Prayers and Processions - Bethlehem Walk

Just inside a wooden shack, next to the plastic playground, Leah Dickerson, 15, cuddles Jasmine Reyes. Leah's brother, Zach Dickerson, 17, picks up a pacifier and hands it to Jasmine's little sprouts of fingers.

 The siblings play Mary and Joseph - and Jasmine, an African-American girl, plays Jesus Christ - during the Bethlehem Walk at King's Grant Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach. It's an unconventional approach to the timeless Christian tradition, but one that draws nothing but admiration by those in attendance.

“I think it's important to share our faith with other people,” said Zack. “Even though it's like a walk-through play, it may change someone's faith in what Christmas really is about. The bible commands us to share our faith with other people and to spread the good news of the gospel, of Jesus.”

This year more than one thousand people walked through the performance, which shows what life was like in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. Members from King's Grant and St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church put together the walk-through performance which features dozens of characters, all of which lead up to the main attraction of  Mary, Joseph and Jesus.   “It's an honorable experience,” said Leah. “You have this feeling that people care for you and they want to see baby Jesus and his mother.”

Story and photos by Ross Taylor

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