Good Things Take Work

Grant County Journal
April 25, 2011r
Good Things Take Work
Written by Janet Warren



It was like a well-executed military maneuver. Okay, maybe more like a scene from Pink Panther with Steve Martin, but we pulled it off.
1. Spencer arrives at the Easter pageant in Mesa directly from work, still dressed in his scrubs, to save Jenni and me seats. Check.
2. Jenni and I get all three children ready to leave from home in Chandler; buckled in car seats. Check.
3. Driving to Mesa, Jenni asks if I have my cell phone, a strategic necessity in our plan. Oh oh.
4. Go back home to get my cell phone. Check.
5. Arrive at Mesa Arizona Temple 30 minutes later, 10 minutes before showtime. Should have been 20 minutes, but every plan has a wrinkle. Check.
6. Double park behind Spencer’s car. Check
7. Jenni stays with children in double-parked van, hoping no one will ask her to move, and nurses baby. Check.
8. I try to find Spencer amidst 8,000 people. Thank goodness for cell phones. Check.
9. Spencer returns to car to relieve Jenni and drives the three children home. Check.
10. Jenni slides into the aisle seat Spencer has procured 10 minutes after show time. It would have been perfect if not for the cell phone wrinkle. Check.

Good grief it’s difficult to have a spiritual experience when you have small children (or teenagers). But it was worth it. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, unless, of course, I happen to be visiting my daughter in Arizona the week before Easter again, then it could be twice-in-a-life, because I would definitely do it again. I had the opportunity to see an Easter pageant put on by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held on the lawn of the Mesa Temple. In 65 minutes, the life of Christ was portrayed in music, dance, and through the words of the King James Version of the New Testament.

In 1928, a few months after the Mesa Arizona temple was built, this pageant was performed out of the back of a cotton truck as an Easter sunrise service. Except for a few of the war years, it has been performed every year since then. It has grown into the largest annual outdoor Easter pageant in the world. Today it is presented on a 9,600-square-foot stage, which stands four stories high, complete with professional sound and lighting systems. The 450 volunteer cast members prepare for nine formal performances, which 4,000 to 12,000 visitors attend each night. It is presented for all faiths, cultures, and ages.

The pageant is a community event that is free to the public. No donations are accepted and no tickets are required. People travel from all over the United States to see this beautiful remembrance of Jesus Christ. There was seating for 8,000 people on the night my daughter and I attended, and most of them were filled. I was amazed how quiet 8,000 people, including children, can be when they are mesmerized. The play began with Christ’s birth, and because of it’s quick pacing, was able to depict many of the biblical events in Christ’s life such as when he told the parable of the ten virgins and his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. The crucifixion was portrayed, but I think one of the main differences between this pageant and a traditional passion play is that it focused more on Christ’s resurrection. At the end of the pageant, all 450 cast members were on stage, angels with trumps were four stories up, and Christ was raised on a pedestal above them, which made it look like he was in the air above the stage. It was all masterfully done and such a beautiful thing to see.

As we were leaving the north lawn of the temple grounds, the visitor center’s curtains were opened to reveal an 11-foot statue of the Christus. The original marble Christus was sculpted by Bertel Thorvaldsen, a Danish sculpter, in 1821. It is housed in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints commissioned two replicas in the 1960s; the first was placed in storage until the facility to house it was built on the Salt Lake City temple grounds, but the second one was displayed at the 1965 World’s Fair in New York. The LDS church has 134 operating temples around the world (not to be confused with their meeting houses). The closest temples to Ephrata are in Kennewick and Spokane. Today there are more than 15 Christus replicas placed around the world in LDS temple visitor’s centers—Los Angeles, Hawaii, Mexico, Japan, Washington D.C., and Mesa being a few. I have also seen Thorvaldsen’s Christus at the beautiful Victorian Dome of John Hopkins hospital, where Spencer did his medical fellowship. The Dome is part of the original hospital built in 1889, and the statue, entitled Christus Consolator, was unveiled on October 14, 1896. A bronze full-size replica is located at the Oakwood Cemetery in Huntsville, Texas.

Thorvaldsen originally envisioned sculpting the Christus with hands raised, as if to bless, but at the last minute decided to sculpt Christ with his hands outstretched so that all could see the prints in his hands as he reached out to them. It is a gorgeous sculpture and a gentle reminder of how Christ died for us.

Sometimes we get so busy in our lives that it takes an effort to remember to slow down and reflect on our blessings. I hope Easter refreshed you spiritually. Without nourishment to our souls, life can become pretty grim.

Mike’s coming to Arizona on Friday for the twins’ third birthday! I also have another exciting announcement next Monday. Talk to you then.