A Night in Bethlehem

Our ward Christmas party was this past Saturday evening, and it was a radical departure from our traditional Christmas celebration at Bro Laney’s farm (across the border in New South Wales). Christmas parties at the farm are all-day events filled with swimming in the small dam he has for watering his animals, taking ‘sleigh rides’ on the back of an old car bonnet dragged behind a ute,* carefully tending the goats and pigs that are being spit-roasted for that evening’s dinner, and singing Christmas carols around a bonfire once the mid-summer sun has finally gone down.

This year the Ward Council decided to do something requiring considerably more planning and effort by recreating a bit of Old Bethlehem in the church hall instead. I really liked this idea because, as fun as it is to swing over the water on a ‘Tarzan rope’ and feast on crispy pig skin and pavlova,** it’s somehow more fun to spend hours working side-by-side with other ward members in planning and executing a large project like this—especially when, in the end, it all comes together beautifully.

My Young Men were asked to paint backdrops for the event, something we spent two whole Mutual nights working on, but our representations of brick and stone and desert landscape turned out great. In addition, I helped build ‘stone walls’ out of cardboard cartons, which were then painted as well. Others in the ward sewed costumes, built a manager, fashioned spears for the Roman centurions, constructed a glittering star, cut out gold and silver ‘coins,’ and stitched moneybags to keep the coins in. Moreover, food in abundance was prepared by various auxiliaries.

In addition, a nativity play was planned for the night, and I was asked to be Joseph. We had a brilliant script, written by another ward member, in which an angel choir narrated the story of the Advent using bits of traditional Christmas carols. This all required rehearsals, of course, both for the singing and for the actual acting.

But, in the end, it was all worth it. We worked from morning into the afternoon on Saturday to install all the decorations, but the hall looked great when we were finished. Vendor stalls made of ‘stone’ and ‘brick’ encircled three sides of the hall, set up to sell kebabs,*** fresh fruit, flatbread and dips, spiced rice and beans, baked goods, toys (handmade by the primary children), and wine (blackcurrant cordial).

Later that evening the ward—most of us decked out in our best bathrobes and tea towels—gathered in the chapel to sing and to pray, and then we were ushered by Roman centurions past tables where we signed the census and paid our taxes. Most of the rest of the evening was spent in Bethlehem ‘buying’ food at the various stalls, mixing and mingling, feasting and laughing together—and occasionally being harassed by the centurions.

When most had eaten, the lights were dimmed, and then the ‘angels’ arose from wherever they had been sitting around the hall and, with clear voices, invited the ‘faithful’ to come to Bethlehem. From that point on, I can’t tell you much since I was too much in the middle of things, but I think the nativity play went well. As I helped a very pregnant ‘Mary’ wend her way through the crowds of people sitting on the floor of the hall, even the smallest of children seemed to be watching in rapt reverence, so I’ll take that as a good sign. And I know I personally got a thrill up and down my spine when a family of shepherds knelt at the side of our humble manger to pay honour to the baby represented by the doll therein.

It was somewhat sad at the end of the night to help pull down the decorations, fruit of so much labour, but, if others walked out of the hall that night as renewed in their gratitude for the miracle of the coming of Christ as I was, it was most definitely all worth it.

*Short for ‘utility,’ this is an Australian truck. Imagine a much meaner version of an El Camino.

**The quintessential Australian dessert—a huge meringue base filled with custard and/or whipped cream and topped with passionfruit sauce and fresh fruit such as berries and slices of kiwi.

***In Australia, spit-roasted meat rolled up in Lebanese bread with various salads and sauces.