From the Pulpit: Finding my place in the Easter drama
Back in the early 1990’s, my late mother was fortunate to be part of a tour group taking a trip to Europe. I was excited for my mom. A child of the Great Depression, she lived a frugal life; had never enjoyed great resources; had traveled little.
But what resources she now had as a widow, as one retired, she managed well – well enough to take this trip overseas. It was a trip she deserved, a trip she enjoyed, a trip I am grateful she was able to take.
I am especially grateful to have a particular memento from her trip. As part of her travels, my mom visited the town of Oberammergau, Germany, where she purchased an attractive book detailing the history and the production of the Oberammergau Passion Play. Oberammergau, you may know, is where the world’s most famous passion play is performed. It is performed every year ending in a zero; a play performed since the mid – 1600’s. It is performed as a gesture of gratitude to God; gratitude for the belief God spared this town during an outbreak of the bubonic plague. This book she purchased now sits on my office desk.
While the most famous of Passion Plays, the play in Oberammergau is not the only such play. They are performed in communities all over the world and with greater frequency than every ten years. Passion Plays, as the name suggests, portray the passion and death of Jesus, passion and death remembered over the next several