The Passion of the Christ

I walked into church this morning, and knew there was entertainment afoot…the youth were all wearing matching blue and white shirts, skirts and tupenu’s; a sure sign of some kind of choreographed display prepared. I was right. This morning a lesson was portrayed through the art of song, dance, and…something.
So the music starts, and it’s a recording from a performance from somewhere, who knows where, because you can hear coughing and movement of the person doing the recording. Kind of like back in the day when your Mom and Dad would borrow someone’s oversize portable video camera to tape your 6^th grade graduation. No Tri-pod, so the video keeps jerking sporadically and you hear every movement and clearing of the throat that is made. So that’s what the tape of the music sounded like.
At first there are like six guys and girls on the floor at the front of the church, and I can’t see them so I’m already lost as to where the direction of the performance is going. Then another guy in a white robe walks in slowly making his way to each person on the floor. As he goes to each one, he motions for them to rise and they rise; when the second person he goes to kind of hobbles to him as if his legs were of no use I then realize, Oh it’s JESUS! I get it…
Now that I’m caught up I’m able to follow, he then goes to the blind guy, someone else, and then the prostitute, alright what’s next. I notice two more guys outside coming in with what looks to be…yes it is, a big ol’ cross with nails in it. They come in and hand ‘Jesus’ his burden to bear and then proceed to smack him in the back with their hands and ‘Jesus’ falls to the ground each time until finally they ‘mount’ him on the cross. Luckily this performance wasn’t directed by Mel Gibson, because I don’t think I could have stomached it.
At this point the rest of the matching performance art group file into place and dance in that place, while the ones that were healed by ‘Jesus’ walked through the isles, tapped on shoulders of people, and directed everyone’s attention to the theatrical lesson before them. I was not tapped, therefore I must have been paying attention very well…or they feel it’s a waste to make sure I’m learning something, but I’d rather think that I’m just a good student.
Okay, I know this is not the first time a church has ever reenacted events in holy history; I’m sure I was an angel in the background at the manger at one point in my childhood, but it’s especially fun to watch people my age and older do it today, plus in another language, you get to pick and choose what you think they’re saying…and you know when I went to the Mormon service later in the afternoon I found it a little boring in comparison to the one who’s guest star was Jesus.