St. John’s Lutheran Church in Arnold will take people on a musical journey from the creation of Earth through the birth of Jesus in its annual Christmas production this year.
The production is called “Let Heaven and Nature Sing,” and Adam Perez, the church’s director of music ministry, said the performance tells the story from the Book of Genesis to the birth of Jesus.
Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday; 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. Sunday at the church, 3517 Jeffco Blvd. Admission is free, and the church seats about 500.
“The goal is to walk through creation to the birth of Christ,” Perez said. “We will display it the best we can and bring people closer into that world. We want to help people’s worship be enhanced. Hopefully, they will find a way to become closer to God through the process.”
Perez, who is in his second year as St. John’s director of music ministry, said the annual performances are special.
“Experiencing it last year, I realized how special and important it is to not just the church but Arnold and the surrounding community,” he said. “It is something you can’t really explain. You have to experience it for yourself.”
Perez said the church begins planning for the production in July and August. Members of the Festival Choir began rehearsing in October, and the orchestra, which is made up of church members and friends, started rehearsing Nov. 20.
“There is a lot that goes into it starting in the summer, and it starts getting serious at the end of October,” he said. “We have been at it for a while.”
The production blends music with narrators reading scriptures and church members acting out the readings. Perez said there is a mix of adults and children who perform.
“I’m really excited about the whole thing and seeing it all come together,” he said.
Perez said one of his favorite pieces of the performance is the song “Thrill of Hope” near the end of the production.
“There is some narration in it while music is happening underneath,” he said. “It goes back and forth between narration and the choir and orchestra singing and playing. I think our musicians are doing an incredible job with it. Our choir is sounding amazing. I think our orchestra sounds beautiful. I am excited for people to hear and experience that.”
Perez said numerous people attend the four performances, with the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning productions drawing the largest crowds.
“We love sharing the joy of Christmas and the joy of Christ with people,” he said. “This is another way we get to do that. We hope we are serving the community and bringing people closer to Christ.”
For more information about the production, go to sjlarnold.org or call 636-464-0096.