Passion Mime

Once again the students of SS Philip & James' eighth grade class did themselves proud.  After putting on their musical in February, they performed the Passion Mime yesterday at two different times.

Except for the part where the crowd calls for Jesus to be crucified, and the students cried out in loud voices, "Crucify him," the remainder of the play was done with them silent.  The music filled the social hall and bounced off the curtains that surrounded the wooden stage.

The boy chosen to portray Jesus had such an innocent face, and he did a great job.  Everything was done solemnly, reverently.  At the end the students in grades 1-7 filed out of the social hall in total silence.  You could have heard a pin drop. 

My granddaughter told me that tears were coming down here face during the play and even a little afterwards.  On the way home, I was telling her that the play is amazing because it is no work of fiction -- it really happened.  There lived a Jesus on this earth and he lived and died for us.  It sounds so simple, but we need to remind ourselves of this fact every single day because we get caught up in the world.

The daffodils might have been laid low by the cold snap but spring is coming, just as sure as Jesus arose from the dead.  Just as sure as he loves us!

Someone was on TV the other day talking about heaven.  He noted that in more than 2,000 years no one has been able to find the grave of Jesus and that is evidence of the afterlife.  I think that's interesting, because surely those opposed to him looked for it.  But there is something much more obvious.  Watch those who love Jesus love others.

The closer to God we get, the more we love others.  His followers point the way to heaven by their actions on earth.

Today is Holy Thursday and another special day in the march towards Easter Sunday.  Another day to prepare ourselves.

And you just have to enjoy children at this time of year.  On the way home, after pondering the beauty of the Passion Mime, my granddaughter and I talked about when we would go shopping for her birthday gifts.  (We put it off because the summer clothes weren't really out in full force yet.)  I asked her if maybe she needed some shoes.  "Oh, I could use a pair of flip-flops, but maybe the Easter bunny will bring them."

Our Lenten quote for today is:

“You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You. Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness. Let us love. Let us run.”  - St. Augustine