Sunday, December 3, 2000
|
Sunday, December 3, 2000 |
|
Take a journey through time Fayetteville First Baptist offers Advent recreation By PAT NEWMAN Step back into biblical times and experience the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ beginning Friday evening on the front lawn of Fayetteville First Baptist Church. The "Advent Journey" is a four-night production that involves about 200 members of the church, directed by Jim Battles, First Baptist's youth minister. This is the fifth year the church has embarked on this ancient journey. "It's truly our gift to our community," Battles said. Travelers experience "a touch of what it was like in the days of Jesus," he explained, with an eye toward authenticity. The journey begins with a challenge facing a modern day family and the question, "what is Advent all about?" "This is the time that Christ is coming into the world," Battles explained. Travelers on the journey become members of the tribes of Israel, and are guided through the period of Advent leading up to Christmas and the birth of Christ by a costumed prophet, shepherd, or perhaps a centurion. The prophecy of Jesus' arrival on earth is the next stop on the trip, followed by a visit to Mary's house and the announcement by the angel that she is to become the mother of Christ. The travelers continue on to her cousin Elizabeth's where the two women exchange news of the impending births of their children. On the search for the Christ child, the wayfarers wander through the streets of a typical Israeli town complete with a market, crafts people and youngsters playing. The final destination is the Nativity scene where Mary, Joseph and the Christ child are flanked by live sheep and goats. A short candlelight service and singing concludes the journey. According to Battles, it is difficult to be completely authentic. He has done extensive research on the region and culture of the people at that time in history. The results come together in the town which boasts a fish market, cloth shop, blacksmith, basket weaver and a candy shop that offers candied dates and vinegary treats. The journey takes about an hour, including a brief waiting period, Battles estimated, with the first group leaving at 6:30 p.m. The final group will set out about 8:30 p.m., with closing at 9 p.m. In previous years, approximately 2,000 people per season have embarked on the Advent Journey, he said. The dates are Friday through Sunday, Dec. 8-11 from 6:30 - 9 p.m. Visitors should park in the church lot on Johnson Avenue, Battles advised, where golf carts will shuttle them to the pageant site.
|
||