Were You There?

CAST/ PARTICIPANTS:
Narrator (N) Linda VanEaton/ Craig Wexler
Peter (P) Jeff Rosell
Pilate (PP) Larry Puckett
Claudia (CL) Holly Newton
Barabbas (B) Tom Nyman
Mary Magdalene (MM) Kelly Wrobel
Child (CH) Maxine Enfield

N: Dear Friends: You have heard this old song many a time, “Where You There When They Crucified My Lord?” any number of times, but have you ever thought of it as more than a song- but as a serious question asked directly of you? Were YOU there when they crucified my Lord? Yes, you the business person; you, the school teacher; you the laborer; the homemaker; the sales person; the pastor; the college student; yes you- whoever you are whatever your occupation might be, you- were you there? You may be asking- what possible connection can we of our modern age have with something that happened way back when the fastest means of travel was horses and chariot- I mean get serious! Well, my friends, our relation to that distant past may at first thought seem hazy and remote; but you were there! Yes, all of us were there. We ran through the streets of Jerusalem. We climbed the hill called Calvary. Each one of us had a place there- and a name. Many view the drama of Christ’s suffering and death with nothing more than pity and sorrow for the bruised and bleeding Christ. If we do the same, it would mean nothing more than watching a sad movie, having a good cry and then going about our business as usual. That, my friends, would be a true tragedy. To help us see ourselves as actual participants in this drama, permit me to introduce you to a few people who will tell us something about themselves. Who knows, perhaps one or the other of them may have been our spiritual ancestor. First, I introduce you to Simon Peter- a follower of Jesus.

P: Peter, a messenger of Jesus Christ. You may know my story and if you do I am sure that you know why I do not like to talk much about it. It was me who denied him three times in the high priest’s palace. Me- the one who said that I would never denied him… denied him three times. My chief weakness was that I did not know myself. Today I know that I was vain and conceited. I had never been able to stand ridicule. Then I made the mistake of associating with my Lord’s enemies as I warmed myself by the fire- I was cold. I will never be able to thank the Lord sufficiently for the mercy and love He showed me by praying for me- that my faith would not fail, for His look of compassion which called me to repentance. By His Holy Spirit He helped me to overcome my weakness and in the end to prove my loyalty to Him by a martyr’s death. Remember, my friends, how Jesus said that the spirit may be willing but the flesh weak- it is true, so very true. Remember too that our Lord is always ready to restore the remorseful. Even me… even you. Peace be to all this night…

N: We sing-

SONG: ELW349 Ah, Holy Jesus v1,2

N: Were you there when Peter denied our Lord? If you have ever stood with the enemies against Christ, if you have remained silent when you should have spoken up for Him, turned your back on injustice because you were afraid that you might lose something, if your life has not always agreed with your profession of faith and love for Jesus… you were there! But there were others who were present. Now we hear from the esteemed Pilate, Pontius Pilate- he will introduce himself:

PP: I, Pilate, governor of Syria from 779 to 789 after the founding of Rome. I speak today to you who are followers of the one whom you call Christ; the one whom I knew as Jesus of Nazareth: Greetings! I was surprised and very pleased when I was invited to address you this evening. I know that in your Creed you mention me as the one under whom your Christ was condemned and crucified. I won’t try to deny what I did; but it does bother me that you hold me responsible for his death. By all the gods I swear that I tried to set Him free but that mob that had gathered, chiefly the priests, the religious leaders, forced me to do what I did. It did not take me long to learn that Jesus was innocent. Then why didn’t I free Him, you ask? That should be easy enough to see; I had my position to think about. I simply could not afford to take a chance at offending Caesar. What I did was just the natural thing to do under the circumstances. Surely YOU can understand my reasons?! It has happened to you, has it not? You know a thing to be right but you don’t do it, saying to yourself, “I know I should but I cannot. What would my friends say?” Or, “It would interfere with my business, my position… and then what would happen?” I was a man of the world. You claim to be Christians, yet you have probably failed just as I have. So do not judge me too harshly lest you are willing to look in the mirror and see who looks back. Farewell!

N: We sing-

HYMN: ELW349 Ah, Holy Jesus v3,4,5

N: Were you there when Pilate condemned Jesus to be crucified. You, who choose to follow selfish-interests at the expense of Christian duty; you, who will not hesitate to disregard Christian principles for some material gain; you, who are afraid to stand up for Christ if doing so might mean loss of money, friends or position. You were there! Consider carefully a question that Jesus asked during his time with you, “What does a person profit if they gain the whole world and lost their soul?” Consider- and repent! Our next guest this night is Claudia, the granddaughter of Caesar Augustus and wife of Pontius Pilate.

CL: I was not born in a Christian home nor reared in a Christian culture. Before that first Good Friday, I had never seen Jesus. All I knew of Him was what I had heard from the servants. From what they had told me and from my dream about Him, I was certain that He was a good man. There was a law which prohibited, under severe penalty, anyone to influence the judge as he sat upon the judgment seat; but I did not want to see Jesus suffer and die and I did not want my husband to become guilty of condemning an innocent man. Now I know that He had to die, and that His death was necessary for our redemption, but still, I am glad that I stood up for Him when He was on trial before Pilate.

N: We sing-

HYMN: ELW623 Rock of Ages v 2,4

N: Were you there when Claudia intercepted for Christ. Can you say “no” when “everyone else is doing it”? Can you say “That’s wrong” and stick with it? For the way is narrow, and often times lonely, but oh the joy of living with Jesus! And now our next speaker, a man accused of murder and terrorism. Speak up, Barabbas!

