56 :: Clover United Methodist Church

 

This afternoon we had an unexpected and brief church encounter at Clover United Methodist Church. Beth and I were in the small town of Clover, South Carolina to do some modeling for our friend's new business. As we were driving through downtown Clover, we noticed some people standing in front of a church with signs in their hands. My first impulse was that there was a fund raiser car wash.

Instead, the signs had the word "Drive Through Easter."

We decided to do it. It was one of the highest examples of Southern hospitality that I have ever encountered.

The first station had people waving Palm branches and repeating "Hosanna! Christ has come!" over and over.

The next station was a man washing a woman's feet. We believe that this represented Yeshua washing the feet of His disciples on Maundy Thursday.

At the next station, they provided us with lunches and some treats for MC (she was not with us at the time). Note the way they constructed the bag of treats to align to lines of scripture. Brilliant! They also gave us an Easter coloring book and crayons in a second bag of treats. 

As we received these generous gifts, there was a man standing on the passenger side of the car, representing Yeshua on His sorrowful walk along the Via Delorasa.

The fourth and final station had two women standing in front of an empty grave with a rock rolled to the side. As we drove up, one of the women said, "Happy Easter! We wanted to tell you that the grave is empty. We are saved!" 

The second woman pointed over her shoulder at the dark entrance. 

"There's a mighty river flowing upward from this empty grave," I said. 

Puzzled expressions.

I explained that it's a song lyric from a song that we enjoy. 

Smiles.

And then we drove onward, refreshed and made happy by this unexpected Easter experience. It was very sweet. That these people put in time for planning and execution of this Easter offering to the community of Clover says a great deal about their church family. 

Such kindness and innocence is the raw material for a new and better world.

Here is the video in which the lyric is performed by Hillsong United, out of Australia. Watch the whole video, it's great.

The lyrics go as follows:

From the gravest of all valley

Come the pasture we call grace

A mighty river flowing upward

From a deep but empty grave

We loved this unexpected addition to our church journey.

Hosanna, indeed!