew: Yes he did. And we’re going to sing about it now. The next song starts off by talking about Jesus dying but then it speaks about how he came alive again!!

Song: Led like a lamb 

Easter Bunny: So let me get this straight. Jesus was so full of God’s love that the bad stuff that was beaten by God’s love even included death? 

Bartholomew: Spot on Easter Bunny, spot on!!

Easter Bunny: I’m not sure I can get my head round this. If that’s true, it changes everything about this world, doesn’t it? Everything!!

Bartholomew: It sure does. And to understand that a bit more, let’s meet the very first people who realised that Jesus had come alive again. They were the women who followed Jesus. Unlike the men, they hadn’t run away and they came to his tomb early on the very first Easter morning to put spices on his body. They were really the original Spice Girls and so let’s welcome them on this morning…

Wanabee plays as the three Spice Girls come in 

Easter Bunny: So you’re the original Spice Girls? I’ve always wanted to meet you. So who are you?

Mary Magdalene: Well I’m Mary Magdalene – probably the most famous of the Spice Girls. My life was in such a mess before I meet Jesus that I guess people could call me ‘Scary Spice’. But that all changed when I met Jesus. I’m now ‘Nice Spice’

Easter Bunny: And who are the rest of you?

Salome: Well I’m Salome Spice!

Joanna: And I’m Joanna Spice!

Easter Bunny: Well you look very happy. Why, when your friend Jesus had just died?

Mary Magdalene: Well we weren’t happy at first. We were heart-broken as that song has just said. 

Salome: Jesus had changed our lives you see.

Joanna: Yes, as women, we were used to being treated as unimportant. Men at the time were seen as much more important than women. But Jesus treated us totally differently. He gave us respect and love.

Salome: Yes, and that respect and love gave us a hope we had never had before… 

Joanna: But then that hope disappeared when he died. We were watching and saw it happen and we were powerless to do anything about it.

Salome: All of our hopes seem to have gone up in smoke…

Mary Magdalene: Until, that is we came to his tomb early on Easter morning – the place where he had been buried. Carrying our spices to anoint his body. And we found the tomb empty! At first we thought someone had taken his body away but fairly soon we discovered that it was because Jesus had risen from the dead! He had come alive again! God’s love was so powerful in beating the bad stuff in this world that it had even beaten death itself. Incredible but true!!

Salome: Yep, and that changed our lives because all that hope that Jesus had given us came flooding back. Jesus coming alive again changes everything because it shows us that however much bad stuff remains in this world, it isn’t going win! 

Joanna: Yes, and that is such an encouragement to us to keep showing love when the bad stuff happens because we know that God’s love is now in charge of this world. Jesus is alive, God’s new creation is already underway and what is so totally fab is that we can be part of it!! 

Bartholomew: Well thank you Spice Girls. You’ve helped us to understand what Easter is all about. You can go now…

(Wanabee music again as the Spice Girls depart back to the congregation) 

Easter Bunny: Wow, now I get what Easter is all about. Jesus coming to be the special king but in a way that no one expected – as the servant king full of God’s love in way that meant that all of the bad stuff in this world was beaten by that love and had its power taken away. All the bad things that we have done, all the bad things done to us, even death itself.

Bartholomew: Yep, spot on Easter Bunny. Easter is all about the power of God’s love in Jesus breaking the power of sin and evil – they are other words that we can use for the bad stuff – showing that God’s new world of love and hope had begun and declaring that we can be part of it.

Easter Bunny: Well I’m not sure about that last bit. The Easter Bunny wasn’t in the story we’ve just heard so how can I be part of it?

Bartholomew: You can be part of it because everyone is invited to be part of it – no one is left out of the invitation to become God’s Easter People.  

Easter Bunny: Really? There’s even a place for the Easter Bunny?

Bartholomew: Of course! The important thing is to know what Easter is all about. And now you do know, what about coming back on Easter Day and giving chocolate eggs to all of the children in this church?  

Easter Bunny: Really, do people want me here?

