Over two thousand years ago, a group of shepherds were frightened, to say the least, when an angel appeared before them in the sky. The angel was quick to comfort them, announcing the birth of their Saviour. Luke 2:15 tells us: "When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, 'Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.'"
Although a vastness of time and space prevents us from doing the same, the Seventh Day Adventist Church will bring people close to the experience, as they host for a second year their interactive virtual tour of Bethlehem.
A Walk Through Bethlehem will be a Christmas experience to remember, with a marketplace filled with the smell of baking bread, stables replete with live animals and a host of volunteers attired in clothing of the period.
Pastor Miller said a number of stops on the tour have been upgraded and they are working towards adding a couple more surprises to the tour.
During their 30-minute tour, visitors will see a temple, jail, the inn with no room to spare and the famed stable where Jesus was born. The tour also includes a synopsis of Jesus' life, crucifixion and resurrection.
On Friday and Saturday, Dec. 10 and 11, A Walk Through Bethlehem will run from 6 to 9 p.m. On Sunday, Dec. 12, it will run from 1 to 4 p.m.
Refreshments will be offered after the tour.
Although admission to the event is free, and Pastor Miller stressed he wanted everyone to be able to attend without feeling obligated to donate, donations collected last year were given to the Empty Stocking fund and the same will be done this year.
