The 11 th rendition of New Life Church's "The Thorn" is as spectacular as ever.
John the Beloved gave his account of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" at Tuesday's free showing for families of cast members, production crew, and thousands of others from around the area. Almost 6,000 people packed Colorado's largest church.
John narrates the entire play, aside from a small speaking part of Pontius Pilate.
I had a dual interest in attending the performance. My 13-year-old son, Garrison, is a squire (a sort of junior centurion) in this year's production. He kept a stoic look on his face throughout the performance. I was very proud of his first acting role.
The Thorn is the classic Passion play. It tells of Jesus Christ's life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. But this play is not for children of all ages.
The pyrotechnics, fire, smoke, flying angels, tortured souls, and of course, the ever-present Satan himself, captivates the audience in a very real way.
John Bolin is the writer and producer of The Thorn. He plays John the Beloved.
"I had always been bothered by the way movies and plays portrayed the final week of Christ's life on earth," Bolin said on The Thorn website. "It seems that the story was usually candy-coated to protect our stomachs and sugar-coated to protect our religion. I decided to include a behind-the-scenes look at the supernatural that was most certainly raging at the same time."
If you watch The Thorn you almost certainly will be affected in some way. The scenes leading up to, and including, the crucifixion are powerful. They brought tears to my eyes and most everyone around me.
But for those of the Christian faith, Jesus' life does not end in death. There is, of course, His resurrection and ascension into heaven. The Thorn leaves no doubt that the gospel story is alive and well.
I plan to attend The Thorn again on Saturday with some of my friends that are driving in from Leavenworth, Washington. I've passed out numerous Thorn flyers and have encouraged people to go.
As many as 50,000 people are expected to view The Thorn over the next two weeks. For those younger people (ages 5-10) New Life also has a spectacular production called "The Crown."