ABINGDON, Va. – Amid the clatter and clang of the marketplace, everyone is abuzz about the ancient prophecy.
“I’ve heard of a baby being born,” says Misty Jeffers, the village tailor. “Didn’t they tell you?”
Artisans at work and vendors hawking their wares are spreading the message: They’ve seen a bright star settle over their village where it’s said a child will be born to save the world.
As Christmas approaches, more than 100 members of the Rosedale Baptist Church on U.S. Highway 11 between Exits 19 and 22, have spent many hours re-creating the town of Bethlehem as it was more than 2,000 years ago, at the time of Jesus’ birth.
Don Paxton, senior pastor at the church, said the event, which draws hundreds and sometimes thousands of visitors, is done every other year to remind people that “Jesus is the reason for the season.”
“If the lights are dim and you’ve got an imagination, it’s authentic,” Paxton said. “That’s all we ask. Imagine. And if you do, I think you can walk the streets of Bethlehem and rejoice at the news of the birth of the Savior.”
The re-created scene includes several dozen villagers – church members in costume who interact with visitors as they walk a designated path – as well as live donkeys, goats and sheep.
Some residents of Bethlehem are more appreciative than others about the coming of the Christ child – the event Christians celebrate at Christmas.
“We have room for you if you have 10 pieces of silver. If not, we have a stable,” the town’s innkeeper, Jan Stapleton tells inquiring guests. “The stable is empty except for a couple. She’s having a baby if you don’t mind watching.”
In the biblical story, Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem – Joseph’s ancestral home about 90 miles away – to be counted in the Roman census. When they arrived, they could find no place to stay and took shelter in a stable with the animals. That’s where the baby Jesus was born.
According to the Bible, shepherds sleeping in the fields were the first to hear the news, with the appearance of angels.
In Rosedale’s Bethlehem, the shepherds greet visitors with sheep, donkeys and goats, and offer to keep their guests’ camels while they’re in town.
Everyone entering Bethlehem at Rosedale must, of course, sign in for the census and get their ration of Bethlehem Gold, which can buy a piece of dried fruit, a sliver of bread or a cup of cider. Water from the well is free.
“We have food for sale, the finest food in all of Bethlehem!” sing the food vendors. “Spend your money here!”
Throughout the town, the artisans – a carpenter, a weaver, a basket-maker, a potter, a tailor – show their wares. A prisoner, jailed for preaching that a baby born in Bethlehem will be king, tells visitors that a savior is coming to save the oppressed.
“The Romans won’t rule us forever,” he says. “You will see!”
At the end is a program in the sanctuary, where Christmas trees light the scene for a singing Mary and Joseph with two angels and a shepherd.
“In all the hustle and heartache that we seem to bring up on ourselves at this time [of year] … just slow down and remember there’s more than just trying to make someone happy for a moment,” said Wes Stringer, who plays Joseph. “We can be happy for eternity, and it’s through Jesus Christ.”
dmccown@bristolnews.com | (276) 791-0701
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