Several “amens” echoed across the room as the people raised their heads and began to move out of the pews. Several men walked over to shake Mr. Samuels’s hand as he tried to make his way up the aisle. Soon he was surrounded by people offering their thanks for all he’d done for them in the past few weeks.
Warm satisfaction flowed through Mike as he watched the selectman’s face beam and heard him thank each person for their contributions in helping the town return to normal.
They all headed up the aisle toward the door, their lively conversation and laughter drifting across the sanctuary. Mike stood still and closed his eyes to soak in the sweet sound.
“What are you doing?” Emma’s voice from behind startled him, and he turned toward her.
“Listening to what the end of services sounded like before the hurricane. We’ve turned a corner in Bethlehem. We’re beginning to heal.”
She nodded and watched the congregation exit the building. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”
He took a deep breath and sighed. “There’s something I’d like to ask you to do for me.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Remind me to never doubt you again.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because now I have to do what I vowed I never would, sing in public. So which Sunday do you choose?”
She grinned and looped her arm through his. “Whenever you’re ready. But if it will make you feel better, I’ll sing with you.”
His heart raced at the playful look she directed at him. “I’d like that very much.”
“Then we’ll worry about your singing debut after the nativity is over. Until then, though, we still have hungry people who’ll be in the fellowship hall for lunch. Are you ready for the next shift?”
He smiled and shook his head. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a slave driver? I don’t think I’ve had a moment’s rest since we decided to stage the nativity.”
She laughed and pulled him toward the door that led to the fellowship hall. “And you’ve loved every moment of it.”
He stared at her, and the truth hit him. He had loved it. He’d talked to his congregation today about blessings. But now as he stared into her eyes, he knew God had given him a special blessing when He brought him to Bethlehem to meet Emma Townsend.
Chapter 9
Emma had never thought of herself as a nervous woman, but she had been antsy all day long. She couldn’t sit still, and she flitted from one task to another, checking to make sure every detail was perfect for the first night of the nativity.
Now with only an hour left before the opening scene, her stomach continued to do flip-flops. She hugged her coat tighter around her and stared across the small crowd that had already gathered on the green. She’d worried that the morning snowfall might keep the crowd away, but at least some hardy souls had ventured out tonight.
“Are you ready for this?”
She glanced around at Mike, who’d stopped beside her. They’d hardly had a chance to speak today as they’d worked to make sure everything was on track for tonight. She smiled and glanced back at the set.
“Chester and Dwight did a great job. I don’t think we’ve ever had a more beautiful set.”
“They did,” Mike said. “The stable is perfect, and the platform above it is just what we needed for the angels and the soloists. The only thing I’m worried about right now is the performance. Dress rehearsal didn’t go too well last night.”
Emma laughed and punched him on the shoulder. “You know what they say. A bad dress rehearsal means a really good opening night.”
He winced and rubbed his shoulder. “I hope you’re right.” His eyes softened as he stared at her. “But then, I’ve found out for the past few months that you’re usually right about everything.”
Her face grew warm, and she glanced back at the gathered audience. “I don’t know about that. I predicted a large audience, but it looks like the snow may keep that from happening.”
He arched his eyebrows. “Since when did you quit having faith? And what does it matter how many people show up? The Bible tells us where two or three are gathered together, He is there.”
“I know. I guess I’m letting my emotions run away with me. We’ve worked so hard for weeks, and I want everybody to see how much they’re appreciated. We’ll have to make sure they know that, no matter how many people show up tonight.”
She’d just finished speaking when the lights that had lit the set suddenly dimmed and went out. Mike cast a startled look in her direction, whirled, and headed to the back of the set with Emma right behind him.
When they rounded the edge of the set, they saw Chester, a flashlight in his hand, on his knees in front of the generator. He glanced up as they approached.
“What happened, Chester?” Mike asked.
“I don’t know. John is in charge of the generator, and he was back here a few minutes ago. When the lights went out, I came to check, but he wasn’t here.”
Emma’s heart pounded. “Where is he? We’ve got to get this generator fixed right away or there won’t be a performance tonight.”
Mike turned to her. “Calm down, Emma. It’s going to be all right.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks at the sight of the new generator that had been working perfectly a few minutes ago now sitting idle. “This can’t be happening. Forty-five minutes until we begin, and we don’t have lights.”
“Please, don’t cry. I’m sure we can…”
“What’s the problem, folks?” John Roland’s voice rang out.
Emma whirled at the sound of his voice. “John, what’s happened to the generator?”
“Nothing.”
“What do you mean nothing?” Emma said. “It’s not working.”
John stared at her for a moment before he grinned sheepishly. “It’s not working because I turned it off.”
“You did what?”