B: If I had known what I know now, my story would have been entirely different… I think… Yes, I would have knelt in worship and adoration before that Man of Galilee. I would have gone with Him to Calvary, traveled by His side, and I would have died with Him as I deserved to die. I was a rebel against Rome, a rightly convicted terrorist and a murderer. When I was brought before Pilate that morning, I expected the death sentence. I ought to have to have died by all the laws of God and of man. Imagine if you can, the surprise and the unbelief that almost overwhelmed me when I heard that the mob had chosen me instead of Him! I thought that I was dreaming! Guilty Barabbas preferred to the sinless Son of God?! It still seems unbelievable. But when Pilate set me free, I could think of nothing else but to get out of there, to find my friends and to celebrate my freedom. If only I had understood just how Jesus took my place that day- how He wanted to save not only my body but my soul as well from death. I was too much concerned with this life to give any thought or consideration of what was to come. I wasted my time of grace… Take heed- listen to my warning… Take care!! Do not waste yours!!

N: We sing-

SONG: ELW779 Amazing Grace v1,2,3

N: Surely He had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Were you there when my Lord took the place of Barabbas? Yes! You and I and every sinner- all of us were there when Jesus took our place. Don’t let anything keep you from Him. He is the Rock of Ages, the only firm foundation for your hope of forgiveness and eternal life. He was wounded for our transgressions: He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed. By grace we have been saved… Now I would like you to meet Mary Magdalene.

MM: I, Mary Magdalene, greet all of you whom love my Lord Jesus! You know me as the sinner whom Jesus freed of seven devils, who then faithfully served Him and was the first to see Him after His resurrection. It grieves my heart when I see the shocking half-hearted worship, the lip-service, the unwillingness to sacrifice for the Savior’s cause, the lack of sincere devotion and honest love for Him on the part of many people. Many will under no circumstances inconvenience themselves in order to serve Him. It seems that they always think of themselves first and Jesus last. After I came to know Him, I never felt that way about Jesus again. I loved Him with all my heart and my soul; with all my mind and my being. My love was for my Savior. My love for Him made serving Him the greatest joy of my life. I experienced my deepest sorrow when I stood beneath His cross, saw His suffering and was unable to help Him. (pause) The most thrilling moment of my earthly life came to me in Joseph’s garden when I recognized Him as my risen and living Lord. Do you love my Lord as I did? (pause) Of course, nothing is perfect on this earth; but now within the realms of glory my love for Him has been perfected and I have learned to know the greatness, the height and depth of that redeeming love which caused Him to willingly walk the way of the cross. I leave you now with the hope that my experience may also be yours. I will be waiting to welcome you at the gate of heaven!

N: We sing-

SONG: ELW779 Amazing Grace v4,5

N: Were you there when they crucified my Lord and Mary Magdalene dedicated her life to Him in loving service? If your love for Jesus makes it a pleasure to worship and serve Him; if you count it a privilege to be able to help Him through those who are in need, if you are willing to take the risk and speak out against the injustices happening to those around you, if you find joy in living a life pleasing to Him, you were there! Let us always remember that love makes service a pleasure and ask Jesus to deepen our love until, by His grace our love too shall reach perfection in heaven. We have one more guest with us this evening; a girl, one of those whom Jesus took up in His arms and blessed when the mothers brought their children to Him.

CH: Of course I am older now, but when I was very small, my mother took me to see Jesus, and he took me up in His arms and blessed me. I loved Him from that day on. Mother told me that Jesus was the promised Savior and that the Prophets said that He was really God in Person. She also told me how Jesus healed the sick and even raised the dead. It seemed as though that everybody that loved Jesus was worried when the news came that the priests had gotten Jesus crucified. Father and Mother were worried too. They shouldn’t have been! We had heard that Jesus had promised to rise again- so there was nothing to worry about. I tried to tell them, but they wouldn’t (or couldn’t) listen! Father said that little girls couldn’t know about such things. Grown up people so often worry about nothing. I wasn’t worried. Jesus was God! And God can do what ever God wants to do. If He died, He must have wanted to die and if He said that He would rise again, He would do it- sounds pretty simple to me! One evening some friends stopped at our house. I was in bed already. When they were gone, mother came to my room and told me I was right, that Jesus had died and had risen again! Then she said something that I really didn’t understand back then; something about how wonderful it is to have a childlike faith like mine. Anyway, I know that Jesus is God, that He is my Savior, that He died for me and rose again. He loves me and I love Him. I hope you love Him too!

N: We sing-

SONG: ELW781 Children of the Heavenly Father

N: Verily, verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child trusting, confident, believing God’s promises- they shall not enter the kingdom of God. That is what Jesus told his disciples. Is yours a childlike faith? In the dark days if sorrow and disappointment, can you confidently pray: thy will be done, knowing that He will make all things work together for your good? When you read the promises of His Word, can you trustingly put them into practice in your life? When your sins cause you alarm, can you find peace in Jesus believing that He died for you? If you can do these things, you were there- Amen.

N: We all were there in those spiritual ancestors of ours. We stood either for or against Christ- and we still do. Who are you this day? Peter, who denied his Lord but found repentance and forgiveness; Pilate, who was more concerned about himself and Caesar’s opinion than about Christ; Claudia, who stood up for Jesus; Barabbas, who was freed and wasted his grace; Mary, who dedicated her life to Him in loving service; the Child Jesus blessed, whose faith could not be shaken?

CHOIR: O Sacred Head Now Wounded- with cello

As the altar is stripped…

John 1.1-5

The Lord’s Prayer

Closing of the Book

Leave in silence…