The story of the birth of Jesus Christ was told on Saturday evening in fifteen different places in Schoonebeek. An important story that is still relevant today, according to pastor Jan Hermes.
The so-called Christmas trip was organized for the third time this weekend by the Protestant Municipality of Schoonebeek and the Immanuel Parish. Various scenes from the Biblical Christmas story were depicted along a route of about 2.5 kilometers through Schoonebeek. Guides led groups through the stories.
“We do this to bring the Christmas story a little closer to young and old,” says pastor Jan Hermes. “We also want to make a link to the present day. For example, people also encountered refugees along the way. People who are now on the road and need shelter. The story is not just something from the past, it is also contemporary.”
‘Can provide comfort’
The walk in Schoonebeek was interwoven with the village, says Hermes. “For example, the local baker is included, as are refugees staying in Schoonebeek. The youth center is the inn where the child is born.”
But not everything is reflected in the Schoonebeek Christmas story. For example, oil extraction in the village has been left out of the picture. “That is a sensitive subject,” says Hermes. “There are people who embrace oil extraction by NAM and people who are critical. We don’t want to tap into problems that might take on a life of their own.”
Pastor Hermes hopes that the Christmas story ‘also makes us think at this time’. “We’ve been telling it for two thousand years. The story always has something current in it and can provide comfort, even in these confusing and dark times.”