Christ?s Church of the Valley?s Easter services were the culmination of a five-week sermon series, called ?The Fighter?. This service theme was ?I Am the Greatest?. They centered the service around the difference between Mohammed Ali?the self-proclaimed greatest?and Jesus Christ.
Between Friday (two), Saturday (two), and Sunday (three) services they held seven services at their Peoria campus, and fourteen in total at all three campuses. They normally run around 23,000 people, but saw around 40,000 people at these Easter services.
Before the service began, they opened with a pre-service Queen medley. They played ?We Will Rock You? and ?We Are the Champions? with extra musicians providing rhythm on trash cans from the stage. They wanted to open the service with something fun and disarming for those who might feel skeptical about an Easter service.
The service began with a video. The video featured scenes of Mohammed Ali fighting and declaring himself to be the greatest. It then transitioned into a spoken word, slam poetry reading comparing Mohammed Ali to the One who is truly the greatest: Jesus Christ. The spoken word video transitioned perfectly?musically and thematically?into their first song, ?No One Higher?.
The worship continued with a couple songs, followed by a time of communion and meditation. The time of meditation included quiet string music and Scripture verses projected onto the screens to guide people?s thoughts as they received the elements and took communion.
They finished the first portion of their service with one final song, followed by a bumper video to introduce the message. The bumper video was a combination of photos and boxing gym footage?echoing the concept of ?the greatest?. Then their pastor, Dr. Don Wilson, delivered the message. ?There is a cause worth fighting for. There is a victory worth claiming. Discover how to prepare for the battles ahead, defeat the current opposition, and remain triumphant until the end. Now is the time to step up.?
The service ended with a prayer and an invitation to salvation.
You can watch a video of the whole service below.
[tentblogger-vimeo 63287196]
