By: Eliana Morales
The crowd walked along the road amid the shouts of angry Roman soldiers on all sides – while following Jesus to Calvary, or rather, the track behind Hulsey Wellness Center.
Such was the scene at the 29th annual SonRise Resurrection Pageant, held Saturday, April 4, on the campus of Southern Adventist University.
According to the event page on TicketSource, “SonRise is an interactive, put-you-there-at-the-scene trip through Christ’s final days leading to His death and resurrection. The cast is made up of over 500 Southern Adventist University students and church members.”
The pageant, organized by the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists, included showings from 8:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Each tour began inside the blacked-out sanctuary, with scenes of contemporary issues unfolding on stage to the song “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle.
The scenarios depicted people who looked distressed until Jesus and an angel appeared to comfort them. Children dressed as angels filled the aisles, waving candles in unison. When the music stopped, a student portraying Mary Magdalene stood on a pew and invited the crowd to follow her to the rest of the tour.
The group slowly moved outside, where lepers greeted them, waiting with baskets to collect donations. As visitors continued on the tour, they entered an area full of live animals—cows, goats, chickens, rabbits, ponies and more in pens lining both sides of the pathway.
Michael Looby has been bringing his Anatolian Shepherd puppies to participate for the past few years. He said he tries to raise his dogs as shepherds did in biblical times, letting them guard sheep and goats during the spring grazing season.
“We know it helps the story come alive for those who are visiting,” he said, explaining why he brings the animals to SonRise every year.
Next, the crowd walked through the Jerusalem Marketplace. Vendors pressed in from all sides, holding up their products: colorful cloths, perfumes, raisins and more. Some booths offered samples of bread and olive oil. Southern’s Blacksmithing Club did live forging at their booth and distributed handcrafted miniature swords made from nails.
Although stationed at the blacksmithing booth in previous years, Eliana Oberlander, a SonRise actress, opted this year to walk through the pageant in costume alongside the audience to create a more immersive experience.
“I decided to participate because it’s always been such a blessing to walk through and interact with the participants,” she said. “I really love handing out nail swords; I get to interact with the children.”
After passing through the booths, the crowd gathered on the promenade to view the Last Supper on a stage near upper Wright Hall. There, the actor portraying Jesus knelt to meet some of the children before gathering with his disciples at the table.
During the meal, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and revealed that Judas would betray him. Judas rushed off, and the crowd walked to the next scene, the Garden of Gethsemane, where they saw Satan for the first time, tempting Jesus.
Jesus’ trial took place in front of Wright Hall, Southern’s administrative building. Actors were dispersed among the crowd, yelling for Jesus’ crucifixion. After Barabbas was released, Jesus was given a large wooden cross to carry.
The group made its way from Wright Hall to the track, where “Via Dolorosa” played from the speakers. Two men were already on crosses, planted on both sides of an empty space reserved for Jesus. After he was crucified, a woman began to sing the African-American spiritual “Were You There.”
The final scene, the resurrection, took place inside Iles P.E. Center. Jesus emerged from the tomb to the song “Arise My Love” by NewSong and reunited with his disciples, Mary Magdalene, his mother and others. After the final scene, Jesus was lifted toward the sky and stage lights projected a cross on the closed curtains.
Outside, volunteers served refreshments, and a booth offered visitors a chance to learn more about the resurrection and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Desiree Bach, assistant professor at the School of Visual Arts and Design, walked through SonRise for the first time this year and said she enjoyed it.
“I was a little skeptical about this,” she said, “but it was really emotional.”
José Leon, a community member from Cleveland, said he also liked the pageant and had two favorite scenes: the resurrection and the Garden of Gethsemane.
David and April Miles are members of St. Stephen’s Catholic Church and came to SonRise at the recommendation of a friend. They described the pageant as excellent.
Tracy Baker, a visitor from Georgia, said she travels to Southern just for SonRise. It was her eighth year attending, and she brought 20 visitors. When asked what keeps her coming back, Baker said SonRise is a humbling experience that shows what Christ did for us. She was especially touched by His intense emotional struggle at the Garden of Gethsemane.
“I didn’t really understand the agony,” she said, “until I came here.”
