Spectacular

Some of us were already up when that first alarm went off at 4am, meaning it was time to get ready and get over to the church.  We looked in the piano room and right off we knew it was going to be quite a day, as Jingle Bell and Snowflake had decided to form their own jug band!  

The day was spectacular.  And tiring, of course.  But spectacular.  Maddie and the team from KidPak were fantastic on the set for the children's ministry, as part two of our Christmas in Neverland series continued strongly.  Tinkerbell was showing Captain Hook Christmas Present, and of course there was a message that went with today's script about how Jesus is our Christmas Present, the greatest gift of all.

In between services, some of the cast went out to visit the three sheep and the donkey just outside of KidPak, the ones that were used in today's Christmas production.  Fun fact:  these animals love sour cream and onion potato chips.

As for our production, it was in fact spectacular.  It was called that not long ago in the title, and at the time I was wondering if we could ever live up to that particular title.  But we in fact did.  Like the Braves victory, it can't be narrowed down to any particular player on the team.  We all made incredible plays, and all of them added up to a huge victory.  Mom made the costumes you see above, sewing into the late hours.  I was writing a bit of the dialogue for the videos shown, and of course I got to be a shepherd too.  An actual shepherd!  My part was certainly much smaller than others, and yet it all added up to something much bigger than any individual.  That's just one thing that made it so special, but there is so much more.

The Wise Men looked amazing, from head to toe.  We added a few props yesterday to accompany the new shoes, the splendrous costumes, and unusual make-up.  Mom really worked hard on these, and the end product was fantastic.

The emphasis of this project from day one was about Jesus, and that combined with all the visuals and music made this production my favorite thing that we've ever done here.  It was just wonderful.  We only used the classic Christmas songs that talked about the Bible story, and we worked so hard to make sure those dancers and acrobats were dressed in such a way that made this presentation something that would shine a light and give glory to God.

Dawn's dancers did so well, coming in at the last minute and adding so much to the stage.  Giant swings were set up, and Zena got those girls dressed up well, extra material flowing to and fro as they glided across the stage.

This costume worked out too.  I remember us trying to get that bridal veil - which we did.  It covers the front of the device that has hoisted the singing performer upwards as she sings "Noel."

Performers dangled from silk scarves as musicians sang and performed different songs, and all along the story of the gospel was shared.

Here's the Wise Men searching the stars, and here below you can see the visitation of Gabriel to Mary, to let her know how blessed and highly favored she was.

The Wise Men were on their way looking to the stars in a creative way, beams of light shining towards disco balls suspended from the sky, filling the auditorium with spots of light.

There were so many set pieces, ones that we had to roll out one after the other by a huge team of backstage helpers moving things into position.

Joy to the World!  And if that wasn't enough, we had live animals too, as you can see here below.

That's me, leading the way and the other shepherds up the aisle with sheep towards our destination at the manger. 

Mary had a larger role this year, getting her message from Gabriel here on the supplementary stage.  Nayeli is a really sweet girl who was very shocked and amazed at her casting as Mary, something she didn't even lobby for.  We just had a gut feeling about her, Pastor Lance and I.  So that was it!

The acrobats and performers were really great to work with this time, super pleasant people that were having a great time.  As this was live-streamed, everyone was calling their friends and family to watch  this online. 

We even had lots of fiery performances, as you can see here above amongst the Wise Men just before they make their journey and present their crowns and gifts to the King of kings.  

This was massive.  So many people showed up.  It was full.  And then our overflow area was full.  People were standing in the lobby, waiting for two hours for the start of the next performance.  We haven't had this many people at the church in years.  Of course that pandemic has something to do with this.  But there was just something wonderful about seeing so many people together to celebrate the holiday.  Some people drove from as far away as Arkansas to see this performance.

Here I am leading my sheep again, looking for the manger.  I've never been a character in a Nativity scene before, so this was pretty neat.  Maybe next time I can be a Wise Man.  

This time around, I got to herd sheep though - we were herding them down two flights of stairs in the back and around again to their starting position (where you see them above with the Neverland cast).  So many kids and families were there to pet them and say "hi" and feed them sour cream and onion potato chips.

We had string players here on stage too.  Maddie saw the entire performance in the third service, once there wasn't any part to play at KidPak.  She enjoyed it quite a bit, and even took some pictures on her cell phone at one point, which you'll see below.

Ah, here I am again with sheep.  At one point, the three sheep had gotten loose from the other shepherds, running around back and running off and towards me.  I took the staff and turned it horizontal towards the ground, and stood my ground facing them with the staff held out in front of me... and amazingly, all three stopped at my feet.  I was a legendary shepherd from that point on!

But of course we were there to worship the King of kings ourselves, bowing our heads as the Wise Men approached to do the same at the manger.

Here's a shot of the entire cast and quite a few of the backstage workers, and below you can see a show of some of the shepherds and Wise Men as they took their bow.  Mom did a great job with those costumes, didn't she?

It was a full, full day.  You can imagine how tired we were.  I hadn't slept since Friday night.  So tonight, we read and went to bed after prayers.  Nana was with us for most of the day, with others watching over her - Diana and Beth were so good, even sitting with her as they watched the production together.  

It was a great, great day.  I'll leave here with the words I had written for the Narrator's introduction of the production.  It was an unforgettable day, one that lifted up the name of Jesus, one that was simply spectacular.

     Since the beginning, through the countless centuries in darkness, all of creation waited eagerly with a growing hope blazing deep within.

     And throughout the ages, this hope could not dim, as men and women of God saw brief glimpses of the divine, their spirits lifted by an unrelenting expectation of something magnificent that was yet to come.

     They wrote of a star that would come forth from Jacob, (Numbers 24:7), for unto us a child is born, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).  He shall be called Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), and his throne would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16).

     The long-awaited savior is here.  Imagine now what it felt like as the celestial curtain was pulled aside, with angels singing and radiant beams of God’s love cascading downward.  It is something more than anything anyone could ever hope, or even dream.  The arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is truly …spectacular.