| Passion Play | ||||||
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The concept of our Passion Play was very much inspired by the wonderfully creative work of Sara Jay in her Treatment for the Play. In the early stages of planning she pointed out to us the dramatic potential there is in the structure of a five act play. On Good Friday, as we reached the end of Act 4 at about 3-00 pm, the very moment of the death of Jesus on the cross, there was a sense of incompleteness. This could surely not be the end. It wasn't! There was one more Act to come. At 8-00 on Sunday morning Act 5, Resurrection, brought us to the climax of the Play and its powerful message. On the day of the Passion Play, Act 2 was called Remembrance. As we moved from the Park on to the streets the heckling, the shouting, and one potentially serious incident of road rage prompted us to give it a new and more appropriate heading for the Video - Conflict. |
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| FRIENDSHIP | ||||||
| Our play begins with God at the beginning of time and then joins Jesus 2000 years ago. Preaching to the crowds he caught the imagination of twelve people and many more. He offered people the bread of life, living water ... and much more. We discover that Jesus means as much today as he did then. We can see he really is the One who makes a difference to us all - bringing healing to people's lives and a new way of life to live. | ||||||
| CONFLICT | ||||||
| We follow Jesus through the Gateway into the Town. It is a triumphant entry as the King of kings comes in peace with a donkey. Arriving at the Temple Jesus is angered by the way religious people have exploited God for their own ends. He tells a story about a vineyard and then shares bread and wine with his followers. What words of comfort and peace he has to share. | ||||||
| BETRAYAL | ||||||
| In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus agonises over the choices he must make. Finally, he puts himself into his Father's hands. His followers cannot keep awake. It is not long before Judas arrives and betrays him with a kiss. Even Peter denies having anything to do with Jesus. The religious authorities and the civic authorities reject him. And finally even the crowd shout for his blood. | ||||||
| DEATH | ||||||
| The way of the cross leads us to Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, where Jesus is crucified. "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Father, forgive them; they don't know what they are doing. Father, I place myself into your hands." With words of forgiveness he dies and is buried. | ||||||
| RESURRECTION | ||||||
| The tomb is found empty. The gardeners are at work. And then through the crowd one of them walks forward. It is not a gardener. He calls Mary by name. And she knows that it is Jesus. But no one believes her. They see, they touch and they believe. "Even more blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing." Jesus provided many more God-revealing signs than we had time for in our play. We've told our story so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing have real and eternal life. | ||||||
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