Bartholomew: Let’s ask them. Now that he knows what Easter is all about, shall we ask the Easter Bunny to come back on Easter Day and give chocolate eggs to all of the children? 

(Lots of ‘I can’t hear you’ whipping the children up into an Easter frenzy)

Bartholomew: Well I think we’re done. Let’s sing our final song this morning. A great celebration of Jesus coming alive again and what it can mean for our lives – Shine, Jesus Shine

Song: Shine Jesus Shine 

Final Prayer


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29 thoughts on “Celebrating Easter with the whole people of God”

  1. I think I can honestly say that this is the first article on Psephizo where I have laughed out loud (in a good way!). Thanks.

    Reply
      • Stephen

        You may have noticed my comment below. I thought there was much that was excellent about your script. I was a bit unsure about the conversion of the Easter Bunny. I can understand why you included it. In fact you don’t speak of conversion. Perhaps you meant that in God’s kingdom there will be animals as well as people. Some way of expressing this may be a better bible picture.

        Reply
        • I saw the Easter Bunny as modelling to the kids someone discovering what Easter is all about – and getting excited about it. So I guess it was a conversion in process. And whilst I firmly believe in the presence of the animals within the New Creation, I think I intended to present the Easter Bunny here as more of an anthropological figure – to encourage people with secular assumptions to engage with what Easter is all about. Hope that isn’t too pretentious!

          Reply
  2. I thought this was very good. Thanks for this Ian. Maybe some reservations about the Easter Bunny’s conversion.

    Reply
  3. Well, I’m not at all sure how you *do* introduce the concept of sin (`the bad stuff’ as this piece puts it) to a 6 year old. We recently persuaded our son to give up some of his toys for a Ukrainian family (with two children) that had escaped rather quickly – we told him that Nogbad the Bad (code name for Vlad) had taken all their toys away and that they didn’t have any toys at all. At first he was reluctant to give up any of his own, but when it was impressed on him that Nogbad the Bad had taken *all* their toys and they *didn’t have any at all* it was difficult to stop him from putting every single toy he had into the bag.

    He doesn’t (yet) understand the concept of killing – and the `bad stuff’ that is going on is (as yet, thank goodness) completely beyond him. In his world, the worst thing that can happen to a person is if Nogbad the Bad takes all their toys away.

    I’m wondering how you actually do introduce the gospel message in some meaningful way to a child of that age who does not yet seem to have left the Garden of Eden.

    Reply
  4. Jock

    Gradually. You can point out we all do wrong things – children and adults. Maybe give a few examples. I would want him to be aware he has done wrong. You could ask him what kind of things are wrong and ask him if he has done any of these.

    I’d want to speak about sin in the context of God’s love and Jesus dying to take the punishment for our sin. I’m not sure when you introduce judgement but not as young as six. I think I’d want the idea of judgement clear before the age of 12.

    These are just impressions. I do think we need to try to have the key truths of the gospel embedded before they face the more serious challenges of a secular world.

    Reply
  5. Oh no it isn’t.
    Oh yes it is.
    Oh no it isn’t
    Oh yes it is
    Booooooooooooooooo
    Graham Kendrick

    On Wednesday gone, invitations had gone through visiting neighbours homes, through school invitations and the church doors were wide open for a free Easter Eggstravaganzer from 3pm to 4:30. Live sheep and goats, crafts, games…for some of those there, it would have been the first time they’d seen and stroked live sheep and goats.
    And it was packed.
    However, central to the event, all the activities stopped. One recent church member, who has a business for children’s entertainment. Took over holding everyones quiet attention. I didn’t know what was planned, but at the centre of the front of the church a on a raised plinth, there was a large covered container. A local school youngster bounced expectantly bounced onto the stage. He was given an emormous easter egg to hold, much to his delight and with photo of things and people displayed in sequence, and to much laughter, shouting and booing he was asked if he’d give up the egg in exchange for having an alternative or meeting someone famous. Boris Johnson was one. Imagine the response to that!
    The screen photos ended and we now focussed on the container. What was in it? Raucus shouts of ideas. It fell silent and now the big reveal. The cover was off.
    It was his mother, behind bars in prison.
    Would he give the egg up to set his mother free?
    Yes he would. Yes he did.
    Cue the Gospel message of God giving up Son, to set us free from the muck, mess and bad, wrong things in our lives.
    The lad was surprised that he was given the egg to keep as he went off stage with his mother.
    Everyone was invited to all the Easter services, with all age on Palm Sunday, with another gifted in children’s ministry, and Resurrection Sunday with our own *choir*.
    And the crafts and games continued. It was messy. But all great, all welcomed, including Islamic families, near church neighbours.
    It as all in all marvellous.
    It slightly brought to mind, from 20 or so years ago, the ministry of Ishmael, that is, the Reverend Ian Smail.

