Finally, spring is here in Kansas. It seems like it was a long cold winter. With spring comes Easter.
How will you celebrate with your international friends?  Over the years we have had a variety of Easter events: coloring eggs, attending Good Friday services, and hosting a Sunday lunch followed by an Easter egg hunt.  One of the more popular events is a Readers Theater, written by Amos Wilson, called, The Easter Case: Did Jesus Christ Rise from the Dead?

The play calls for a cast of fourteen. We ask four students ahead of time to read the parts of the Narrator, the Judge, the Prosecutor, and the Defender. The Prosecutor and the Defender call up historical people like Pontius Pilate, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Annas, a member of the Jewish council. These “witnesses” come from volunteers in the crowd that turns up for the event. The crowd in general is the jury.  Half way through the trial and then at the end, students in small groups of 4-5, discuss the evidence. At the end they vote, based on how they understand the evidence, did Jesus Christ rise from the dead?

The script and jury notes are in the Topics from a Biblical Perspective section of the Discussion Guides. I would love to hear your comments.