Tabernacle Church's Living Nativity a tradition for east Bradenton family

East County’s Michael Mascitto has been portraying Jesus in varying stages of his life in Tabernacle Church’s living Nativity scene since he was 3 months old.

Michael was the first baby Jesus when the church began its living Nativity scene in 1987.

Since then, as Michael has grown up, he has played Jesus in different stages of his life including as a young boy, a teenager and an adult in the church’s production that depicts the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus through a scriptural narrative and song. 

“It’s humbling and a privilege to represent Jesus because none of us are worthy of representing Jesus,” he said. “I try to get in the role and show the different sides of Jesus — his compassion and healing, his struggle prior to going to the cross and taking on the punishment for our sins. Then the confident, resurrected Jesus as he triumphs over sin and death.”

The Mascitto family has played an integral role since the start of the Nativity scene at Tabernacle Church.

Leo Mascitto, the family patriarch, was part of the group that helped transition the church from having a theatrical performance at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall to doing the living Nativity in 1987.

Since its beginning, Leo and his wife, Klara, and their children, Joseph Mascitto, Michael Mascitto and Christina Mascitto-Goodwin, have played some part in the Nativity scene.

“When I was younger, it was part of the countdown to Christmas,” Joseph said. “The Nativity when we first started doing it ended on Christmas Eve. It was just a part of the buildup to that. I think a lot of people in the community have made it as much of a tradition to come to this as members of the church have made it a tradition to be a part of it.”

Leo said a few families in the church have been participating in the Nativity scene for years along with his family.

“For me, I love seeing the whole family together,” Leo said. “Not just our family but other families too. It is something they believe in. I always thought the living Nativity was not only a personal gift of the time invested but the gift of the church to the community.”

Michael remembered when the last show of the living Nativity scene was on Christmas Eve, and the family would sit down for dinner at 4 p.m. so they could rush to the church afterward to get ready for the 9 p.m. show. Then the family would stay until after midnight because Leo oversaw the whole production.

“This is fully ingrained in the Christmas tradition,” Michael said. “As a kid anticipating Christmas there at the church, it is part of it. It’s part of what you think of when you think of Christmas.”

Joseph, who is 43, would usually take on the role of Joseph.

“One of the things I tried to do is convey what (Joseph) went through making the decision to take Mary as his wife and to do my best to tell this incredible story,” Joseph said. “It’s definitely not possible to fully comprehend it, but (I try) to get as close as you can.”

One of Joseph’s favorite moments of the production is when the shepherds, who are played by children ages 4-7 years old, run into the stable as Mary is holding baby Jesus.

“When we look at their faces, they just light up as the baby is shown to them,” Joseph said. “That was always one of the most special scenes, watching the kids’ reactions.” 

Christina, who is 30, played a flying angel starting when she was 15. She played the role for 10 years. As the flying angel, she would start at 45 feet in the air and be lowered on a wire to hover near the audience.

“When that moment happens, it’s very audible. You hear everyone gasp because they’re not expecting that,” Christina said of her time as a flying angel. “The stage goes completely dark, and there’s a spotlight that shines down, so it grabs your attention. It kind of puts into perspective what it must have felt like to be a shepherd sitting in a field and all of a sudden this angel appears. It puts into perspective what that night might have been like.”

Now that they’re older, the Mascitto children have become coaches for the younger participants who are now playing their former roles.

“That’s part of it now, passing on roles to the next generations,” Joseph said. “You want to see people in the church as they take on that role, and they’ll pass it onto somebody else.”

Christina and Michael said the camaraderie among the cast and everyone involved in the production is special. The living Nativity scene gave the Mascittos an opportunity to spend time with friends they didn’t get to see every day, or they would see people they hadn’t seen in years come to watch the 45-minute production.

Throughout the years, the Mascitto family can remember some special moments.

Joseph recalled a time when he was playing adult Jesus and was helping to produce a video to advertise the Nativity scene event.

“I’m working at a laptop doing the video programming in full costume, and that was turned into a meme,” Joseph said. “That picture made its rounds on social media among members of the church of Jesus at the computer, and I received a variety of comments like, ‘Would you ask Jesus if he received my friend request?’”