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    • And it was all preceded by prayer, as gathered church, in prayer meetings, at midweek group Bible studies, by individuals. Prayer – that “chief exercise of faith”.

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  6. So glad you are perpetuating ‘O Lord, the Clouds are Gathering’, and Graham Kendrick’s other song ‘Who Can Sound The Depths of Sorrow’ also captures the same kind of darkness and seriousness well.

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    • Well ‘the clouds are gathering, the fire of judgement burns’ was the worship song referring to judgement that most sprang to mind. Don’t thing there are many and not sure I know the other one.

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      • BTW Stephen,
        I greatly appreciate most of Kendrick’s songs. Some who have commented on this site have ridiculed his work.
        As I was being wheeled to the operating theatre for a triple by-pass, I, my wife and a sister in the Lord, sang with gusto, “All I once held dear built my life upon.” That too was mocked here. But not by the hospital Porter, as we fully occupied a lift to change floors from ward to the theatre. “I’ll have some of that” he said as he left me. 18 hrs later after being returned there due to internal bleeding, I left the operating theatre, to sing salvation songs, My Jesus, my Saviour, another day, 16 years ago, even with an intervening stroke, 12 years ago. None of it in my strength, merit, works. All His. Mockers will mock: it was ever thus, ever since creation and the New Creation.

        Your article is encouraging and appreciated- the CoE more of a Curate’s egg than ever, or should that be less? Thank you.

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          • So would I, Steve. None of me, all of Him.
            He is all glorious real, or it’s all tripe. It is experiential faith gifted, not earned, not worked up. More than intellectually grasped, but not less than understood, more than doctrine but not less than doctrine applied by God.
            It is the Word of God alive, dwelling within, the Light of the World, the Bread of life, Living Waters, the great Shekinah glory of I AM of Christ dwelling within, the same anointing and resurrection Holy Spirit dwelling within, the Promised God the Son in Union with him.

            In the total absence of light, coal shaft black, when the anaesthetist wasn’t paying attention, I heard the voices lambasting him, because I was coming around, another voice that I had internal bleeding, another that they couldn’t contact the surgeon, another saying, “I’ll do it.”
            All at the same time feeling I was freeing and sitting bolt upright trying to ask for a blanket but made impossible due to the life support machinery I was plugged into, and contemporaneously having the words “Nearer My God to thee” inhabiting me.
            That was midnight, 12 hours after being wheeled into theatre, the time my wife received a phone call at home alone to say I had to be taken back in for further, emergency, surgery.
            I hadn’t known at the time that the hymn was sung on the Titanic as it went down, so I was later told, even as I hadn’t any familiarity with it.

            Sure we all have favourite songs, scripture, but there are different seasons, seasons in psalms, praising, glorifying God just for who he is, for what has is and will do, times out pain, suffering, despair even, at self, with the world in lamentation.
            Hymns that intermittently brings whole life thankfulness and more include, “Before the throne of God above” and “He will hold me Fast”, one old, one modern.
            At our men’s prayer breakfast this morning, a motley bunch at prayer before work, there was prayer that we know even more deeply, a deep dive into the eternal profound reality, immutable truths of the cross of our Lord Jesus the Christ, for there was no other way, no resurrection without, no glory of resurrection without the glory of the cross in an *inseparable*, insuperable, sublime oneness.
            Entry into the throne room of God, Holy of Holies now permanently fixed open, entry guaranteed, blood splatter on lintels, doorposts, threshold of the cross of Christ, the Worthy Lamb of God slain in our stead. One door, one means of entry. The veil, curtain torn in two, just like the movement of God, from top down, not our doing, work, to raise us up, from the raised up Christ, from under the feet of Christ. To be raised with him, in union with him, just as we died in him.
            May the weight of God’s glory in Christ be made manifest even more at Easter.

