Throughout October and November, those who came to Candeo Church found themselves staring at an all-new worship scene. The stage changes a few times each year as different books of the bible are taught, but this new stage however, was drastically different. The big screen that usually displays song lyrics had disappeared, drapery had come down, and the lamps had been removed. In place of those, there stood the bones of an entire motel, The Desert Sands Motel. The motel rose two stories tall and was complete with motel rooms, an office, and a courtyard.
This unique motel and production, dreamt up by a single person, took dozens of people and hundreds of hours to paint, construct, and decorate. Costumes were created, music was produced, and new lights were placed as characters of an amazing storyline came to life. Between seven show times, over 3,100 people watched this modern-day telling of the wise mens’ search for the Savior of the world.
The story began with a wise man who had embarked upon a journey in search of a young child. By following a bright and powerful star, he arrived at the Desert Sands Motel and began asking the owner and long-term guests if they had seen a young couple the year prior. As the story unfolds, the audience is captured by dancing, timely comedy, and original song lyrics that describe each character’s take on the evening the couple arrived.
Like many in the audience, the characters staying at the motel had found themselves serving their own gods. Money, control, and lust distracted those away from helping the destitute couple, Mary and Joseph, the night they came to the motel seeking shelter. Others were too distracted or too busy to help out, but one thing all the stories had in common was a moment when everything seemed to stop as the tenants of the motel all sensed a stillness in the air, a peace that fell upon the evening.
After hearing a number of retellings of the evening, a young girl revealed the true events that transpired that night. She informed the wise man about the birth of the baby at the hotel the year prior and of his current whereabouts.
As the production came to a close, Pastor Paul Sabino came on stage. He related the characters in the story to those in the audience, those who had paid no attention to the couple and the ones that were too busy to notice the birth of our King. Many audience members reflected on the miracle birth of our Savior as others shifted in their seats at the confrontational news of the Gospel.
God’s hand continues to bless Candeo with growth in attendance and powerful stories of His grace throughout the Cedar Valley. Creative talents of many were put to great use for this Christmas production. Candeo Church would like to thank the Baptist Convention of Iowa for your generous $3,000 donation which was a great help to make this such a success. Stories continue to pour in of the impact that this production has made in lives of many.
