After our over-filled
Easter service in 2001 it was obvious that our church had outgrown the
Boise Centre on the Grove. We had rearranged the seating and removed the
tables used in previous years but we were full - all 2,000 seats. The
situation with the children was much the same. The side rooms were no
longer big enough to handle the numbers of children coming on Easter. To
make a change of venue would be bittersweet. We had met in the Grove for
eight years, and it had become a great tradition for us with many great
memories.
Our
staff began to discuss our dilemma and seek the Lord for what we hoped
would be the beginning of a new tradition. We wanted a plan that
wouldn't be restricted by growth, but would be expandable as the Lord
adds to us year by year.
At
first we had a difficult time thinking outside of our existing box. Our
initial response was to look for bigger venues that would seat more
people, but nothing felt right. Frustration built in the meeting until
someone asked a very simple question that caused the entire room to fall
silent. (Considering our staff, the silence alone could be considered a
great miracle!) This question caused everyone in the room to slam on
their cerebral brakes and re-shift their mental gears. It demanded a new
line of thinking that somehow broke us out of our pre-established
paradigms.
The
question was simply this: How does our location for Easter serve our
vision to develop people into mature, authentic Christian disciples? The
question reminded me that we have received a very clear commission from
the Lord to build Vineyard Boise into an agency that would bring people
to a place of authentic discipleship not just be a gathering place for a
large group of people. Easter on the Grove has always been one of my
favorite events, and it has been encouraging to watch our attendance
grow year by year. But we had to ask ourselves if our event was helping
us achieve our God-given vision. Was there a better way to take
advantage of the one weekend each year where more people are motivated
to show up at church? We want to seize the moment and utilize this
opportunity to effectively communicate the message of Easter.
I say
all this for two reasons: First, that we would all understand why we
left a favorite tradition at Vineyard Boise. And second, to remind us
again of our commission to bring people to a place of authentic
relationship with the Lord.
What
we believe will become a new tradition, The Journey of the Cross, was
started last year for the purpose of helping people understand Christ's
work on the cross.
The
Journey of the Cross is an interactive teaching spread across five
events. It will take us on a journey from Jesus' triumphal entry into
Jerusalem on Palm Sunday through the Last Supper with the disciples, the
events leading to Christ's crucifixion, and finally with His
resurrection on Easter Sunday.
After
years of ministry experience, I have concluded that what most inhibits
people from becoming authentic Christian disciples is their inability to
grasp the profound message and provision of Christ's work on the cross.
With all my heart I believe that if people could somehow come into this
revelation, they would experience healing, freedom from sin, and the
fullness of life God intends for us.
It is
our desire this Easter to bring these truths to people in a fresh,
interactive approach. Each of these five events will communicate truths
that will lead people step-by-step to a fuller understanding of the work
of Jesus.
The
journey also is being designed so that our children can participate with
us and also come into a deeper understanding of their faith. Psalm 78
says, "We will not hide these truths from our children but will tell the
next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord ... so each
generation can set its hope anew on God, remembering his glorious
miracles and obey his commands."
In
the weeks to come we will provide complete details about these events,
but let me briefly describe each of these five gatherings.
Event #1: Palm Sunday
The triumphal entry
Sunday,
April 13, 9:00 & 11:00 a.m. at Vineyard Boise
This
first event will begin the The Journey of the Cross on the Sunday before
Easter during the regular service times. Here we will set the
theological groundwork for all that is to come on the journey. It is
here that mankind is excited about the coming of a Messiah, but really
has no clue as yet about what Jesus being the savior really means.
Event #2: The Lord's
Supper
Not me, Lord
Thursday, April
17, 7:00 & 8:30 p.m. at Vineyard Boise
On
the Thursday evening before Easter, the Apostle Peter will join us to
share his experience on the Passover night that Jesus was betrayed. We
will learn how Peter tried to live life under his own power but ended up
broken as he discovered his human weakness and his desperate need for a
savior. The night will include a complete description of Jesus' last
night with his disciples and will end in a very unique communion
service.
Event #3: The Walk to
Calvary
From bondage to the
cross
Friday, April 18,
6:30 p.m. starting at the Idaho Botanical Gardens
On
Good Friday we will gather at the Idaho Botanical Gardens representing
Jesus time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. We will then travel to
the back of the Old Idaho Penitentiary below Table Rock to hear of Jesus
trial and betrayal. Then together, as the sun is setting, we will carry
a large wooden cross to the top of Table Rock. Here we will learn of our
need for the Messiah to take our sin and provide us with a life of
freedom. There will be opportunity for people to place a written
representation of their sins in a wooden box at the foot of the cross.
The walk up to Table Rock is about a 1,000-foot climb, but nobody ever
said that the walk to the Cross would be easy. Transportation will be
arranged to help those who may be unable to make the physical walk.
Event #4: Sunrise at
the Tomb
The fire of
purification
Easter Sunday,
April 20, 6:30
a.m. at Vineyard
Boise's Barnabas
Center
On
Easter morning, we will meet on the church property at 6:30 a.m. We will
find the cross from the night before in our outdoor amphitheater with a
large bonfire pit prepared at its base. At sunrise, we will light the
fire that will consume the box containing our written notes of confessed
sin. This will symbolize the work that was completed as a result of
Christ rising from the dead. Sunrise service will be followed by
breakfast in our gymnasium in the
Ezra
Family Center -
symbolic of the fellowship of believers.
