Everyone knows the importance of making an entrance, but over the weekend a pastor in Southaven, Mississppi took things to a dramatic new level. Bartholomew Orr, the head pastor of Brown Baptist Church, descended to his place at the altar for a sermon about the return of Jesus via zip-line. “Are you ready for his return?” Orr asked the members of his congregation as he began zip-lining down, who reacted with laughter and applause.
“He’s coming, he’s coming again. Jesus Christ is on his way back,” Orr continued. “Revelations verse one, chapter seven says that that day is going to come when the sky is cracked and Jesus Christ comes again and every eye will see him when he come again.”
Orr has been the senior pastor of the Brown Baptist Church since 1989, which consists of two campuses and over 10,000 members.
Suffice to say, it didn’t take long for Orr’s stunt to go viral on social media, shared across various platforms, and many reacted with a mixture of amusement and confusion.
https://twitter.com/ILoveBeinBlack/status/1066832961897734144
Of course this is in Mississippi. We are dead last in everything but we can send our preachers flying through the air
— Law Giraffe (@TheLawGiraffe) November 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/tj_lsudad/status/1066797687566147584
Preachers just be flying at churches now ? pic.twitter.com/3cn46mRTUo
— B Eazy The DJ 🏁 (@BEazyTheDJ) November 25, 2018
I AM SCREAMING pic.twitter.com/x8GICo3gXk
— Broderick (@BroderickGreer) November 25, 2018
Just for the record if I go to a church and the preacher come flying in on a zipline this what I'm bout to do… #aintnonodygottimeforthat #jesusnotcomininonnozipline #flyingpreacher pic.twitter.com/yb9CUQ8fkB
— Nicole Alicia Writes (@NicoleAlicia2) November 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/FleetDarren/status/1067066174377263105
For his part, Orr understands that his stunt may not have gone viral for the right reasons, but is thankful that it’s helped spread the word of God. In a follow up video, he explained that the zip-line had already been installed for church Christmas productions, and not specifically for Sunday’s mass.
https://youtu.be/6dhhH57uwtw
“There is a bigger picture, and that is Christ is returning soon,” Orr continued. “And just as Christ’s return is going to be unexpected, my flying in this morning was unexpected. But we must be ready.”