April 10, 2025 The Beacon • 37

Is it OK for me to“ get religious” with you once a year? It’ s 5:33 a. m. Writing this letter has been on my mind for several weeks. This morning is the time to start it so that you might get it while we’ re still in the season of Lent.

We know the six weeks of Lent is a time of preparation for Easter, the most important part of our Christian faith. Often through the years, I find myself wondering if the meaning of Lent will dawn on me in a special way. Or will I just go through the weeks before Easter with nothing changed at all? Will it happen during one of the special services like Ash Wednesday, the Lenten Luncheons or Maundy Thursday? Will it happen at all?

The season of Lent is a time to figure out the why of Easter, to get ready for the joy of our faith. This letter is being written to tell you it all“ came through” to me on March 17, 2024. I still remember it vividly, with the help of a bulletin from the Easter pageant we attended at

Ocean Drive Presbyterian Church in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

It was called“ When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and was arranged and orchestrated by Bradley Knight. ODPC has a contemporary worship service at 9 a. m. each Sunday and a traditional worship service at 11 a. m. We attended the second service, but people could attend either. We were reminded to come early because the seats fill quickly. Extra chairs were added at the inside ends of the two sections of pews.

This worship service began as usual, with a piano prelude, welcome by senior pastor The Rev. Daryle Bush, scripture and call to worship, and prayer and offering with the offertory played on a digital piano. Then the Easter pageant was presented by the chancel choir, orchestra, drama

team and media team. The chancel choir consisted of 15 sopranos, 17 altos, eight tenors and eight basses. There were nine members of the drama team who portrayed Hannah, Leah, two teenagers who were the angels and did beautiful signing, James, Peter, a Pharisee, a centurion, and a narrator.

There were eight members of the staff who produced and directed the cantata. Lastly, there was an orchestra, consisting of three violins, a flute, a clarinet, a trumpet, a horn, a trombone, a bass, a percussion / drum set, a timpani and a digital piano.

The congregation joined the chancel choir for the first song. Then actors were acting, and the choir was singing, with solos as part of those pieces. There also were separate soloists and a duet. The whole thing was accompanied by the orchestra. The narrator was narrating throughout the pageant, and the angels were signing during two big scenes. A big part of every scene

was the video that played on the two big screens down front.

When the whole thing ended, Rev. Bush gave a benediction, and then the postlude was played by the orchestra, called“ Soon & Very Soon Reprise.”

Let me tell you about one other thing to conclude the what and the where of my Lenten realization. Among the congregation that day were people who usually attended the contemporary service. There was one woman in particular who was feeling in her spirit the magnitude and

majesty of the Easter story as it unfolded. She was waving her arms in the air in a beautiful flowing pattern and clapping, so moved by the different scenes. Trouble was, she sat and stood right in front of Glenn. I don’ t need to say anything more.

There’ s some verse in scripture, I think, about looking for God in the thunder, in the wind and the flood, but he appeared as a still small voice. This is what happened to me. The more I think of it, the why of Easter is not as important as the how of

jsellers @ alonovus. com

Easter.

About three-fourths of the way through the pageant, there was a moment, and that’ s all it was, when maybe the orchestra was playing softly or not at all, but no one was speaking or acting, nothing distracting from the scene on the screen. Jesus had just been crucified. We were standing behind the cross, which just showed his feet. That was in black silhouette against an angry sky that was in shades of orange. Then I saw it. What is that? Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip. It was dark drops of blood.