John muffled a chuckle as he set down the large yellow can he was carrying. “Emma, when you have low temperatures like we do tonight, the fuel in the generator can gel and clog the filters. So you have to add an anti-gelling mixture to the fuel before you put it in the generator. I mixed some up this afternoon, and I wanted to see if I had the ratio right. I’ve been letting the generator run, and everything seems okay. But because it’s been running for a while, the fuel level was getting low, so I turned it off and went to get some more. I’ll have everything back to normal in a few minutes.”
Emma raised a shaking hand to her forehead. “I’m sorry I panicked. I feel so foolish.”
“There’s no need to think like that,” Mike said. He gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. Then he leaned close and stared into her eyes. “You have been so strong ever since we began this project. When everyone else wanted to give up, you were right there offering love and encouragement and telling us what God could do if we’d give Him the chance. You were right, and now we’re about to see how your faith has affected this whole town. Are you ready for that?”
She looked up into his eyes, and her heartbeat quickened at the way his eyes bored into hers. She swallowed and nodded. “Yes. I let my emotions get the better of me. I won’t do it again.”
He smiled and grasped her hand. “Good. Now let’s go back out front and see if the audience has gotten larger since we came backstage.”
She let him lead her around the edge of the set back to the front. Her gaze drifted over the assembled people, and her heart warmed. “I see some people I don’t recognize. So we have visitors, not just hometown folks tonight.”
He turned to her. “And remember that we don’t know the hearts of those who have come or the problems they’re facing. Maybe God has brought someone here tonight who really needs Him. If just one person is helped because of our efforts, it’s all been worth it.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I’ll remember that…”
She paused as she spotted a car stopped at the edge of the green where parking wasn�
��t allowed. A frown pulled at her forehead, but it changed to a smile when the passenger door opened, and Kelsey Warren stepped out. Tanner Hodges crawled out from the driver’s side. He opened the back door of the car and retrieved his camera.
“Kelsey, Tanner,” Mike called out. “Over here.”
Kelsey glanced around and smiled when she saw them. She said something to Tanner, and the two walked toward them. Kelsey reached out and gave Emma a quick hug when they reached them.
Emma shook her head in disbelief. “Kelsey, what are you two doing here?”
Kelsey laughed. “I know I told you I’d come for the Christmas Eve performance, but I decided I wanted to be here tonight for the first one.”
“We’re glad you are,” Mike said. He pointed to the camera in Tanner’s hand. “Are you going to record some of it?”
Kelsey nodded. “I thought there might be some interesting events taking place tonight that would make a good follow-up to the first story. Especially since it was so well received.”
Mike smiled and swept his arm across the green and the nativity set. “God used that story to make it possible for us to have our nativity this year. We’re grateful to all the people across the country who donated money or items for the nativity. We could never have done it alone.”
“Hey, face the camera and repeat that,” Tanner said.
Kelsey took Mike’s arm and positioned him so that Tanner could record their conversation as she continued questioning him about how everything concerning the nativity had fallen into place after her story. The most satisfying of all to Emma was that Mike spoke from the heart about how God had used so many people to accomplish His will in Bethlehem.
“So, here we are tonight, our first performance, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have you and your news team here with our small first-night crowd,” Mike concluded.
Kelsey chuckled. “I think your crowd is about to get larger.”
“What do you mean?”
The roar of an approaching vehicle cut through the night air, and Emma stared in surprise as a chartered bus drove up and stopped behind Tanner and Kelsey’s car. Before she could ask what was going on, two more buses rolled to a stop behind the first one.
Tanner turned his camera on the buses as the doors opened and people began to stream down the steps. They headed across the green and joined the small group of onlookers who’d arrived earlier.
Emma stared open-mouthed at the crowd. “What’s going on?”
Kelsey laughed. “I had a call today from a charter bus company in Portland. The man you rented the animals from is a friend of the owner, and he told him about the nativity and everything that had happened. The bus company owner decided to see if anyone was interested in coming, so he advertised a special nighttime trip to the Bethlehem Nativity. He had enough responses to fill three buses tonight and more for the other nights of the nativity. So get ready for a big audience every night.”
Emma and Mike looked at each other in disbelief. Tears filled Emma’s eyes. “If you have the faith of a mustard seed…”
“You can move a mountain,” Mike finished for her.
He reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers. Her throat closed up, and she couldn’t make her voice respond. She only hoped the love that had grown in her heart for him shone through her tears. She swallowed and tried again to speak.
“Mike…”
Before she could finish, the lights dimmed, and the crowd grew quiet. The melody of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” drifted from the sound system, and Emma closed her eyes to let the sweet strains soak into her soul. As the recorded introduction neared the end, she opened her eyes and smiled to see her girls’ choir, dressed as angels, on the platform above the stable.
Although only half the members had been available to participate, Emma thought they had never sounded better as they began to sing the opening song. Their clear voices carried on the night air, and she felt as if she were being transported back in time to a night of miracles when angels sang and shepherds came to worship the newborn king.
As the performance progressed, Emma found herself being drawn into the story of Christ’s birth with a new understanding. The last two months had reminded her more than ever before of the importance of the event that took place in a stable in Bethlehem.
