Story and Photos by David Bolling
We all know the story and most of us can sing the songs. But it’s rare when we get to witness the menagerie that, we are told, surrounded the virgin birth, a story that – whatever your religion, belief system, tradition, race, culture or place of origin – has touched all of us as it continues to reshape the world.
So it came to be, on the blessedly rain-free, crispy cold evening of December 13, in the yard of the Sonoma Valley Community Church on the east side of Sonoma, that a gathering of souls, many of them human, participated in the living re-enactment of the birth of Christ in a makeshift, haybale manger, with wise men, shepherds, a chorus of angels, two camels, goats, sheep and a donkey about the size of a burro.
Pastor Henrick Mann sang background carols with an exceptional tenor voice, backed by keyboards and guitar as the players in the ageless drama sorted themselves out, found their positions, and waited for the commanding oration of Tim Martin to put the story in motion.
Then, with Martin’s guidance, the story unfolded, first with the weary Joseph and Mary, donkey in tow, knocking on the door of an inn that does not open, then at another door, and finally, slowly, they descend on the haybale enclosure and the tiny manger where the baby Jesus – expertly portrayed by a Cabbage Patch doll – is laid down to rest.
Then the angels sing, the wise men arrive, the gifts are bestowed – your usual gold, frankincense and myrrh – and Joseph raises his arms to heaven in gratitude and wonder. You could be Christian, Jew, Muslim, Jain, Hindu, Buddhist, Druid, Rastafarian, Sikh, Taoist, Shinto, Bahai – you name it – and you could not help but feel comfort in the happiness leaking into the night. To and from the humans, to and from the animals, one of whom – like Jesus – was freshly born . He was the baby camel (named Dune) and in between searching out his mother’s nipple, he pogoed excitedly up and down, energized no doubt by the impending miracle in the air.
Credit where credit is due: Pastor Henrick Mann hosted, greeted and sang. Orator Tim Martin drove the story. Alex Cassino on guitar, and Olga Kulikouskaya on keyboard provided the seamless musical background. Joseph was played by Ken Perry, Mary was Lupe Murrillo, and the three wise men were Matthew Ceaser, Brian Ness and Gary Sweeden. Brian Ness did double duty providing the camels Sahara and Dune, along with the donkey and sheep. The head angel was Su Grimm, the lead shepherds were Betsy Lee and Lucela Wolff, and the donkey wrangler was Patricia Wagner. Last but not least, Sandy Zimmerman provided invaluable liason between the Live Nativity and the Sun.
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