Christ the Lord is Risen Today

When I think of worship on Easter, I think of the song Christ the Lord is Risen Today. This song especially brings to mind my brief time in a puppet troop at church. Christ the Lord is Risen Today was one of our songs. It was an especially miserable song for a puppeteer , because it was so long. The Alleluias were especially hard on a middle school student’s forearms. We performed in flee markets, churches, senior citizens homes, and hotels. Yes hotels…but not the kind of hotels that you might be thinking of. We went to the hotels of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco. I don’t know if these are even still there. I have heard that this neighborhood has gone through a revitalization. At that time it was a really seedy part of town. Most of the people who would come to the puppet shows were old men. They had the red puffy faces of men who lived hard lives. Now on Easter Sunday as we sing this song in church I think of those seedy hotels. And I am glad I suffered through those long Alleluias.