Suddenly in the middle of the Artisan’s  Market on Easter Saturday there was shouting, chanting and the beating of drums! Was it a protest? a demonstration?

It was in fact the start of the Wilmslow Passion Play, a contemporary re-enactment of Jesus’ last days on earth, performed by Saltmine Theatre Company, at the invitation of four Wilmslow churches.

So Jesus arrived not on a donkey but on a bicycle, borrowed from some youngsters, and the swelling crowd made its way alongside the market and into Grove Street. They fell silent as Jesus movingly shared The Last Supper with his disciples, and then felt all the pathos and intensity of Jesus’ last hours in the Garden of Gethsemane.

By the time the play reached the trial scene in Bank Square the crowd were shouting ‘Crucify him!’ and so Jesus carried his cross down to the Memorial Gardens, with a crowd of several hundred watching on.  For many, that scene brought to life the costly sacrifice Jesus made on the first Good Friday.

The play ended in St Bart’s church, capturing the joy and excitement of Jesus’ resurrection, three days after being dead and buried. Many today might be sceptical, but perhaps the fact that it’s still being remembered 2000 years later on the streets of our town should make us think again?

At the end an invitation was given to anyone to explore more through one of the sponsoring churches – an offer which remains open.