HE IS RISEN!

Scott County and Ashland present Sunrise Services

Scott City Easter Pageant April 18, 2014

You are cordially invited to attend the 29th performance of the Scott County Easter Pageant, “The Road to Redemption.” It will be held Good Friday, April 18, at 9:00 pm in the Lake Scott State Park, located 12 miles north of Scott City on Highway 83. Turn west off Highway 83 to Highway 95, and the pageant site is at the south entrance to the park.

The whole idea began one Sunday morning when her pastor mentioned to her that perhaps some kind of Easter sunrise play could be held on the football field. Her husband, Larry, the high school football coach at the time, said the field would be under construction having a new crown put on it. Gwen knew her father-in-law had a script of a pageant which he had helped narrate, several years before. She acquired the script, met with the Ministerial Alliance, and they decided the State Park was the best setting and everything was underway.

“Getting the pageant started just seemed like something God wanted me to do. Through all the experiences of working on the pageant, God had taught me about Himself and myself as well. I always ask God to use the pageant to make the life of Jesus more real for those who participate and those who attend.”

The pageant began in 1971 at a location two miles north of the present site in Scott County State Park. With a borrowed script, costumes and lights from the Antioch Methodist Church in Buttermilk, Kansas, the first pageant was presented. People in Scott County loaned lights, electrical cords, animals and equipment, and gave time and money to make the pageant possible. The narration was live, the light switch box lay on the ground and was powered by a borrowed generator. But the production went very well because the people of Scott County had worked so hard and given so much of themselves and God blessed their efforts. We will always be grateful to the people of the Antioch Church who generously helped us get started.

Camp Lakeside will serve a soup supper from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and they will provide a shuttle from the pageant site to the camp. From 6:00 until 8:30, there will be live music provided by people from Scott County. Everyone needs access to an FM radio because the pre-pageant music, as well as the pageant, is heard on 107.1 FM, a short-range radio frequency that can only be heard in the pageant area.

The cast and crew are volunteers from many churches in Scott County. Those who participate enjoy a close Christian fellowship along with the work. The goal of the cast and crew is to glorify God by following the scriptures as closely as possible, making the life of Jesus real to themselves and others. The pageant involves a number of different scenes beginning with the prophecy of Isaiah, the Christmas Story, Christ at Twelve, plus several scenes from Jesus’ ministry. It ends with the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The pageant is presented out of doors. Wraps are advisable. There is ample parking with an area reserved toward the back of the parking area for pickups, vans and motor homes. An area in front of the cars is reserved for those who wish to sit outside on blankets or lawn chairs. Restrooms are available in the parking area.

“The Road to Redemption” is supported by a free-will offering taken at the intermission of the pageant. Sponsors for the pageant are the Scott City Ministerial Alliance and the Kansas Department of Parks.

Camping areas are available in the state park. Ample hotel and motel accommodations are to be found in Scott City, 12 miles south of the park; in Oakley, 34 miles north of the park; Dighton, 24 miles east of Scott City; and Leoti, 25 miles west of Scott City. For further information on the Scott County State Park, call 620-872-2061.

Gwen Huck and her daughter, Suzanne Griffith direct the pageant. Since 1970, it has been part of their whole family’s life. Her husband Larry has always been there to help with all kinds of jobs. Their son Lance Huck and family, and Suzanne’s family, continue to participate in the pageant in many capacities. For further information about the “The Road to Redemption”, call Gwen at 620-872-3574 or e-mail glh2@att.net.

Easter in Ashland 2014

by Marge Meuli

Everyone is invited to attend the 28th Annual Easter Sunday Sunrise Service on April 20, 2014, to begin promptly at 6:25 a.m. It will again be held on Mt. Jesus, courtesy of the new owners, Jim & Connie Miller of Satanta.

It is requested that people come early to allow time to walk or be transported the last 150 yards to the top, in order to begin on time. Be sure to dress warmly, as it is colder up high and there could be a little wind.

Following the service, a community free-will donation breakfast will be held at the VFW building in Ashland, beginning at 7:00 a.m. The donations will be used for up-keep and repairs on the VFW building.

Carry-out breakfasts in Ashland may be pre-arraqnged by contacting the VFW at 620-638-2253.

Mt. Jesus is located from Ashland: 1 ½ miles east, 7 miles north; from Sitka: 4 miles north, 3 miles West, 2 miles north.

It is always beautiful. No matter the weather, early morning hours on Mt Jesus on Easter Sunday show the wonder of God’s awesome creation. We may not often silently study the spectacular lighting and enjoy the beautiful colors changing as the sunrise unfolds.

A kinship is felt among the observers on Mt. Jesus. It is so nice to be free of anything but eagerness to witness God’s sun showing up to bless us. Everyone is so congenial and quietly friendly, reflecting on the true meaning of the giant cross, reliving that day 2000 years ago, when Jesus chose to sacrifice himself for us, and the early morning when Mary Magdalene found an empty tomb.

The darkness reminds us of the fate of death, then on the horizon the curtain begins to rise with magnificent colors, and the sun gives us eternal hope for a future that is bright.

We remember from the Bible, that one day in heaven “there will be no night there.” The gates will be open and there will be no need of sun or moon to light it, because the glory of God and the Lamb, Jesus, will illuminate it. Nothing evil will be permitted there. (Revelation 21:23-27) What freedom from fear we will feel as the Lord draws us near.

It is humbling to look upon the huge cross, knowing it represents a real happening. A man was nailed to a cross in our place. Why would anyone innocent want to do that for strangers who don’t appreciate his sacrifice? We are not strangers to Jesus Christ. He was there with God when the world began, creating us and everything in the world.

(John 1:1) He tells us we were wonderfully made, knit together in our mother’s womb. He loved us then and he is alive and loves us now. He lives to intercede for us, to save us from our sins, if we will let him. Mankind fits into this beautiful picture, into God’s plans for the world, ‘as surely as the sun, moon and stars.’

Why is it so difficult to believe that it is God who made us and wants a personal, loving relationship with us? Jesus said he would be a stumbling block to some. We may stumble because we won’t give up control or we don’t want anyone telling us what to do. If we throw away this false pride and come to Jesus, we can experience the magnificent process of the darkness of our sins giving way to the light of freedom and the presence of Jesus. We can know without a doubt that he will be with us as “surely as the coming of the dawn.” (Hosea 6:3) This is the Easter resurrection message, our gift from God.