Christmas Play

Scene 1 – Gabriel speaks to Mary Narrator:

A long time ago, there lived a woman called Mary. Mary was engaged to Joseph, of the house of David, a good man, and was waiting to be married to him. Mary loved God, and was ready to do what was right in His eyes. One day, God asked her to do a very difficult thing.

Gabriel:

Hail, O favoured one, the Lord is with you.

Mary:

I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?

Gabriel:

Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God, and will have a son, Who you will call Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.

Mary:

How can I have a son, since I don't yet have a husband?

Gabriel:

The Spirit of God will do a special thing in you, and so the child will be called holy, the Son of God. For with God nothing will be impossible.

Mary:

Well, here I am, God's own servant. Let Him do as He wills in me.

Scene 2 – Mary tells Joseph Narrator:

Soon, it became known that Mary was pregnant, and Joseph, who was going to marry her, was very upset.

Joseph:

How can you do this? I have been good to you, and I have done the right thing, and now you are pregnant. What have you done?

Mary:

I'm sorry you are upset, Joseph, but this is of God. An angel of the Lord appeared to me, and told me that God had favoured me, and that I should be the mother of the Messiah. I have done nothing wrong. This is of God.

Joseph:

I'm sorry, but how can I believe that? How can this happen? No, I can't believe it. I will have to do something about this.

Don't worry, I will be discrete. I don't want you to be in any more trouble than you already are.

Scene 3 – Gabriel appears to Joseph in a dream Narrator:

That night, Joseph had a dream.

Gabriel:

Joseph, listen to me.

Joseph:

Who are you?

Gabriel:

I am Gabriel, an angel of the Lord. Listen to me, Joseph. Mary, your fiancée, has done nothing wrong. She is pregnant because of the Lord. When her son is born, you will call Him Jesus, which means “God saves”, because He will save His people from sin. God has already written about this in the Scripture.

Scene 4 – Arriving in Jerusalem/No room at the inn Narrator:

Time has passed, and now Caesar Augustus has said that everyone must go to his hometown and be counted. So Joseph left Nazareth, in Galilee, to go to King David's city of Bethlehem, in Judea. Mary, his wife.

Joseph:

[knocking on the door] Hello, can we get a room?

Inn-keeper:

Sorry, there are no rooms.

Joseph:

We really need a room. My wife is pregnant, and could have her child any day now. Can we please have a room?

Inn-keeper:

Sorry, but we're full. There are no rooms here.

Joseph:

But were can we go? We have asked everywhere, and the whole city is full? My wife needs somewhere to stay.

Inn-keeper:

Well, maybe you can stay in my stable. It's clean, and the weather is fine enough.

Joseph:

Thank you very much. Can you take us there now?

Scene 5 – The Magi consult with Herod

Narrator:

Meanwhile, wise men from far away have arrived at Herod's palace, full of excitement and expensive presents.

Magi:

Hail, Herod, King of the Jews. We are the Magi from the East, and we have come to worship the new-born King. Please tell us where he is, so that we may present him with our gifts.

Herod:

That's nice. How did you know we have a new-born king?

Magi:

We have seen his star, and have followed it all the way from our country, far in the East. We are wise and learned men, knowing of the ways of the stars and many other things. Please tell us where the baby is, so that we can worship him.

Herod:

If you could please wait, I will ask the priests, who will tell me where this king will be. [Walks over to the priests.] Well, so tell me: where is this baby king?

Priest:

Well, we have looked, and found this in the Scripture: And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel. That means that baby would be born in Bethlehem.

Herod:

Okay. [Walks back to the Magi.] The baby should be in Bethlehem, in the area called Judea. That is where you will find him. And please, when you do find him, come straight back and tell me where he is, so that I can also go and worship.

Narrator:

Herod said this, not because he really wanted to worship Jesus, but because he was an evil man, and wanted to kill Jesus. But God is good, and warned the Magi, so they never went back to Herod, and never told him where Jesus was.

Scene 6 – Gabriel tells the Shepherds Narrator:

So Jesus had been born, but nobody knew. Who would be the first to learn about the most important birth in all of history? Who would be the first to pay their respects to the baby would grow up to save the world?

Shepherd:

[To the other shepherds] Don't fall asleep, now. We have to make sure no wolf has mutton or lamb for dinner tonight.

Gabriel:

Hello Shepherds.

Shepherd:

Who are you?

Gabriel:

Don't be afraid. I have come to bring you good news of great joy, which is for everyone! This very day, in David's city, is born the Saviour, Christ our Lord. And this is how you will find Him. He will be dressed in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.

All angels:

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth!

Shepherd:

[To the other shepherds] Let's go to Bethlehem, David's city, and see the baby that God has told us about.

Scene 7 – Adoration of the Magi and the Shepherds Narrator:

So there you have it: God brought the great, the Magi, and the humble, the Shepherds from the field, to come see His Son. The Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, expensive gifts that you would give a king. The Shepherds brought the words that the angels had told them, words which were just a precious to Mary, Jesus mother. But above all, they all brought their faith and worship, which is what all of us can and should bring to Jesus, our King.