Kennewick Spanish Church Brings 'The Cobbler's Christmas' to Tri-Cities

By Sasha De Dios, Richland Spanish Church member, and

Isaac Meythaler, Upper Columbia Conference Communications Coordinator

The church, covered in darkness, listened in anticipation as Giselle Morales set the opening scene with piano. A young man walked onto the stage and turned on the light hanging over his workbench. He straightened his tools and set to work on his next pair of shoes.

The musical performance of The Cobbler's Christmas was presented as a gift to the community by the Tri-Cities Hispanic churches during their Christmas program on Dec. 14, 2024 at Kennewick Spanish Adventist Church.

The story followed Martin, played by Carlos William, a faithful Christian shoemaker who longed to experience the awe and joy of seeing Jesus. His wish was answered one Christmas Eve when Jesus, voiced by Alejandro Juarez, called to Martin in a dream, saying He would visit the shoe shop on Christmas day.

Excited, Martin prepared for the special visit as his friends mocked him. Despite his friends’ doubt, Martin went about his day expecting Jesus to show up at his door. But there was no shining, white-robed Jesus. 

Instead, Martin found an assortment of people in need: an elderly man, a woman in need of a doctor, an ex-prisoner shivering in the cold, a girl frantic to keep her sick grandmother warm and a boy caught stealing apples. The shoemaker dutifully cared for the people in need at his own expense.

When night fell with no sign of Jesus, Martin was confused, questioning whether Jesus spoke to him. At the climax of the story, the audience was left in suspense by three musical performances by Eliana and Emma Rodriguez and Caleb Reynoso. 

“The melodies of piano and violin pulled open the strings of our hearts to hope it had been more than a dream,” said Sasha De Dios, Richland
Spanish Church member.

The service concluded as Martin fell asleep, dreaming again of Jesus. “Thank you, Martin,” Jesus said. “Thank you for accepting Me into your home this day.” One by one each cast member returned to the stage for Martin to see them in a new light. Martin then realized that Jesus had come to see him that very day.

According to De Dios, the performance was well attended and the ending really connected with the crowd, which included church members and people from the surrounding community.

“Just as Martin saw that the boy who stole an apple, the elderly man and the sick mother of three were the very image of God, we also saw that God had visited our church that night in the form of our friends who filled the pews,” said De Dios.

“It was then that the audience fully understood Matt. 25:40,” De Dios continued. "'The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me."'"