Carol Kinney Student ID# 928059 November 2, 2009 Love, Hope, Peace and Joy is Found During The Christmas Journey Joy, peace, hope and love are the traditional Advent and Christmas themes for Christians. The weeks leading to the joyous celebration of Christ’s birth are to be filled with each of these. It is those very themes that have led the Herkimer Reformed Church to present a live nativity to the community annually for approximately ten years. Currently the church’s attitude toward The Live Nativity is anything but reflective of those Christian themes. In order to continue to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the community, The Live Nativity needs to be revamped for maximum outreach within the community and to bring the fullest glory to God. From its humble, simplistic beginnings much like the manner in which Christ entered this earthly realm, The Live Nativity has grown to epic, disorderly proportions. Leaders of this event have become complacent in some aspects, quarrelsome and lofty in aspirations in others, turning the event into a major production. Arguments amongst the leaders include costumes, animals, songs, participants, leadership, and advertising-nearly every aspect of the event. It has become the standard practice for the main leader to compete with the previous year’s leader to create a bigger and questionably better production. In December of 2008, bickering amongst the leaders leads to a cancellation of The Live Nativity. The congregation’s elders and deacons call for a reevaluation of the event. A major problem is the involvement of parents placed in leadership roles for The Live Nativity. It is these parents who argue for prime roles for their children, leaving others in the congregation with hurt or angry feelings. Five years ago, the main leader decides that her young
2 child needs to have a part, even though there is no part remaining that will suitably fit her age. The leader proceeds to create a part for this child as a walking, talking Star of Bethlehem, complete with battery operated Christmas lights. The child prompts the attendees to “Follow me to the place of Jesus’ birth.” Several more appearances are made by this child during the course of The Live Nativity. The focus of that year’s event is not the telling of the birth of Jesus, but rather the “star” of the show, as this child is often referred as. Although the current pastor instantly removes this role when he joins the congregation, it is still a topic of conversation within the congregation. Some children still ask if they will be able to be the star of The Live Nativity and their parents expect the leaders to honor that request. Others reinforce the pastor’s view that the “star” of the event is the retelling of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Whichever way this particular topic is viewed, it is still a bone of contention for many. The original intent of The Live Nativity is to be purely missional, bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to the community who may not know about Him. Reaching out to the unbelieving members of the community has been forgotten, as the current advertising plan is to send flyers to other local churches. The leaders of The Live Nativity measure the success of the event by the number of attendees, not whom is reached. Two years ago, as each attendee enters the church building following The Live Nativity for warm refreshments, a census is taken to create a potential data base for follow-up visits for the congregation’s Mission Team. The result of that census is that ninety-nine percent of all attendees are members of other Christian congregations within the community. The data is also incomplete in that it only includes those attendees who come in for refreshments, leaving out some who choose not to. Not properly advertising in media that reaches unbelievers, the original intent to spread the Gospel to this group of people within the community is lost.
