This is the opening scene and it is what I did for the last two years in Easter Pageant. Doesn't really go with the story, but it is a great way to get peoples attention and let them know that this message is a message from God and that angels really do appear unto man.
This is Adam and Eve (the part I am trying to talk Shari into trying out with me for next year) and I think that we all know that if it was not for Eve's choice to eat the fruit and Adam's wise decision to partake also, then none of us would be here today. I am grateful for the decision that they made as a couple and know that Shari and I will likely have to make some tough decisions together as well. (For example, buying our house.)
This was always one of my favorite scenes when I was an angle the last two years, because this is after the angel appears to the shepherds, and then a heavenly host sings hosannas to God. It is such a powerful experience to think that you are representing heavenly messenger and literally telling and testifying to all the thousands of people in the audience that Christ is born. Not only was he born, but that there really was a celebration in the heavens and on the other side of the veil as this birth is the birth on the one being who could actually make it possible to provide us mercy and satisfy justice all at the same time. Pageant really gives me strong emotional testimony and even now as I write my eyes are beginning to tear. I am SOOO grateful that he was born!
This scene here is of Mary and Joseph in the stable when Jesus is born. Shari has a video clip of Mary's dance that we might get around to posting later. Shari also used to go to church with the person who portrays Jesus, before we got married. Knowing the people portraying these parts also seems to help bring it to life, as you really do know and recognize the face of the person. It's almost as if you really do know who Joseph is.
In this scene Jesus' parents come looking for him and find him in the temple teaching the Jewish leaders.
This is always a special scene for me as the voice of John the baptist was one of the bishopric members in my last singles ward, and the actor portraying John as been in pageant the last three years with me. When you watch your friend baptize Christ (also a friend now), it really takes on a whole new meaning. Without baptism, none of us would ever be able to make it back to live with our Heavenly Father. I am so glad that we have the sacrament where we can renew our covenants and be "baptized" again and again each week. Sometimes I think we forget about our own baptisms and what that did for us and how we felt after we were baptized. When I see this scene it reminds me of my baptism and the baptisms of those I baptized in my mission. Looking into the eyes of someone newly baptized is one of the greatest experiences that a person can have. Looking into the eyes of someone who is truly without sin is such an awesome experience. How grateful I am that we can have that experience each week with the sacrament if we repent of our actions and wrong choices.
This was an awesome scene as I was able to see it for the first time from up close. (The last two years I was always back stage in this scene) Each night right after Christ healed the blind man I got to see him open his eyes and for the "first" time behold his wife and family. How truly amazing it is to think that Chirst can and does heal us of our infirmities. I have worn glasses since I was in 1st grade, about 7 years old I think, and to know that someday I will not have to wear glasses or contacts in order to see is such a hard thing to comprehend sometimes. This scene has come to mean so much to me as I KNOW that someday, my eyes will be healed and I will have perfect vision, both physically and spiritually.
This next scene was also powerful to me because each night I got to watch Jesus raise a boy from the dead. I have felt the pain of the mother (in black on the left in the spot light) that comes with loosing a family member, especially one that your heart has always yearned to be near, and to think that I WILL be able to see my brother again, and talk with him, and run, and play, and do all those things that brothers do is such a wonderful blessing . . . sorry, had to pause a moment and clear the tears from my eyes so I could see. Today in stake conference a young woman got up and spoke about her recent experience of being able to go to the temple for the first time and be sealed with her family, both living and dead, and it has reminded me of how grateful I am that we can all be families forever. I am happy to be sealed to my wife, and to my parents, and to her parents because of my sealing to her. For most of you reading this, we are all connected through sealings and we can all be together forever. What a wonderful blessing that is!!!
This was an incredible scene. To watch the last supper, to see what Christ did in washing the feet, breaking bread, and serving grape juice all has such a different meaning once you have seen it live. I will never think of the sacrament the same after watching this scene.In one of our devotionals one of the directors shared with us that getsemany means wine or olive press. He told us that grape and olives go through a similar process in order to make olive oil and grape juice. The fruit is placed in large containers and then those large container exert tremendous amounts of pressure on the grape or olive in order to squeeze the juice from the fruit. Our Savior was so pressed by our sins that is literally squeezed the juice (blood) right from Him. To think of how much pressure it takes in order to squeeze a drop of blood from your skin and then multiply it enough to make you bleed from every pore . . . wow! That is a lot of pressure. How fitting it was that he used grape juice in the last supper to represent his blood. I will never think of the sacrament, or grape juice, in the same way again. I also have a much clearer understanding as to why olive oil is used when we give blessings; it should remind us of the sacrifice and the blood that our Savior shed for us, so that we can be forgiven, healed, and made able to return to live with our Father in Heaven again. How grateful I am, that He chose to preform the atonement and suffer and have his life juices squeezed from Him, because of my sins, so that I can return to live with Him, our Father in Heaven, and all the rest of those that I love and care for.