      • The other one is about abortion. Yes, there are not many. Graham Kendrick is very clever in how he injects seriousness and darkness into his harmonies and textures.

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  7. I didn’t understand or agree with the ridicule of Graham Kendrick songs the other day. The occasional line or word is weak (“helpless babe’, “you’re the best”) but these could be easily amended as Wesley’s lines were. Perhaps it was just overuse as Kendrick became the new hymnal for a decade. But overall the lyrics and theology of the Kendrick songs were far superior to the old charismatic choruses, and I think they surpass the highly subjective pop songs from Hillsong and New Wine.

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    • James – I confess I missed the ridicule of the Graham Kendrick songs the other day. It’s a subject I don’t know much about; I don’t think I’ve heard a Graham Kendrick song since approximately 1985.

      I emphasise that, if people like Geoff get a great deal out of Graham Kendrick’s music, then that is magnificent; I don’t want to denigrate it; it’s just that it didn’t suit me.

      Back then, I didn’t like them – and the comparison was *not* with the old `charismatic’ choruses (you are probably correct about your assessment of these – do you mean those by Sankey?), but rather that they seemed to be replacing the standard hymns that I *did* like – hymns by Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts and the Scottish metrical psalms. There was a very nice Welsh hymn book called `Christian Hymns’.

      I might be more `mellow’ about it if I were coming at it fresh today, but back then (early – mid 1980’s) these things were being forced upon us because they were supposed to be `for the young people’ and I think I objected to it most strongly because I *was* a `young people’ at the time – and I enjoyed Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, metrical psalms to a proper organ accompaniment – and I had great difficulties to guitars being used in worship.

      I fear that this battle may have been lost – and it may now be difficult to find a church where the `standards’ are Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, Scottish metrical psalms.

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    • James,
      It had history to it. Andrew G on this site a few years ago said something to the effect that he far preferred
      Abba to Kendrick’s, All I once held dear. I asked if he’d have the theology espoused in Abba’s “Money Money Money” as a worship song in his liturgical order of service.
      Songs by Stuart Townend were also mentioned. Again AG was opposed.
      I can recall again a few years ago now Don Carson saying that Townsend’s, “How Deep the Father’s love” was one of the best of contemporary worship songs, as sung theology. But Carson is robustly reformed, if not Anglican.
      It is also a robustly affecting Easter song.

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  8. Our catalogue of hymns is the continuation of scripture down the ages. Over time it gets sifted until the best are left. The process seems very much like way scripture was canonised. Hymns and songs seem to last the test of time better than other theology.

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  9. Jock,
    Having been a member of the Methodist church, “born in song,” it was said, some of Wesley’s songs are magnificent, “How can it be” would have been a great conclusion to our church sketch, above.
    And, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” is by a man who clearly knew, his God, our God, beyond mere intellectual assent to doctrine.
    The ministry of both Wesley’s dried up in operation in their own strength, before meeting Moravian Christians. Wesley J said the difference was between having faith as servant change to having faith as son, having a heart strangely warmed. Such a heart that was instrumental in Gospel, social transformation, and literacy, as you will know as he traversed the countryside on horseback preaching in open air, * classes* being establish so the people could read, read scripture, as you will know. At the time I was a member, “Hymns and Psalms” was recognised song book, with recommendation for matching scripture passages.
    Yours in Christ,
    Geoff

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  10. On Graham Kendrick, I’m a bit bias because as a school teacher I taught both his nephew and daughter, A Level Religious Studies. On another occasion, I got him to come and speak to my Sixth Formers and interviewed him and he was fantastic – funny and really humble- and largely won over a fairly hard bitten bunch. He first showed the clip of Mr Bean in church before he spoke about his understanding of worship. During the interview, I asked him what the favourite hymn/song he had written was and he said ‘The Servant King’.

