I am writing this on Thursday, June 11 – a date that is 197 days before Christmas – but I am excited to say that this morning, at a small gathering of people in our Fellowship Hall, the topic of conversation was all about Christmas.
For more than 30 years, Bedford Presbyterian Church hosted a “Living Nativity” – a big Christmas pageant with live music and live people and live animals – for the community of Bedford and beyond. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the Living Nativity was cancelled and it has not returned. Every year since, in the days leading up to Christmas, we have received calls from members of the community asking if we are holding a Living Nativity, and we have had to say, “Regretfully, no.”
In truth, the Living Nativity was a joy for so many to attend, but a bit of a headache for the small number of people who helped put it together each year. Over the past few years, whenever a church member asked me about it, I would say, “Well, if we can get a team of people together with enough advance notice to work on it – putting plans into place, recruiting volunteers, and polishing up the script for the event – I’m all for giving it a try again.” Over the past few years, no such team has materialized. . . until now!
We are still in the VERY early planning stages of putting a Living Nativity together for this coming December, but IF YOU HAVE LOVED AND HAVE MISSED THE LIVING NATIVITY, NOW IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO PUT YOUR NAME ON THE LIST TO HELP!
To begin, Ed Wolf and Kat Zimmermann have agreed to do some important groundwork for the 2026 Living Nativity, but they cannot do it alone, and you can contact them directly HERE ( or email: ed.wolf43@gmail.com ).
AGAIN (written with all of the love and urgency I can muster): IF YOU HAVE LOVED AND HAVE MISSED THE LIVING NATIVITY, NOW IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO PUT YOUR NAME ON THE LIST TO HELP!
Ed and Kat are looking for people who can help with logistics (set up, crowd control, sound and lights, etc) and cast (cast members, costumes, music, and scripts). The Living Nativity might look a little different this year from previous iterations, but all of the above are needed to make it run smoothly, offer enough support to the folks who are leading the effort, and offer the Living Nativity as a hopefully yearly gift to our community.
We are a church that believes in resurrection and resurrecting the special way we spread the good news of God at Christmastime is something that is important to so many.
Thank you!
See you in church!
Grace and Peace,
John
PS – This Sunday is “Music and Worship Sunday” in the life of our congregation! Get ready for a some gospel good news in song!
Prepare for Worship
This Week: “Head of Household” (Foundations of Presbyterian Polity – Week 2)
Read Psalm 150
Read John 19:1-15
Read Ephesians 1:15-23
Read or Sing Hymn # 641 – “When In Our Music God is Glorified”
Attachments area
Preview YouTube video When in Our Music God is Glorified (“ENGELBERG”)Preview YouTube video When in Our Music God is Glorified (“ENGELBERG”)