They arose to fresh snow, which would make travel to the church more difficult. Nevertheless, they wouldn’t think of missing this pre-Christmas service. Jack hitched the horses to the old sled, and they left for the church earlier than usual, making a quick stop to pick up June and Bertha at their house. It was a little more than two miles to the church – really not far. They made it just fine, even arriving a bit early. This was good since Bertha was responsible for today’s presentation and had to set up her felt board.
The scene was much like last Sunday, except if anything, it was even colder, but Bertha was known for her felt board stories, and folks jockeyed a bit for position, the object to be warm and also see the felt board.
What? Oh! You don’t know what a felt board is? Well, back in the day, way before the digital age, stories were often told with the aid of a felt-covered board. The felt backing on the illustrations was enough to hold them to the board – at least, in theory. I think it worked fairly well.
First,
Bertha placed a foil-covered gold star on the board to represent the star in
the East.
Then she placed the three Wise Men, or Kings, as some call them.
At this point, the congregation sang, “We Three Kings of Orient Are.”
Next,
she placed the figure of Herod the King sitting on a throne and told how the
Wise Men went to Herod to inquire where they might find the child whose star
they had followed.
The congregation then sang “Once in Royal David’s City.”
And
finally, the Wise Men followed the Star to Bethlehem, where they found the
child Jesus. And Bertha placed pictures of a manger scene with Baby Jesus
surrounded by all the other characters – Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and
lots of animals. The star stayed at the top of the board throughout the
presentation.
And
the last carol was, “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.”
And that’s a rough synopsis of how it might have been. It was an inspired talk. Those who attended were glad they had made the effort.
Our church has been pretty cold because they keep the windows partially open because of the virus. I'm grateful when one of my tall boys is next to me to block some of the cold! The heat is on, but no stove to huddle around. :-)
ReplyDeleteDo you also sit far apart from non-relatives and have they reduced service size? Just curious.
DeleteI wish I had a singing voice and a memory for lyrics. It’s fun to sing in a group, especially carols.
ReplyDelete