Bethlehem Market Place

Every two years Valley Fellowship Church in Buena Vista puts on the Bethlehem Market Place.  This bi-annual ministry of drama, music, costumes, props, sets, greeters, and food is a church-wide community outreach during the Christmas season.  This is a "production" that transforms our large gym that is attached to the church into the city of  Bethlehem the day after Christ's birth.  It is absolutely unbelievable. 

People come from everywhere to see this great event.  They are greeted at the door of the church and asked to take a seat in the sanctuary where they  can warm up and listen to some great live Christmas music.  As they get closer to the front a "guide" escorts them from the sanctuary into the Market Place where they feel like they have just walked into Bethlehem.  They are immediately met by two guys that give them their Shekels (coins of money used to pay their taxes to the Romans).  Once they have received their money they are quickly directed to the booth where 2 terse Roman Guards require them to "register for the census".   As we all know the census is what brought the people to Bethlehem in the first place. They are asked by the guards how they got to Bethlehem, how many people in their party, and how many farm animals they possess.  These Romans are all business and help people quickly feel like they have entered the Holy City.

Once finished with the Romans they are met by Zachary's Basket Shop.  I was Zachary.  H, the girls, and I had a great time playing the part of a family that made and sold wicker baskets in the Bethlehem Market Place.  As folks would approach our booth our job was to try to get them to purchase one of our beautiful baskets that were for sale.  I would tell people that there is a rumor going around the village. They would all lean in as I whispered that "their is a rumor that a King was born, a messiah right here in Bethlehem".  These folks would get focused and serious.  Then I would put on a big smile and say "with the birth of a king you should celebrate by BUYING ONE OF OUR BEAUUUUTIFUL BASKETS!!".  Getting the "joke" people would then move on to the next booths where brass and silver vendors where begging them to purchase their wares.  In total there must have been 40 booths with 2 to 4 people wearing robes, head coverings, sandals, and full beards for the men circa early Bethlehem.  We had booths with everything from guys selling leather and tents to cutting fish, squishing grapes for wine, a butcher with live chickens, people selling goats, sheep and yes, even a donkey.  The place smelled like a barn yard!!

NOTE:  No animals were harmed or eaten during this re-enactment.  However, one of the goats did apparently faint.

Now obviously nothing is bought or sold.  All of the Shekels the folks received when they entered the Market Place are quickly taken by the Roman tax collectors towards the end of their visit to Bethlehem.  While in our booth people would constantly try to buy our baskets. But we had to remind them to "save your money in order to pay the nasty Roman tax collectors".  This Market Place "runs" for 2 nights, Friday and Saturday in the middle of December every 2 years.  For those two nights people can get a very brief peek into what it may have been like to arrive into Bethlehem one evening.  They could feel the Roman Soldiers push them through the line, smell the baking of freshly made bread, see the squishing of the grapes and hear the sheep and goats.  Then as they walk out of the market they are met by a real family dressed as Mary and Joseph with a small baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.  There is an angle over head and as they depart they walk through an empty tomb.

My belief is that if this re-enactment moved, changed or brought one person closer to a relationship with Christ all of the hard work, time, effort and money was a small sacrifice.  Many of the folks from our church worked tirelessly to pull this event off.  Taking a large gym and literally building the city of Bethlehem with all of the details and props in every booth took an incredible about of time.  The casts job was easy and enjoyable compared to all of the work done behind the scenes.  H and I want to personally thank everyone who worked to make this years Marketplace a great success.  Our numbers were down by a small percentage but that was only due to a nasty storm that came in on Saturday night.

During this whole event, the rehearsal, and the two long nights during the Marketplace our girls were perfect.  They really enjoyed seeing all of our friends go through and were challenged by staying in character.  They especially enjoyed helping the bread makers kneed the dough before it went into the oven.  Our family felt like we were truly blessed by having the opportunity to participate in such a great eye opening event.  Personally, I felt like I truly was in Bethlehem with all the sites, smells and sounds.  The loudest sound may have come from me.  As I had to pull, tug, twist and YANK my heavily glued on beard out of my REAL goatee.  That alone made me see Jesus.

I will be posting pictures later this weekend of the event and possibly some video.