3 Amidst overbearing preparations and unconstrained bickering, it appears that Jesus’ commands to “love the Lord your God, with all your heart, soul, strength and mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27 New Revised Standard Edition of the Bible) has been forgotten by the leaders of The Live Nativity. When Christians quarrel, the peace of Christ cannot be shown to those who are not Christian. Advent is to be a time of reflection, a way for Christians to prepare hearts and minds for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Christmas is a time of celebrating and worshipping Him. When peace is not present amongst the body of Christ, God’s glory will not be seen to the world; Christians appear to be no different from any other people. Even though there enough serious issues with The Live Nativity to cause concern, canceling the event is out of the question. This is a wonderful opportunity to show the entire community the love of Christ and to praise, honor and worship God. While it is possible for individuals to present the Gospel to individuals at anytime, it is better to witness as a group of believers. In his book Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, Donald S. Whitney writes this: “Last night I attended a church’s Christmas program, designed exclusively as a community outreach event. An orchestra, choir, and dramatic cast combined to tell the story of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Skillfully done, but without world-imitating glitz, the work of these four hundred people uplifted Christ and glorified God in a way I could never expect to do by myself”(Whitney 92). Sharing the joy of bringing the good news that Jesus Christ is born, as a community of believers, brings glory to God. The best possible solution to extinguish all quarreling and poor Christian spirit is to rethink the presentation and leadership of The Live Nativity. An event that is non stationary in location, not held at a church and has a primary focus to tell others about the miracle of Jesus’ birth is the
4 ideal modified event. To bring to light a new, more Christ centered event, first a name change is in order. The new event is called The Christmas Journey, and is not to be limited to participation from the Herkimer Reformed Church, but to include other churches within the community and its main goal is to grab the attention of unbelievers. The Christmas Journey calls for five stations strategically placed within the community to cover a good portion of the main village. The Bible serves as the only necessary, authoritative script. Each station depicts a different scripture from the books of Matthew and Luke, beginning with the “Annunciation” and culminating with the birth of Jesus, and has one narrator who reads directly from scripture, and silent portrayers. With only one voice spoken at each station, the attention is taken away from the actors to the Gospel itself. Honor and glory is God’s when adoration is reserved for Him alone. The promise God makes in Jeremiah is fulfilled, “And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and glory before all nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I can do for them” (Jeremiah 33:9). A more practical result of having no speaking parts, other than a narrator, is the elimination of many time-consuming rehearsals during a time that most people are already stretched. This allows possible free time to spend with family, or in personal reflection to prepare for Christ’s coming. Station one is a reading from Luke 1:1-39a, depicting the annunciations of John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ births. Station two features Luke 1:39b-56 which describes Mary traveling to Elizabeth’s home and “The Magnificat.” At the third station, Matthew 1:18-24 and Luke 2:1-5 are combined to tell of Mary and Joseph preparing to leave for Bethlehem. Station four is a brief stop along the journey where shepherds and angels are encountered for a slightly adjusted rendition of Luke 2:8-15. The adjustment in the scripture accommodates meeting the shepherds and angels prior to reaching the stable, but allows them to join in the journey leading to Christ.
5 The last station tells the attendees of Jesus’ miraculous birth from Luke 2:6, 7. The event concludes by explaining Luke 2:16-20: as the shepherds did not keep this good news to themselves and is not the ending to the complete life of Jesus Christ, we share this news with the community and extend the invitation to learn of the complete life of Jesus through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. Stations are more conducive to appealing to unchurched people and better reflect the early church’s locations of evangelism. Throughout the entire book of Acts, the early Christians witness about Jesus on city streets and country roads, in prison, at a governor’s home, wherever they are given the opportunity. The Gospel is not merely for inside church walls and on church property. Strategically placing stations throughout the village in high-visible, commercial and residential locations and creating an entourage that travels from station to station allows attendees to gather in onlookers for the journey so that they may satisfy their curiosity. Singing traditional, worshipful Christmas Carols while traveling heralds the reason for Christmas throughout the entire village, reminding those in their homes that Jesus Christ is born! There are three potential deterrents to stations that are easily refuted. First, some attendees may not be able to walk the entire journey due to age or handicap. Two or three hay wagons provide transportation for those who are unable to complete the journey on foot. Assistance from several helpers makes the loading and unloading of passengers a fairly easy transition. Secondly, the village officials may or may not grant permission to utilize property for the stations. This, too, can be avoided by utilizing property adjacent to churches or gaining permission from local businesses to use parking lots. Since The Christmas Journey is an early evening event, businesses are not open at the time, and some local sites have been open to other Christian events at other times. Utilizing property other than official church property is more likely to draw
