INSIGHT ARTICLE (by Marla Carter)

The average American family spends $218 each year on new Christmas decorations. Two hundred and eighteen dollars! Some families have a Christmas tree in every room and lights and wreaths on every exterior door and window. These same people sing in the choir, go caroling at nursing homes, bake cookies for their mail carriers, and kiss under the mistletoe. They know every word to every Christmas carol ever written and have DVD’s of all the holiday classics. Yet on the inside, they walk away from the Christmas season feeling unaffected, empty, and indifferent. These mere appearances of the holiday cannot satisfy a longing heart or fill an empty soul.

Now, meet Bill, the main character in Owensboro Christian Church’s production of “A Time For Christmas.” Bill spends no money on holiday decorations because he doesn’t celebrate Christmas. He has no tree, no gifts, and certainly no lights, mistletoe, or fake snow. What he does have is work—lots and lots of work. He feels the pressure to succeed at work and values Christmas only as a day to work on his accounts without distractions because no one is going to call or stop by. He ignores carolers, refuses dinner invitations, and has time for no one but himself. In fact, he has never really loved anyone but himself and certainly does not have time to be enveloped by the emotion of Christmas or the One whose birth extends the gift of real love and hope.

Despite his shortcomings, Bill has a friend in Mary, a single mom who sees something in Bill he himself has yet to see. Unlike Bill, Mary loves Christmas and stands her ground when Bill pushes her to work on Christmas Eve. Young in years but strong in faith and experienced in the trials of life, Mary faces the challenges of divorce, parenting, and juggling work and family.

This particular Christmas Eve, Bill’s life is about to collide with some very special people who help him to understand that the greatest tragedy of Christmas is loneliness—a loneliness of the heart and soul. Attempting to satisfy oneself with work, people, or things will always leave a hunger for more because those things were never meant to fill the human heart. “A Time For Christmas” will remind us that if we don’t leave room in our hearts for Christ, we miss out on the joy of not only the holiday season, but the joy of every day of every season of life.

An unexpected Broadway-style Christmas musical, you will not see a stable or wise men or Mary and Joseph holding tiny baby Jesus. What you will see is a visual masterpiece of colors and light, and you’ll hear music that will make your heart merry and your soul inspired. Worship Ministry Administrator Randy Buehler explains why he chose “A Time For Christmas” and how it has all come together.

“When it comes to religious musicals, the challenge is finding one with not only a great story, but great music as well. In the past, we’ve taken elements from several resources and pieced them together for a sort of “best of the best” type scenario. Around June or July of this year, we began the hunt for what would be this years’ musical, and as usual, nothing particularly grabbed us. We knew God had something amazing planned. He had already been stirring our hearts, I think giving us a “heads up” as to what He desired to do in and through those who would be involved as well as those who would attend. Then we found “A Time for Christmas” on my shelf, of all places. I guess I put it there for a rainy day... who knows. As we began listening through and praying about this musical, we began to see that this was going to be a project different than anything we had done in the recent past (at least since I’ve been here).”

“Early on, we felt God leading us to make the auditions open to the public, so we did, and the turn out was amazing. It also was very clear to us that we were going to need a production team to handle all the different aspects of a production of this caliber. So, one by one, God brought together a team of eleven amazing people. I wish I had the time and the space to tell you each of their stories so you could see how God had been preparing them, and so many others for this journey. So, it all began-- the rehearsals, meetings, phone calls, ordering stuff online, sewing, sewing, and more sewing, choreography rehearsals, publicity... the train is pulling out of the station.”

As Randy mentioned, this musical is different not just because of its style, but also because of the huge amount of work that it requires. Construction on the two-story set actually began in October with the addition of stage rigging before the first piece of wood was ever cut. The orchestra and the choir have been practicing since August, learning the lyrics and fine-tuning every note. The children play such a large role that they’ve had their own director this year. Because several scenes incorporate dancing of some kind, there’s been choreography to learn and rehearse. The costume, hair, and make-up teams have been working hard to teach everyone who will appear on stage how to dress in the approved color palette, what shoes are appropriate, and how to apply their stage make-up. Our seamstresses, all volunteers, have been working four to five days a week since the cast was selected in September. Each person involved in the performance has at least four costume changes, and with nearly 100 people on stage, you can see why there’s been so much sewing! Selecting eye-catching graphics, attention-grabbing text, and appropriate placing of community advertising has been the labor for the publicity team.

Another new aspect of this year’s production is that there will be tickets to purchase. Each ticket is $2 with all the proceeds going to the Owensboro Goodfellows Foundation. This local charity has been providing less fortunate children in Daviess County with an annual Christmas party since 1916 as well as clothing, coats, shoes, and dental care. Owensboro Christian Church will not profit one cent from the tickets. “A Time For Christmas” is simply the church’s gift to the community.

With all of this work to be done, it would be quite easy to get caught up in the monstrosity of it all and let it sort of sweep you away, forgetting Who was really in charge or What it’s really all about. It would be only natural to become like the character Bill, focusing on success and becoming numb to the people surrounding you. While Randy may be the physical director of the musical, God Himself has been orchestrating the details from the very beginning. Randy continues, “You know, the further down the tracks we get, the more I see God’s hand in every aspect. Through this, more than any other seasonal production with which I’ve been a part, I’ve seen God at work in my life, and in the lives of the more than 130 people already involved. That’s why we’re doing “A Time for Christmas,” which is also the true spirit of Christmas... what God wants to do in and through us when we open our hearts to Him. Our prayer is that you find your heart open to Christ this Christmas season, and we pray “A Time for Christmas” will be a part of your holiday celebration.”