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    • Stephen – I enjoyed the piece and it began to give me ideas about introducing various things to my own 6 year old. I wouldn’t have brought up Graham Kendrick – whose music fits well here – if James hadn’t brought up a previous discussion. These remarks have to be seen in context that I outlined above.

      Actually, until a few years ago, I considered all the rubbish about Easter bunnies and colourful eggs to be something that was strictly for the amusement of the reprobate heathen – and not for those of us who were `in Him’, but my attitudes towards this changed when my son came along – and last year I was very happy to see his pre-school fooling about with Easter bunnies, colourful eggs, tulips, etc …. and completely ignoring any `Christian’ component connected with Easter. Children of that age aren’t ready for the crucifixion (unless they have been brought up in a war zone and have experienced far more of the `bad stuff’ than they should).

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      • Jock,
        There’s never anything wrong with eating chocolate! I expect there to be a river of chocolate in the renewed earth like Willy Wonka’s, otherwise Ill be very disappointed (assuming Im going there…).

        You might be interested in the postings about Easter at the historyforatheists website which gives interesting background.

        Peter

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  11. *How can the whole church engage with the story of Easter? *
    Well not through this panto/farce
    It is quite novel but it’s moral is dire.
    The “Takeaway” seems to be, the hymns, chocolate, Was easter bunny converted
    [Obviously not, nothing has changed, as he invites the children to the Sunday service where chocolate eggs will reconfirm the pagan element of easter.
    Very young children love to sing and dance so they did get something.
    Older children soon learn the bunny is your parent , as is Santa.
    Adults perpetuate the pagan meaning of Easter.
    From antiquity [The paschal] concerns deliverance from Judgement and slavery.
    The custom of the Easter lamb goes back to the Jewish Passover, when a lamb is sacrificed to the glory of God and prepared according to strict rules. Jesus was also Jewish and celebrated Passover with his disciples. At the Last Supper, in view of the approaching death, he called himself the “Lamb of God” (Agnus Dei): “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). This refers to the death and resurrection of Jesus, through which he gave salvation to humanity.
    This is why we often encounter the paschal lamb as a symbol at Easter, because it is precisely this redemptive event that is central to the Easter celebration.
    The closeness to Judaism is particularly evident in the Easter service:

    The priest enters the dark church with the lit Easter candle, symbolizing the pillar of fire that showed the Israelites the way at night during the exodus from Egyptian captivity.
    A text on the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt is read from the 2nd Book of Moses.
    In the Paschal Exsultet, the praise of Easter, the priest sings of the true Lamb, whose blood saved the people from death.
    Whereas The Easter bunny is the Easter symbol for excellence, not only on the Easter table or in the Easter nest of the children. Why a hare has become so popular is explained by the fact that hares stand for fertility and thus for life.

    The egg has always been a symbol of fertility and rebirth in many cultures. In ancient Greece and Rome, colourful eggs were given as gifts to celebrate the spring equinox. On these days, the egg was revered as a sacred symbol of a new beginning.
    According to a survey, the Easter egg hunt is one of the most popular Easter customs for 24% of respondents.
    But where does this custom come from?
    Presumably, this tradition is of pagan origin. In order to pay homage to “Ostara”, the goddess of spring, people gave away decorated and coloured eggs.
    When Christianity became the accepted religion, the tradition was banned.
    However, since people still wanted to give each other eggs, they were secretly hidden in a field. Hence easter egg hunts.
    In John’s Gospel, Jesus died when the Passover lambs were being slaughtered. In their depiction of the events leading up to Jesus’ death,
    Romans 10:9 – Because, if you confess with your mouth that
    *Jesus is Lord* and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

    For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be* Lord* both of the dead and of the living. – Romans 14:9
    These gentle folk would do better to direct young and old to go to Wikipedia/ Easter, at least they would understand a little about Easter At least better than some church representations.

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