Event brings Christmas story comes to life with biblical prophecies

More than 1,500 Manhattan-area residents took a journey across the Middle East this weekend. They did not travel by air or ship, but rather, by foot, over a winding dirt path. They took the journey of Bethlehem Revisited.

A morphing event

Bethlehem Revisited is an annual outdoor event hosted by Grace Baptist Church with more than 100 anciently dressed actors and live sheep and goats. The event has taken place on the land of Judd Swihart, a Keats, Kan., resident, for more than 15 years.

"When it was smaller, when there were 150 or so people who would come, we seated them in the barn, but eventually we realized some people couldn't see or hear, so we broke them into groups," Swihart said.

Swihart and his team continue to add more repeated tours to keep visitor groups small, more stations to provide historical information and more actors to meet the demands of a growing audience, he said.

"People like to come and hear the story of the birth and life of Jesus, and we just keep getting a lot of requests and comment cards — people thanking us and saying ‘do it again' — so we just continue to do it," Swihart said.

Though the event has morphed over the years, one thing has stayed the same: the central message of reconciliation with God through his son Jesus.

Story of redemption

The event started in the town hall of Keats City Park with cookies, hot chocolate and seasonal hymns. Buses took attendees in groups of 20 to the dirt path where the journey began.

Brent Pinkall, tour guide of Bethlehem Revisited and senior in journalism and mass communications, said the event was a journey through the Old Testament, with prophecies about the coming Messiah standing as landmarks to point the way to Jesus. Though the first prophet Pinkall introduced was Moses, one of the most prevalent men of the Torah, Pinkall said the story truly began in Eden, when mankind first rebelled against God.

"They disobeyed and rebelled, refusing to submit to God and instead wanting to become their own god, and we have all followed their example," he said. "Because God is just and holy and cannot dwell with evil, he separated himself from them and brought punishment on mankind."

But God did not abandon humanity, Pinkall said.

"Even from the beginning, he provided a message of hope for redemption and reconciliation," he said.

Historical elements

Attendees stood silently as ancient Jewish text flowed from the mouths of highly regarded prophets like David, Isaiah and Micah, and even from the political leader Caesar Augustus, all played by local volunteers.

A man acting as David, clothed in a wool robe, holding a wooden staff and standing behind a small bonfire, shared the following prophecy: "The stone that the builders rejected has become a cornerstone," he said. "This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes."

Hannah Chavers, junior in family studies and human services and life sciences, said the "olden times" dialect helped transport her to that archaic era, the holy land that is both ancient and now-existing.

"How they talked — that made it seem more real to me," Chavers said. "That, and just knowing and seeing their passion for it; you could tell they knew what they were saying."

The group then continued on up the trail behind Pinkall with his lantern, and stopped at the site of the prophet Isaiah.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be on his shoulder, and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace," the actor said.

The next prophet, Micah, spoke of the coming Messiah's magnificent peace and rule and declared that he would be born in Bethlehem, where, according to many religious, political and historical texts, Jesus was born 700 years later.

Deeper meaning

Pinkall said because of words in the prophecies like "prince" and "rule," many people thought the Messiah was going to be an earthly king — a political and military leader who would destroy Israel's enemies and bring peace. However, Pinkall said these verses are much deeper than their surface meaning.

"Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world," Pinkall said. "This king isn't one who came to conquer nations, but one who came to die for nations and to rule in the hearts of his people. He said he came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Dan Walter, actor in the event and Manhattan resident, expounded upon this concept.

"The people of his day were looking for a military deliverer to free them from the tyranny of Roman occupation, but they failed to recognize Jesus, the prince of peace, who had come to liberate their souls," Walter said.

Invitation to all

Pinkall said while many people missed the weight and glory of Jesus' birth 2,000 years ago, Manhattan residents do not have to miss it now, in 2010.

He said there is no amount of good works that can make up for all mankind's sins against God or to allow people to earn their way into heaven. He said the only hope is to trust in Jesus.

The group sat in pairs and trios on bales of hay, clustered in a wood cabin much like something that would be found in a painting of the Christmas story, and Pinkall led the group in a prayer to make that exchange.

The journey's end

While the rising action of the Christmas story may seem to occur in the prophecies, with the climax at Jesus' birth, the Bethlehem Revisited presentation treated Jesus' birth not as the final climax, but as a new chapter opening to his life, death and resurrection.