Oh Camel ye Faithful - Motherwell church hosts colourful nativity
Published on 12 December 2024 1 minute read
A colourful nativity parade was organised by a North Lanarkshire Church featuring kings on horses, Mary and Joseph with a donkey and a legion of Roman soldiers.
More than 400 people from Motherwell turned out to see the spectacle on Sunday – the second Sunday of Advent, a time of prayer and preparation for the coming of God's Son.
People of all ages, dressed up in the fashion of folk alive more than 2,000 years ago in Judea, left Motherwell South Parish Church and paraded around the North Lodge area of the town.
They returned to the church, which doubled up as the village of Bethlehem, to watch a nativity play, which marks the birth of Jesus Christ in a stable there.
Found in the gospels of Luke and Matthew in the Bible, their account tells us that his birth was caused by divine intervention.
A group of children performed a short nativity play and people enjoyed the ‘Bethlehem Bazaar', a middle eastern tent full of exotic delights such as Moroccan soup, baklava and Turkish delight.
Rev Alan Gibson, minister of Motherwell South Parish Church, said, "To see so many people join us on our parade was incredible, and to see everyone from adults to children dress up was fantastic.
"People really entered into the spirit and the purpose of the occasion is simply to take a few moments on the run up to Christmas to tell the Christmas story in a way that everyone can be a part of."
Moyra Scott took part in the parade and described the whole event as "incredible".
"We had horses with kings, donkey with Mary and Joseph and a cast of hundreds," she said.
"As we walked through the town, people came to their windows to wave at us and others joined us.
"The Bethlehem Bazaar was incredible and it just looked like some kind of market you would see in the Middle-East.
"The work people put into this was astounding".
Meaning 'coming' or 'arrival', Advent is also a time when Christians look outwards to the needs of others, spreading joy with friends, families, local communities and further afield.