It all started when the first church we ever attended decided to put on a Palm Sunday/ Easter play. A father of one of my friends was chosen to play the role of Jesus, quite possibly because he had a beard and could turn on a stern face when necessary.
Sadly I don't remember much of the actual play with the exception of the palm leaves that some people were waving as what I'm pretty sure was a real life donkey carried our Jesus down the sanctuary aisle and onto the stage. It looked, well, nothing at all like the picture on the right. Except for the donkey and palm leaves, of course. I had never seen a palm leaf before and couldn't imagine where the grown-ups had managed to find them. Maybe someone made them? Although I couldn't see any stitches and they certainly looked like real leaves to me.
The severe indoor-ness of the donkey during the performance intrigued me as well - what would we do if it decided to go to the bathroom on our nice, clean carpets? Could a donkey be potty-trained like the rest of us? Who was going to clean up after it if it couldn't be trained to hold it?
I do remember our Jesus being tied to a cross and crucified in the third act of the play. Given that it was a Palm Sunday or Easter sort of shindig I wouldn't be surprised if the play included the resurrection as well although I don't remember that part specifically.
What I do remember is being slightly....afraid? put off? by my friend's father for a long time after this performance. Some of the smaller children really thought he was Jesus (even I wondered a little, at first, at the beginning of the play), and I remember feeling miffed that the grown-ups would allow that sort of tomfoolery into my church. I also wasn't sure what the real Jesus thought of other people pretending to be him. Somehow it just didn't seem quite right for such a religious and important story.
(Photo credit.)
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3 comments:
you took these things so seriously! For a little kid to think about whether it's appropriate to do this ... wow.
I do remember that little kids revered him after that.
Did you know that in one performance, Jesus fell off the cross into the audience? true story.
Yeah, I was probably a little eccentric for my age in that regard. ;)
I had no idea that he fell off the cross once, though. Too funny.
That's hilarious that he fell into the audience. Well, at least it is to someone who has a warped sense of humor! Lydia, you have a very good memory. It incredible that so much thought went into these things for you. It really makes me realize how much our kids and granddkids DO think about the things around them and influence them!
My other thought is that you really had a very healthy 'sensiblity' to you...does that make sense? It just seems that you had a lot of common sense in your observations even as a small girl!
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