Passion of last three days unfolds at North Florida Baptist

In the late 1300s in Germany and France, cities as we now think of them, were developing. People of all classes were thrown together: nobles, illiterates, charlatans, priests. All of them loved the energy produced by throngs of people. And the smart ones realized that the new festivals, competitions, music, and plays were perfect venues for getting their own messages across.

It was during this era the Church saw that it too could communicate in a direct and powerful way — through drama. For those who couldn’t read the Bible, the re-enactment of the foundational Christian story of Christ’s last days on earth could carry a message no simple sermon could. Thus was born the Passion Play.

Today, the oldest continuous performances which began in 1634 and continue every 10th year during the Easter season are held in Oberammergau, Germany. But the tradition has found new life in modern churches, some right here in Tallahassee. Starting Friday and going through Easter Sunday, March 27, the North Florida Baptist Church will present its 10th Passion Play production under the direction of the Rev. Larry Martin and his wife, Susie. And it won’t exactly be an amateur affair — though all the participants are.

The sanctuary at NFBC is massive. Martin says it’s the “second largest

Article source: http://www.tallahassee.com/story/life/faith/2016/03/18/passion-last-three-days-unfolds-north-florida-baptist/81977492/