Journey to Bethlehem takes visitors on the path to a Christmas birth
By Dave Mast
December 10, 2012
1015
What Child Is This sang a group of carolers in Walnut Creek on Friday, Nov. 30, as part of the third annual Journey to Bethlehem took place under the stars on a very warm and inviting last day of November.
The child, of course, was the infant Jesus, the new king which had been heralded, and a huge collective effort by the local Walnut Creek businesses and many volunteers who served as actors, guides and servers for this huge event helped create a very lifelike scenario of what those days of the Christmas story were truly like back in Bethlehem.
Journey to Bethlehem manages to take out all of the extracurricular activity surrounding Christmas and boil it down to one simple message. Christmas is about the birth of Christ.
With the streets jam-packed on Friday night, thousands came streaming in to participate in the journey, and the message was heard by many.
Its the spirit of Christmas that keeps bringing us back, said Gino Amistadi of Dover. The true spirit of Christmas. And what continues to amaze us is that it is different every year, even though it is the same story.
It is something very special and unique, and we love helping to spread the story by inviting others to join us as we travel the journey.
The Amistadis make a point of inviting different people each year to the event.
If the number people walking the streets of Walnut Creek and the number of cars being parked at The Farm at Walnut Creek were any indication, then they arent the only family inviting others to witness the journey. This year seemed to draw far more people than ever to the event, where the journey culminated with the baby Jesus in a manger, being watched over by Mary and Joseph, angels, shepherds and the three wise men, as well as assorted farm animals.
This is so neat, and people are loving it, said Rebecca Miller, owner of Rebeccas, where King Herod was angrily shouting at people while at the same time asking them to help him out. What I like the most about it is that it brings the real meaning of Christmas. If anyone went to the The Farm at Walnut Creek, the climate there, with Mary and Joseph, the baby Jesus, all of the animals and the shepherds, it is so neat.
At the Carlisle Inn, Brennan Baker and Amy Sprang were playing the roles of Joseph and a very pregnant Mary, seeking a place to encamp for the night. Of course the inn was full, so they had to make do.
The two actors volunteer for the roles because they enjoy being a part of a touching and meaningful Christmas story.
I really love and appreciate this event, said Sprang. I have been involved with it all three years. I love the meaning and the environment of it all.
The meaning behind the journey to Bethlehem is very important for people to hear, said Baker, who loves the idea that there is no script, only what the actors choose to do to portray their characters.
From the frivolity of the market street at Coblentz Chocolate, where a variety of vendors were selling baskets, pottery and just about everything one could imagine in a marketplace back in Biblical times, to the angry King Herod who beckoned at people to bring him news of the new king, then gruffly shouted them out of his house, to the three magi who were encamped not far from the star signifying the arrival of the new king, there was plenty to see on the journey.
And along the way, carolers and angels brought some heavenly sweet music signifying the arrival of the newborn king.
While countless families took the journey, there were groups in attendance as well. One was a marriage retreat group from Bolivar Wesleyan Church. Thirteen couples came to witness the journey, and were enjoying the atmosphere and being together as a group.
It was the groups first trip to the journey, and they were excited to get under way.
It was a magic night, the stars overhead shining brightly as the large moon cascaded a bright light upon the entire event, making this one authentic and enchanting evening, full of wonder and awe.
