As a little girl, I looked forward to Easter. On Good Friday, mum and I would skip having the usual mass at our local church and instead travel to Nkubu approximately 13 KM away, to Nkubu Catholic church grounds where they showed a play on Jesus betrayal and crucifixion. If I was narrating this to my kids I would spice up the story by telling them that we went on foot. Hehe. We didn’t. But this journey usually took us two hours due to the bad (that’s an understatement) state of the roads where I grew up.

I looked forward to going to watch the plays every year. They showed them in a huge field and us, the audience, stood or sat around it, like we were watching a football match.

It always seemed so real to me. I would marvel at how much God let His boy go through. ( I mean how safe were we, mere mortals, if God would let His own child go through THAT?!) the cruelty of “Jesus’” haters’. It always crashed my poor little heart and moved me to tears, seeing “Jesus” being flogged. Mama always explained that it was for our own good.

What love! I felt indebted.

Fast forward two decades later and this time, I am in hubby’s company, watching, not an Easter play this time but a Christmas play – one of Kijiji Entertainment’s annual plays cum musicals, A Village Christmas – the 2011 theme being the love story between Mary and Joseph.

Now, lot has changed. A lot has changed since I last watched a Christian play…

A Village Christmas : The Love story

Picture this. You are a lady almost 20, living with her parents and engaged to be married. You are over the moon about it and ofcourse your ‘girlfriends’ are jealous so happy for you. They don’t get it , why you are getting married so young anyway, but as for you, you have no doubt that your fiance’ is the man you would like to spend the rest of your life with. Besides, your parents like him too.

You get home one evening feeling a little tired and kick off your heels that have been killing you. Nobody is home. You pace around the living room considering what to do with the rest of the evening. You know, have a quiet one at home perhaps or maybe call the girls and hook up..when, all of a sudden a man appears from no where. He is dressed in a black suit and a matching shirt and tie. You are certain that you locked the door when you came in and you didn’t hear anyone knock. But there is a man standing right there in front of you. You don’t believe your eyes. Really you don’t. If you did, you would scream.

Shocked, you muster enough courage not to run away..

“Who are you?!” You demand, reaching out for a knife your mobile phone.

“My name is Gabriel”, he says handing you his business card.

Angel Gabriel , reads the business card. 🙂

Now you are confused.

“Wait…er…Gabriel….I mean angel…..Aren’t you supposed to have wings or something?”

He chuckles. And speaks at last. But not before pausing to activate an app on his sleek iPad2 , from which he reads….

“…You have found favour with God…! ……You are going to bear a son…..!”

Something comes over you. It’s like a spirit takes over you. You don’t know why you are even wasting time answering this strange man. It’s like you are dreaming…

“Are you out of your mind?! Er…a son?! But…but I haven’t ….. er…i mean….I haven’t…..known a man.”

“What do you mean you don’t know any man? (Looking at his iPad) It says here that you have a father, brothers, cousins…

Hehehe.

Take Two : You are a simple chap, who is in love with this sweet and unbelievably innocent girl. You smile when you think about her and you can’t wait to marry her. You have agreed to chill till you get married, (something your buddies often tease you about). See, she is special. She is the girl of your dreams.

And the icing on the cake is that she loves you back.

You usually pay her a visit on your way to Bible study on Saturday afternoons. This particular Saturday when you pass by her house she seems even more excited than usual to see you. She is besides herself and she can’t even sit down or speak coherently. She’s got some great news, she says, and you can’t wait to hear it! You think she has been invited for an interview for that job she was applying for last month or that she finally found the wedding dress of her dreams.

That is before she drops the bombshell that she is the family way and that the Holy spirit is responsible! In fact, it was an angel who broke the news to her!

What on earth?!

What does she take you for? A freaking fool?! Tempers flare. A confrontation ensues.You can’t stand being in the same room with her right now. You do what any man worth his salt would do. You refrain from calling her names and storm out of her house and out of her life…….until THE angel visits YOU one night….

In the end, love wins. Love always wins.

A lot has changed since those Easter plays I watched as a kid, but one thing remains  : the feeling.

Sitting at Mavuno church, on the eve of Christmas eve, watching this beautiful and particularly well delivered love story between Mary and Joseph , I felt the love and appreciated that this indeed, is the greatest love story ever told.

If you are reading this, have a LOVE – filled year ahead. Happy new year, people!