Walls For Easter
For the past several Easters, our creative team at Willow Creek has sought to find an image that we could leverage to help tell the Easter story and to provide a visual anchor for the entire service. I think this practice dates back to the year we created a "Bridge" - a prop we used in Bill Hybels' message along with several of the artistic elements, when, at the end of the celebrations, thousands of people walked across that bridge symbolizing their accepting of Jesus as the only way to God. So this year...the team focused on walls.
Based on the Scriptures that tell us how Christ broke down the wall that separates us from our Creator, the team spent several weeks and countless volunteer hours constructing 3 small walls and one huge wall that looked like it was begging to be climbed! In his powerful Easter message, Bill described how many people these days are facing these walls:
1. Finances - job loss or insecurity, lack of fulfillment in their work, and an overall anxious spirit about their vocation.
2. Relationships - especially with barriers in our families.
3. Grief or loss - those who have experienced sad medical news or the loss of a loved one.
The monster wall represented the hugest issue we have to settle in life - the wall that separates us from God unless we ask Christ to pay, in Bill's words, our "moral mortgage." Towards the end of Bill's message, the music and dance team highlighted how Christ has torn apart that wall and at the peak goosebump moment, the massive wall separated and a strong light shone as dancers ran through the crack. What a stunning picture they painted!
The time and energy invested by Matt Lundgren and an enormous team of artists to create this Easter experience more than paid off after each service when people were invited to come up on stage and place a prayer request in one of the baskets connected to each wall. There was a perforated piece of their program that they could tear off, write down their first name, and a simple prayer request. We have over 500 Willow volunteers who have agreed to pray by name for these requests for the next 30 days. Bill stood by the huge wall, willing to dialogue with anyone who was still uncertain about their eternity. He had countless conversations with seekers. Meanwhile, Darren Whitehead and I took turns at the smaller walls, greeting people as they waited to drop in their prayer requests. The largest stream of people seemed to head toward that middle wall focusing on family and broken relationships. It was a profound privilege to look into the eyes of our community and share moments of Easter hope.
What a glorious day Easter is...on this, the morning after, I am deeply grateful to God for the empty tomb and for the opportunity to herald hope to those who so desperately need it. May you enjoy this Easter Monday, reflecting back on what God did in your community as you celebrated together. I'd love to hear some stories about how God worked in your church...