Greatest story ever told – to go
Motorists on bustling Highway 2 north of Spokane will see an unusual star in the western sky this weekend. And if they follow that star, they’ll find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manager.
But first they’ll have to drive past an angel suspended from a crane, 30 feet above the ground.
The star and the angel are part of Crossover Church’s drive-through living nativity. The project started four years ago as a conversation Kelleen Little had with her husband, Crossover’s senior pastor, Terry Little. “We were building our new church and as we looked at the layout, I could just see the different scenes,” Kelleen Little said. “It took us four years to dream about it and get a team of people together.”
And what a team it is. Kelleen Little, the pageant director, said more than 300 people are involved in the production, which amounts to almost half of their congregation. “When we had our first meeting, over 100 people turned out and all the parts were filled,” she said.
While several area churches stage living nativities, Little said this is the only drive-through nativity she knows of in the Northwest. Motorists will be able to view six staged scenes from the comfort of their cars. In addition, each motorist gets a 10-minute CD from the church, narrating the vignettes.
The first scene is the angel who announces Christ’s birth to shepherds and their flocks. Those flocks created an unexpected problem. “It turns out the sheep we had lined up all began lambing at the same time,” said Pastor Little. One of their members addressed a midweek service and made an impassioned plea for sheep. Not just any sheep – white, fluffy sheep.
His sheep supplication was answered, and the shepherds will have full flocks this weekend. As a bonus, Kelleen Little said with a laugh, “The sheep are owned by a believer. We’ve got Christian sheep.”
From the angelic announcement, cars will be directed to Bethlehem. Costumed townsfolk will mingle with travelers reporting for the census. Roman soldiers will stalk the streets, along with donkeys, goats and other livestock.
Of course no nativity is complete without the inn. Little said, “This inn is a family-run establishment with lots of bustling activity.”
Viewers will see Mary and Joseph being turned away and directed to a small stable built under the church portico. Many Bible scholars believe the stable was actually a cave, and the Crossover construction team has followed that idea.
As authentic as Little wants her production to be, she drew the line at a real newborn in the stable. “It’s too cold,” she said. “We’ve got a life-like baby doll.”
While shepherds and their sheep gather to see the Christ child, the church choir will be across from the nativity scene singing traditional, celebratory Christmas carols.
The fifth scene is the three wise men and their camels. The wise men will be leading, not riding the camels. It turns out camels aren’t always amenable to human passengers. Terry and Kelleen Little’s son, Joshua, is one of the designated camel wranglers/wise men. “They smell funny,” he said as he returned from his introduction to the camels. “They’re very interested in people and very big.” He showed his father a picture he’d taken of “his” camel. “I got the temperamental one,” Joshua said with a grin. And yes, camels do spit. “And it’s not just a little bit of spit,” he said.
Kelleen Little said the final scene will be a cross with a lamb in front of it. “It’s a reminder of the real reason for the manger,” she said.
For her, all of the hard work is well worth it, and her husband agrees. “Christmas isn’t always a great time for people,” he said. “We want folks to experience Emmanuel, which means God with us. It’s an old-fashioned story, told in a simple way. It’s true and still warms the heart.”
More importantly, Kelleen Little said watching their congregation work together to create the drive-through nativity has been a blessing – and not just to the people of Crossover. “It’s a gift,” she said. “from our church to the community.”