Scripture Speakers

Last night I drove out to Miracle Hill’s women’s shelter with a big bag full of thorny rose stems. I was excited to share the story of Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection and to try something I had never tried before with a recitation. I entered the room and greeted the ladies and began to set up. As each woman arrived for the evening devotional, I came by to hand her a piece of thorny stem, a small wooden cross, and a large square of cloth. “What’s this for?,” I was asked. “You are going to help me tell the story tonight,” I answered.

When it was time to start, I walked to the front of the room and explained that the items on the table were part of an immersive experience we were going to have. I would be reciting a portion of Mark chapter 15 and the full chapter of Matthew 28. During the recitation, I would lift up each item that the women had in front of them as well, so they could copy me as the story went on. The rose thorns and the wooden cross were to help us reflect on the story, to simply hold and ponder. I would also turn out the lights for about 60 seconds when the story told us that darkness fell on the land. I took time then to flick the lights on and off to make sure everyone in the room was comfortable with the level of darkness there would be.

The final item, the piece of cloth, would involve active participation. I explained that the cloth represented the veil of the temple, which in turn, represented our natural state of being separated from God. No one was allowed into the Holy of Holies except the high priest–once a year! From this picture of the cloth, I shared the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Savior came to die for our sins, to take the punishment we have earned, so that we may come to the Father and have eternal life with Him forever. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple miraculously tore in two, revealing to all that Jesus had made a way for us, that He is the way, the truth, and the life. We no longer need to be separated from God, we can come to Him through faith in Christ. I lifted the cloth and ripped it in half.

I began to recite. “Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison. And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” I lifted the stem of thorns. The women lifted them as well, slowly turning the stem over in their hands as they continued to listen.

“Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.” I lifted the small wooden cross. Before the story began I had explained what a cross was and what it was used for– criminal execution. I also had explained that Jesus chose to be on that cross for us, that nothing in this story was happening by accident. The women lifted their crosses and looked at them carefully.

I continued to recite, moving through each sorrowful scene. I had asked one of the women to be my volunteer who would turn out the lights at my signal. As I spoke the words, “Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,” I pointed at her, and she flicked the lights off. There was still evening light coming in through the windows, but the dimness of the room gave weight to the final minute of story.

“And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.” I lifted the piece of cloth, and watched as all the women lifted theirs. Together, we ripped them apart as I spoke the next verse, “Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” Some of the women smiled as they tore the fabric.

I finished the devotional by moving into the resurrection passage of Matthew chapter 28. I didn’t include activities for this story, but it seemed fitting to end more simply. And as I looked around the room, I could see the women especially moved by Jesus’ final words, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

After the devotional, one of the women asked if they could keep the ripped cloths. Absolutely! I told them to take any of the items they’d like– the thorns and cross included.

Those twenty minutes were so special for me to be a part of. I asked the women if they enjoyed the “immersive experience” and they were enthusiastic to say yes, and to please do it again the next time I come. Absolutely. I think that I will never forget the sound of all those cloths ripping, torn open by women who had just been taught what the significance of the first veil being torn meant: access to God.

The small items I had brought with me helped me tell the story. They became physical representations of the gospel the women could take with them, something that formed a stronger memory for them and will continue to carry the memory for them. They allowed the women to participate in the story, to be active listeners rather than passive listeners. The thorns, cross, and cloth taught me that when used in a balanced way, immersive actions can help a Scripture reciter to illustrate the story of Scripture with more than just her voice.

Have you ever shared an immersive Scripture story with someone else?

Rachel Eernisse is the director of Scripture Speakers, a ministry that builds of the Body of Christ through Scripture memory and recitation. You can learn more about Rachel and her ministry at scripturespeakers.com. You can also find her book on Amazon: “Speaking Scripture: How to Memorize and Recite with Purpose and Delight.”