Remembering The Living Cross Production - Bucharest 1996-1998

I can still remember till this day the time before Easter while I was a student in Bucharest. We, the students from a Bible School in Bucharest, were selected to participate, with some others, in an Easter production drama that was to be held in the Palace Hall in Bucharest, right where Ceausescu - the former communist president of Romania, before 1989 - was holding his congresses, his meetings and the general assemblies of the communist party.

It was not only a terrifying place to be, having all the past memories in my head, with the horrible effects of the communist party of the past era, but also an unique moment where we, the participants, could give that place a totally different aspect, meaning and also help others forget the atrocities of the past. I was not very sure if all the people present there could remember all the bad parts of the past era and be somehow still affected by it in that period of Easter in 1996.

The rehearsals were at the Holy Trinity Baptist Church from Bucharest, the place where I first met a girl that happened to have same last name as me and still not be a relative with me... She was also living across the street to where I was staying in that time of the Easter production. It was in the same year that my friendships started to expand, from the inner circle of the mates from the Bible School to the outer circle of people from other churches that were also part of the choir.

I still remember that we rehearsed a lot of times. I even lost my voice at the second night of the production; the drama was being played in three different evenings, the last one having the highest attendance and the highest effect on all of us -- it was the moment we were saying good-bye to each other.

I miss that time so much! We sang songs that I will never forget, like, "Behold the Lamb", a song that was sang by the choir, dressed with white robes, seated on a cross-formed platform, while in front of us the play of the crucifixion was unfolded by a team well dressed and well prepared. I cannot remember the number of tears I, and many others, had shed in those moments. The rehearsals were unique. At the actual production time it was totally different. The atmosphere was filled with so much emotion and our hearts were so touched by the music we were singing, while the eyes of those present were upon us and the drama team, as the events of the entering into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the betrayal and the crucifixion of Jesus was in play.

Then there was a big silence. The whole place was in darkness and a small light was on the one that was put on the cross. The soldiers that were nailing him there were making such a noise as if the real events from Jesus' time were taking place right in front of our eyes. We all started weeping. Even if the actor playing Jesus was doing his part and we knew it... it was as if God had let that moment for every one of us, for all who were present there, those on the stage that were singing, or those from the hall watching curiously, a moment were we could feel, hear and sense the agony of the pain of the punishment Jesus had taken instead of us. What a glorious moment it was! What a spectacular minute everyone was living there! Nobody deserved that, but God had found it to be pleasant for all of us to be there, in that time, at that place, and this drama from His Story to be re-unfolded before our eyes --- with the purpose for us to be strengthened in our faith, or for the unsaved to be an opportunity to come to the Cross and find Jesus and make Him their personal Lord and Savior.

God had imprinted the memory of that year and of that production in my head ever since.

The next year I eagerly wanted to participate again and help out with the drama. I considered that to be harder to lose my voice again and so I humbly accepted the part that was given to me, to be one of the disciples from the play. In 1997 one of the old friends from 1996 was not there anymore, but there was somebody else to replace the friendship that I missed and the fine moments we spent together. This time, while I was in the drama, I was closer to the cross, closer to the event of the crucifixion, closer to the resurrection moment. I still remember the rehearsal from that year; we had huge grapes and fresh bread on the table in the spring time of that year. The make-up was so well done that even after the end of the drama I was not able to completely remove it from my face and somebody thought I was some kind of a freak... To me, at that time, was something of little importance. I was more concerned of the part I was supposed to play than the way I looked. There I shed my tears with a different perspective than the year before, while I was on the singing platform. I knelt at the cross, I went to the grave and was there for the resurrection. Even if it was just a play, for me the event became so real, so profound and so deep that it changed my life completely. I was never to be the same again.

Then in 1998, the last year that the Living Cross Production took place in Bucharest, being the last year of me being student, the events took place as if it was an ending part from a play that started in the years before. I don't remember exactly what part I played in this year. I think I was in the prayer team or in the disciples' team. That year had a tremendous change in my life, my prayer life, my renewal life and my relationship life. My eyes were opened more and more to the spiritual realm and reality and the desire to be more what God wanted me to be became the burning flame of my life.

In the same year I experienced a lot of negative events: several of my friends went through divorce, my old friends left the country without notice and a state of complacency hit a lot of us; it was as if that year was meant for the bad of us all. In that year I experienced a lot of turmoil and had so many fights in my prayer life. My spiritual friends were not there for me to help me out as I wanted. Some were there only to discourage and to make me and others be "left behind"-ers. My only refuge was in worship, in prayer and then in drawing near to God and asking Him to change the circumstances and the oppression I was feeling inside and outside of me.

Years have passed since the moment we had the Living Cross Production. I can do it again if the drama was played. I wouldn't do it just for fun - as some had done it - I'll do it to remember again and again the moments that took place from the entering of Jesus into Jerusalem until the moment of His glorious resurrection. I would just go beyond any kind of human ceremony of the Easter and just remain at the Cross of Christ and let His blood wash me and cleanse me. I want to be where He is right now and to behold His splendor and beauty and to be able to worship Him with all that He created me to be. I would just bow before Him and fall prostrate and thank Him - He gave His life instead of me. Thank you, Lord, for the Living Cross! Thank you, Lord, for remembering me of all these!