So John and I got kicked out of Bethlehem. True story.

So John and I got kicked out of Bethlehem on Friday night. I am not making this up. Of course, it wasn't the real Bethlehem - but instead, was a Living Nativity in Longville, MN. The idea is that you drive past a series of vignettes where actors are recreating the story of Christ's birth. It sounded interesting to me so I talked John into driving through on our way out to dinner that evening. 

I thought it was strange that the first vignette we saw was the stable scene and I thought it even more unusual that the "Baby Jesus" was laying in the manger while Joseph leaned on a near-by wall talking to one of the wise men, and Mary stood in the opposite corner drinking a coffee. John asked what I thought so far and I said "I think it would be more believable if Mary wasn't drinking a Starbucks". 

The second vignette was the Inn that turned them away - with a sign on top that read "NO RMIN" (honestly, you can't make this stuff up.) The innkeeper seemed to scowl at us as we continued on our way.

At the third vignette, the shepherds stood in the nearby field with their sheep. We slowed down as one of the shepherds approached and signaled to roll down the window. He very kindly said "I'm sorry but Bethlehem is a one-way street and you are going the wrong way. Would you please back out the way you came in?"

"Oh man," I said to John, "we just got kicked out of Bethlehem!"

Well, by now, my interest was certainly piqued so I convinced John to drive through once again - the right way this time. Yes, it made much more sense this time. There was Luke writing the gospel, and then Mary and Joseph journeying on their donkey. We then again, came upon the shepherds in the field and as we rounded the corner, a light came up on the Angel proclaiming the birth of Jesus. There was a man dressed as the angel strapped to a tree no less than 40 feet above the ground. Fantastic!

We drove past the innkeeper again and then were back to stable. Now everything was as it should be - Joseph stood by protectively as Mary held the baby in her arms. 

We had been thrown out of Bethlehem, but thankfully we found our way through eventually.

On a much more serious note, as we left, the image of Mary looking down at her child was an image that I could not shake from my mind. On a day when so many mothers had tragically lost their children. I think I needed the Living Nativity on Friday. I needed to be reminded about what this season is really about. And, more importantly, I needed to remember that sometimes we need to put down our coffee. Sometimes we have to be fully present in the moment. And, always, we need to hold closely those we love.