I was standing off to the side here getting ready for my next scene, and I could look up into the face of Jesus as he was suffering for our sins. This is a very humbling thing to watch, especially when you realized that our Savior suffered so much more than this humble actor could ever portray, and to think that while Christ was suffering, he probably did see my face, among everyone else, while He suffered.
Sometimes, this scene is very hard to watch. I love being in Easter Pageant, I love telling the story of my Savior Jesus Christ and I love the testimony that I get each night as I watch and listen to the different scenes of his life that we portray. How thankful I am for my Savior and His willingness to bleed and die for me. He died for you too.
I did not participate in this scene this year, but the last two years as a Herald Angel I was in this scene. This one is always very emotional because the men are all yelling and demanding that he be crucified. When you stand there and yell, crucify him, crucify him, crucify him! . . . and then realize that even though you do this, He still loves you, and desires the best for you. Words can not describe the emotions and feelings that come with being in this crowd, watching Christ be drug in, have a crown of thorns placed on his head, and then see him be scourged. I may have been given a glimpse of what the Jewish leaders felt at this time, but more important was the testimony of the love that Jesus has for me. Especially, when I do wrong thing and in my own way demand that he be crucified. My sins are why he had to go through this, and because He loves me He did it willingly. Oh! The love my Savior has for me!
In this scene Pilot washes his hands to say that he is innocent for what happens, and then we as member of the mob become very loud in demanding that Pilot crucify Jesus.
As a Herald Angel I never got to see this scene, but as a Sepulcher Angel this year I was standing just off to the side on stage each night as this scene took place. A good friend of mine was the thief on the right side of this picture, and to watch Jesus hang, forgive those that did that to him, take care of his mother, be left completely alone (see Elder Hollands recent conference talk for details), and then die. Wow! Such a wonderful experience to have each night. Such humility and suffering, Such LOVE!! I love my Savior!
This however is my favorite part this year. Not just because I actually had a speaking part, but to think that I represented the first being, angelic being to share testimony that Jesus Christ lives! He Lives! He is alive! Such an awesome responsibility. Our very last night Broque and I almost cried as we looked into Mary's eyes because you could see the tears reflecting off her cheeks. The real Mary must have been crying and the compassion and love that I felt toward her know that He was alive and that she did not yet, but soon would, also understand that. How awesome it was to be the first person in the pageant to bear testimony to the world that Jesus is alive! I really learned a lot of new things about how those angels must have felt and how the people they talked with must have felt. Reading the New Testament has so much life and feeling for me, and it is rapidly becoming one of my favorite books of scripture.
This year I was changing out of my Sepulcher Angel costume and into a Herold Angel when the angels were doing this scene and celebrating the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. I did miss being in this part this year, it is so much fun to bare testimony to the whole world from the top of the stage.
This is a shot of the entire stage, including the angels way up on top. In the Finale the entire 450 member cast comes out onto the stage and sings "I know He lives" about 8 times before Christ ascends into heaven. I love being in this scene and singing as loud as I can that I know my Savior lives!
This year I was blessed to be able to join this group one last time in the Finale, holding a trumpet and declaring to the world that Jesus Christ lives. From this stage on top of the stage, you can see out over the entire valley, all the way to the mountains about 20 miles or more in the distance. I always feel like alma when he talks about his desire to be and angel and sound with a trumpet from the tops of the mountain the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How blessed I am to stand so high in the air and sing to the world that I know Jesus Christ lives!
This is the most incredible scene ever. Shari did great with this picture as there are a bunch of boys about 6'3" to 6'6" standing underneath Christ. He truly looks as though he rises into heaven. What is special about this scene is that everyone, except those of us holding trumpets, turns to watch Christ rise, and many times you can see the tears streaming down the girl angels faces as they watch Him rise into heaven and know that they are receiving a testimony that Jesus is alive. He lives! He really does live! He is alive today, just as you and I and I know that He speaks to his prophets and apostles! He lives and He loves me. He loves you! He knows and loves each of us.Shari did good with this, but the end is a bit out of focus. Anyway, you can see the ending and get an idea of what I was just talking about in my last paragraph.
Because of ward conference the week before general conference, our Fast Sunday was Easter Sunday. Pageant always ends on Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. I have had such a strong testimony experience with pageant that I just could not help but share my testimony. I cried through the whole thing, and at times I was so overcome by the Spirit that I could not even talk. The words on this blog just don't do justice to what I experienced, but for those of you that live outside of AZ, you really need to make a point of coming to the Easter Pageant some time. I love the Easter Pageant, I love my Savior, and I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so glad that we have a prophet that God speaks to, and I know that Jesus Christ Himself, guides and directs His church. I know that He hears and answers our prayers and that He loves us. I know He lives. I know He lives! I KNOW He lives! I KNOW HE LIVES!
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