If fire is the proper symbol for the holy spirit, there will be a lot of flames in Richfield next weekend, thanks to the efforts of two women who decided to bring the town together -- by candlelight.
For all its religious significance, Easter is celebrated in a wide variety of ways among Utah Christians. Many Catholics and Protestants gear up for weeks in advance, holding special Lenten worship services, pageants, processions and sunrise services. Latter-day Saints celebrate Easter Sunday with a themed sacrament meeting and Sunday School class discussions.Most worshipers opt to stay within the denominational confines that segregate them all year long.
That's all changing in this central Utah town.
On Friday, April 2, a candlelight cantata featuring tableau scenes re-enacted from the New Testament account of Christ's trial and crucifixion will be held in the Richfield City Cemetery, starting at 8:30 p.m. Sacred music and scripture reading will accompany the visuals, with Christians of all stripes teaming to pull off the 90-minute production.
"We have the Olympic torch on loan through the gas company, and at the end of the program the audience lights candles and sings with the cast, 'How Great Thou Art,' " wrote Sunnie Thompson, one of the co-producers. "After the last word of the last verse, the candles are blown out and the audience leaves in silence, signifying the closing of the tomb."
A 6:30 a.m. sunrise service on Sunday, April 4 -- again in the cemetery -- will celebrate Christ's resurrection in scripture and song. The events are free and the public is invited.
Because they've chosen an interfaith approach to Easter worship, the second annual Easter Convenio, dubbed "The Cross and the Glory," is especially meaningful to Audrey Jacobsen, who co-founded the production last year with Thompson.
"As we come together and sing this music, the way it's conducted, this is goosebump material," says Jacobsen. Conducted by a local pastor who agreed to participate, the interfaith choir hones the selections that are offered as part of the Friday night candlelight service. "He doesn't just let us go like a ward choir. He conducts and draws out the music in a way that it has dramatic emphasis and meaning.
"It's such a thrill, working with different denominations and having them give their input."
The name of the event wasn't easy to agree on. Because the LDS Church doesn't celebrate the symbol of the cross as many other Christians do, there was some objection to the title of the presentation. "But you can't have a crucifixion without a cross," Jacobsen says. After several discussions, the name was finally agreed upon.
"The Cross and the Glory -- everyone seems to agree with that, even though it takes a little bit of explaining to say what we have in mind."
The event is "a very religious experience for me," Jacobsen says. "Mormons are portrayed so often that they don't believe in Christ. With us working with all denominations, everybody sees that it's something we do have in common. . . . My motivation for doing it is just to have something like this in our community that brings us together so we can feel the spirit."
No one gets a paycheck, and many donate money, time and labor year-round to help make the production a success.
The event is particularly poignant given its rural Utah roots, Jacobsen said. Because much of the state was originally settled by Mormon pioneers, Latter-day Saints are a large majority in many central and southern Utah communities. Whether by design or default, religion has traditionally been divisive in many towns.
Through the Easter events, "I think we're whittling away at that," Jacobsen said. "There has to be a starting point. When the local Assembly of God has a program in their church, Sunnie and I try to go and support them. When we support them they support us -- it's just a more commmunity-minded atmosphere."
Real "goosebump material."