6 unchurched people. In the past, village officials are more than willing to give a police escort for the small procession for The Live Nativity. Good relations remain between church and village and no foreseeable problem exists in the village’s willingness to provide the same service for The Christmas Journey. The third mountain to climb is one that no human can have control over-the weather. By creating outdoor stations, the general weather will need to be cooperative. Upstate New York in the middle of December is usually very cold with possible rain, snow or ice showers. Attendees will not appreciate getting cold and wet one week prior to Christmas. Two preparations cover these arguments. A “Bad Weather” alternative date is set two days later to allow time for inclement weather patterns to pass. If the bad weather does not pass, the attendees can be encouraged to drive to the stations in their own vehicles and temporary shelter around each station will allow respite from the elements. Since humans have no control over the weather, it is wise to follow Jesus’ advice recorded at Matthew 6:34, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34, Daily Study Bible for Women, New Living Translation). Prayerfully leaving the weather in God’s hands takes care of that worry. There are no substantial concerns that The Christmas Journey will require additional funding from the already allotted budget. Proper advertising utilizes radio, television, print and internet to maximize outreach values. Taking advantage of free local media offered to churches and not-forprofit organizations and the internet leads to reaching more unbelievers at no cost. All remaining expenses for refreshments or costumes are shared equally amongst the involved churches. Inviting other churches to join in the leadership, preparation and participation for The Christmas Journey provides a reasonable solution to a number of problematic issues. Limiting
7 leadership of the event to one leader per congregation allows different opinions to be heard in a constructive, rather than destructive, atmosphere. Like siblings in a traditional home setting who bicker amongst themselves but have no problem being kind to other non family members, this is often true of people in individual churches. By working with other churches, bickering is kept to a near to nonexistent level or disappears altogether. Tasks such as locating live animals, preparing costumes, seeking participants and gathering songbooks are less stressful and daunting when each congregation is responsible for one or two preparations. By including other churches, problems that do arise can be easily addressed by sharing each other’s burdens. Paul reminds Christians to “bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2, New Revised Standard Edition of the Bible). Working together to tell the Gospel message fulfills the law of Christ to love one another. The presentation of the Gospel during Advent is an institution of Herkimer Reformed. Letting go of some control is another unreasonable concern. God is honored and pleased when His children, not just one church family, but all of His children work together. King David enforces this, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1, The Holy Bible, New King James Version). Losing potential people in the pews at Herkimer Reformed Church to the other churches is a ridiculous objection. The manner in which The Live Nativity is currently presented, few or no unchurched persons are attending, and thus no new people are brought into the church anyway. It does not matter if Jesus is received by an unbeliever who chooses another congregation. Jesus presents a unique observation to address this issue. He tells his disciples that the harvest is ready for reaping. “The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together…One sows the other reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others
8 have labored, and you have entered into their labor” (John 4:36-38, New Revised Standard Edition of the Bible). Herkimer Reformed Church may have been the sowers once in this ministry, but the time is right for others to join the labor, so that all of God’s children in this community can rejoice in the reaping together. God is glorified amongst unbelievers when His children rejoice together. Changing The Live Nativity and all of its flawed ways to The Christmas Journey is the only viable solution to bring glory, honor and praise to God. The Apostle Paul’s words to the Colossians epitomize the results from the change. “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word and in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:14-17). The Christmas Journey ushers in love, hope, peace and joy, the themes of Advent and Christmas, resulting in the ultimate Christmas celebration that glorifies God in the Highest! Come, join The Christmas Journey; the love, hope, joy and peace that Christ offers to all who believe will be found. 2592 words
Works Cited Brettler, Marc Z., Coogan, Michael D., Newsome, Carol A., Perkins, Pheme (Eds.). (2001). The oxford annotated bible. New Revised Standard Edition (3rd Ed.). Colossians 3:14-17, Galatians 6:2, Jeremiah 33:9, John 4:36-38, Luke 10:27. New York: Oxford University Press.
9 Harrison, Shawn & Taylor, Linda. (Eds.). (1996). Daily study bible for women. New Living Translation. Matthew 6:34. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible. (1982). Psalm 133:1. United States of America: Thomas Nelson, Inc. Whitney, Donald S. (1996). Spiritual disciplines within the church. USA: Moody Bible Institute.