Jelly babies, chocolate and sprinkles
Silver balls…shredded wheat…royal icing… it must be Messy Church’s Gingerbread Nativity!
As Storm Darragh whirled outside, the warm Priory Church filled with bright-eyed children and enthusiastic parents, some first-timers, some ‘old hands’ for the extravaganza of sprinkles, icing and joy that is the Gingerbread Nativity.
A great ‘welcome craft’ awaited, complete with fairy lights in big jam jars - thanks to Monica and Richard’s gift - whilst everyone assembled.
Then, the greatest love story ever was told from the lectern. How God’s son was born on earth in the humblest of surroundings, a stable…
The story took a brief break, as everyone created their own Gingerbread Nativities in fully-compostable sandwich platters, and in Gingerbread Nativity terms, a stable made of orange-flavoured Matchmakers, with a floor strewn with shredded wheat. Mary and Joseph gingerbread figures were decorated with coloured sprinkles and firmly stuck into the platters with royal icing as effective as superglue. Jesus, a jelly baby, variously flavoured, was stuck into the crib and a bag of ‘spare Jesus’s’ shared round, as jelly babies are really very delicious to tastebuds both young and old.
Then the story continued…the shepherds were told the tidings of great joy by the angels and duly added to the scene (with mostly desiccated coconut-ed sheep; some were multi-coloured)…then the star and magi. ‘Watch out, the kings are rather fragile, they’re long and thin’. All kings were decorated, a few were stuck back together, and ‘spare kings’ were available just in case the breakage was too bad. Gold, frankincense and myrrh became silver pearls, gold Malteser-ish balls, micro marshmallows, shimmering pink heart sprinkles…and perfect golden stars were stuck in the sky around the Star of Bethlehem.
With the Nativities complete, the families followed the freshly-baked Gingerbread Man around the Nativities of the Festival of Nativities, hearing how Jesus was no ordinary baby, but the Son of God, the Saviour of all. As the Priory nave was cleared for Messy Church tea, Nativities boxed, and sprinkles swept off the wonderful, warm, level nave floor, carolling voices of the Messy Church congregation, ‘Little Donkey’, ‘Away in a Manger’ ‘Come and Join the Celebration’, accompanied by a guitar, came over the sound system.
Everyone returned to the nave for a sumptuous Christmas tea, which had ‘miraculously’ appeared on the tables, thanks to the yellow-tee-shirted all-age Messy Church volunteer team. The Messy Church Grace, complete with actions, ended the ‘public’ part of the worship, and happy youngsters and grown-ups left clutching Messy Church goody bags and their Gingerbread Nativities, ready to share the true meaning of Christmas.
Then it was full-on merry camaraderie as tables were folded, chairs trolley-ed away, crisps and sprinkles swept up. Before 5.30 the first members of the Choir appeared for rehearsal before Parish Communion at 6.30. Only the faintest aroma of gingerbread, and maybe one or two wayward sprinkles were left to tell the Greatest Love Story Ever Told - the Messy Church, gingerbread way.*
There’s plenty more going on at the Priory for all ages (well behaved dogs on leads, too) this Advent and Christmas season.
Everyone’s welcome. Looking forward to seeing you soon!
*and if you’re reading this and wondering if you might do this at your church next year and want some tips, please do get in touch.