God had sent His Son that night, and He was still in control all these years later. All she had to do was look at the faces of the people who watched the drama unfolding in front of them.
All too soon the performance neared the end, and the introduction of a new song drifted from the sound system. Emma jerked her attention back to the stage. Her choir took their places again and began to sing “We Three Kings.”
Slowly three camels emerged from the shadows beside the green and lumbered toward the set. Emma sucked in her breath at the regal appearance of the three selectmen who sat on the camels’ backs. The jewels on their robes twinkled in the lights, and the attendants who accompanied each king carried gifts representing the gold, frankincense, and myrrh that were given at Jesus’ birth.
The camels came to a stop, knelt, and the selectmen slid from their saddles. With their backs straight and heads erect, they approached the manger and bowed to worship the baby.
Emma glanced across the audience at the rapt attention directed toward the scene, and once again she was reminded of how God had brought them to this night. The same faith that led the townspeople had led the wise men so many years ago.
She leaned close to Mike, who stood next to her, and whispered in his ear. “I think we need to promise God that we’ll always remember how He provided everything to make this night possible, and that each year we’ll dedicate our nativity to Him for blessing us during very hard times.”
Mike nodded. “A Christmas promise, that’s what it will be. We pledge that each year we’ll show those who come to see our production that nothing is impossible with God if you just get out of the way and let Him be in control.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer. She closed her eyes and said another quick thanks to God for something else that had blessed her life—Mike’s coming to Bethlehem.
Chapter 10
An hour later Mike stood in the center of the town green, staring at the darkened set and letting his mind drift back over what had happened on this spot tonight. The people of Bethlehem had united in faith to let God lead them, and they had retold the familiar story of Jesus’ birth two thousand years ago. But it hadn’t just been an old story. It had been one that still carried the message of God’s promises in the twenty-first century.
He heard the crunch of footsteps across the frozen ground, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Emma approaching. He smiled when she stopped next to him. “Did Kelsey and Tanner leave?”
“They followed the last bus out of town, but they said they’d be back for the rest of the performances to interview more people.”
“What about the cast? Have they gone back to the church for hot cocoa and cookies?”
She laughed. “They have. Everyone was so excited about how well everything went tonight. They couldn’t wait to get there and relive every minute.”
Mike sighed and glanced at the darkened set once more. “It was a night to remember. Everything went great, but I must say my favorite part was when the selectmen rode in on those camels. After all Mr. Samuels’s blustering about not doing the nativity, he turned out to be the biggest supporter.”
“I know,” Emma said. “I told him that you and I had talked about how we needed to promise God that the production would continue each year and serve as a reminder that anything is possible with God.”
“What did he say?”
“He thought it was a great idea. He said just let him know what we needed from now on, and he’d see that we had it. Changing his mind may be the greatest blessing of all.”
Mike grasped her hand and stared into her eyes. “I think there’s something else that’s a miracle.”
&n
bsp; She tilted her head and smiled. “And what’s that?”
His heart hammered in his chest so hard that he feared she could hear it. “Getting to know you.”
“I’ve enjoyed getting to know you, too. I’ve respected you as my pastor ever since you came to town, but now I feel much closer to you.”
“I feel much closer to you, too.” He swallowed and put his arms around her. “I’m just sorry we haven’t had a chance to spend more time alone. Do you think we could do that now that we won’t be working on the nativity anymore?”
She looped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “I’d like that.”
“Me, too.” He swallowed before he continued. “From the first time I saw you at church, I knew you were different than anyone I’d ever met before. I wanted to ask you out, but I was afraid to get close to you. I didn’t know what the congregation would think if I dated a church member. And then I thought that I might not like you so much after I got to know you. I was afraid if it didn’t work out, I would offend you and cause a problem in the church.”
“So you chose to ignore your feelings,” she said.
He bit his lip and nodded. “I did. I thought it was better not to get involved.”
“And now what do you think?”
He hesitated a moment before he drew her closer. “Now I wish I hadn’t waited to get to know how wonderful you really are. I could have been happier all these lonely months I’ve been in Bethlehem.”
She smiled. “I’m glad you told me this. Ever since you came to Bethlehem, I’ve wished you would ask me out. I’d about decided it was a hopeless cause, though. Then we began to work together on the nativity.”
He nodded. “We did, and I knew right away God had brought me here to meet you, Emma. You’re the blessing He’s been preparing me for. You’re the one He wants by my side as I do His work, and you’re the one I promise I’ll love for the rest of my life.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Are you saying you love me?”
“I do. More than I can ever tell you. I pray you feel the same about me.”
She smiled, and her eyes sparkled with tears. “I’ve loved you for so long, but I’d about given up hope you’d ever notice me. I guess when I got out of God’s way and let Him take control of the nativity, He decided not only to make it a success but to throw in a special blessing for me, too. I love you, Michael Benson, and I always will.”
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