. all rights belong to Tanis Harms –
. refer to www.church-skits.com
THE CHRISTMAS STORY – written by Tanis Harms
TOPIC: the birth of Jesus
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 1:18-2:23; Luke 1:1 – 2:38
STYLE: drama/conversation: a mother
. tells her child the story of Christmas,
. which contains vignettes of
. the various aspects of events
Cast: MOM, CHILD; MARY; JOSEPH; ANGEL VOICE;
. INN KEEPER & WIFE; SHEPHERDS, WOMAN 1 & 2;
. KING HEROD, CHIEF PRIEST; MAGI
Set & Props: comfy chair, knitting, Bible,
. Christmas tree,
. (CENTER STAGE can have the vignettes either
. spread out and individually lighted
. or you can change set/s as you go)
. 1: table, chairs, broom, clothes;
. 2: workbench, tools, woodworking project;
. 3: table, chairs, wash basin, cloth,
. dishes, lantern
. 4: basket, water jug, shepherd staffs
. 5: table, chairs, scrolls
. 6: table, chairs
SCRIPT: STAGE RIGHT
(MOM sits and knits. CHILD walks in carrying a Bible.)
CHILD Mom, can you read me a story?
MOM It’s almost bedtime.
CHILD Please?
(MOM puts her knitting away.)
MOM Of course. Which storybook do you
. have there?
CHILD The Bible. I want to hear the
. Christmas story.
. 2
(CHILD sits down beside MOM as she opens the Bible.)
MOM You do realize that the Christmas story
. is found in two different places in the Bible.
. I’ll have to jump around a bit.
CHILD Why is it like that?
MOM One part is found in the book of Matthew,
. and the other is found in the book of Luke.
. Both books have slightly different themes –
. or purposes – and at the same time -
. they tell the exact same story.
CHILD Which one is the real story, then?
MOM Well - both. (sighs) How can I explain it?
. (thinking of an example)
. It’s like when Dad and I tell the story
. about how you were born –
CHILD Oooh! You like to tell all the funny things
. that Dad did, and Dad likes to tell us
. all the funny things YOU did.
MOM (laughing) Exactly. It all – actually
. happened – and it’s exactly the same story -
. about how you were born.
CHILD Okay. So tell me the story about
. how Jesus was born. What happened first?
MOM Well, in Luke chapter 1, verses 26 to 38,
. the angel Gabriel is sent to Mary
. to give her the message.
. (CHILD scrunches up face, trying to think.)
. Are you okay?
CHILD I’m trying to imagine it.
MOM Yes, if I got news like THAT, I don’t know
. how I would react.
(MOM and CHILD both scrunch up their faces to imagine.)
. 3
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 1
(Lights come up as MARY enters and sits at the table.
As the angel’s voice is spoken, Mary reacts mildly
as if she is replaying the message in her mind.
The angel’s voice can be whisper-like with sound effects
such as reverb. DO NOT sound like God’s voice.)
GABRIEL Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.
(MARY always speaks to herself or God, she never
addresses the voice of Gabriel.)
MARY Favored one... I don’t know
. what the angel really meant.
. My mother would not always agree with that...
. Although, I always try my best to be obedient.
. (looks up) Lord God, You know I lean on
. Your strength to do my best. And now -
. I need Your strength more than ever.
. (stands up anxiously, then sits back down)
. This all still seems like a dream.
. Did I hear right? Could I have imagined
. it all? I was so scared...
GABRIEL Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found
. favor with God.
MARY But what the angel said was – very –
. incredible. Did I correctly understand
. the words being said?
(MARY looks more downward as she tries to remember,
maybe putting a hand to her chin, thinking.)
GABRIEL Behold, you will conceive in your womb
. and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
. He will be great and will be called
. the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God
. will give Him the throne of His father David;
. and He will reign over the house of Jacob
. forever, and His kingdom will have no end.
(MARY stands up again and then looks down. 4
She carefully touches her stomach, then looks up.)
MARY I still cannot grasp this, Lord.
. I am a virgin.
. (wrings her hands and paces, thinking)
GABRIEL The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
. power of the Most High will overshadow you;
. and for that reason the holy Child
. shall be called the Son of God.
MARY But yet - I am to have God’s Child.
(MARY touches her stomach again.)
MARY Strange. I seem to feel His presence already.
. I am carrying God’s Son. I will give birth -
. to God’s Son – who will be King.
. (shaking head) How can this be?
(MARY picks up the broom and sweeps the floor nervously.
Thinking of something, she pauses.)
MARY I remember Father talking about our
. family tree. We ARE some of King David’s
. descendants. But – so many others are, too.
. WHY me?
(MARY quickly continues sweeping, but stops short
as if she remembers the angel’s words.)
GABRIEL Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found
. favor with God.
MARY (leans the broom against the table)
. I am nothing that special. I still make
. mistakes. I am just a girl, and not that
. strong. I am constantly needing to lean on
. YOUR strength, Lord. And I am to -
. raise Your Son – Your HOLY Son? How could I
. ever be a worthy mother – to raise and nurture
. a Holy Being – when I myself am not perfect?
. HE will be teaching ME!
(MARY pretends to hold a baby and looks down 5
at it tenderly. MARY smiles.)
MARY What will it be like to hold God
. in my very arms? To look down into
. the face of the King of Kings?
. (quickly looks with urgent realization)
. But I am just a girl - engaged to be married!
. (falls into the chair, realizing the weight)
. I am engaged to be married. To Joseph!
. And soon - he will find out that I am
. with child. What will he say?
. What will he DO? (shaking head in fear)
. He could think that I had an affair,
. and have me stoned. Will Joseph believe me
. when I explain this? Who will believe this?
GABRIEL Do not be afraid, Mary –
MARY (anxiously stands up, crying)
. But WHO will ever believe this?
. (sits down again, restraining her tears)
. I’m sure You have some plans, Lord. I just
. wish I could have a little more insight.
. Just a little more assurance. I feel so –
. alone right now.
(MARY puts her head to her hands, perhaps fighting
tears.)
GABRIEL Behold, even your relative Elizabeth
. has also conceived a son in her old age;
. and she who was called barren
. is now in her sixth month.
. For nothing will be impossible with God.
MARY (fondly) My dear sweet aunt Elizabeth,
. so wise in her years.
. (looks up, remembering)
. My aunt Elizabeth?! She cannot be
. pregnant also?! She was never ABLE
. to have children. And she is WAY past
. that time in her life.
(MARY gets up to pace and think.)
. 6
MARY If – if – my aunt Elizabeth is pregnant –
. if this miracle truly happened – she will
. understand. She will most certainly
. understand! (wipes tears from eyes with hope)
. I must go see her. I am NOT alone in this.
GABRIEL For nothing will be impossible with God.
MARY (quickly bundles up things, then looks up)
. I know You are always with me, and that
. I can lean on Your strength for everything.
. For everything IS possible with You.
. But - I also thank You for letting me know
. about Aunt Elizabeth. Protect me
. on my journey. I will trust in You –
. to work everything out. I am Your bondslave-
. May it be done to me according to Your word.
(MARY exits.)
. STAGE RIGHT
MOM Then in Luke chapter 1, verses 39 to 56,
. we see Mary going to visit her relative,
. Elizabeth.
CHILD Her aunt Elizabeth?
MOM Well, it doesn’t really say “aunt”,
. it just says “relative”. But all her life,
. Elizabeth could never have children, and now
. she was VERY old. Let’s just say, her
. getting pregnant was also quite the miracle.
CHILD Is that why Mary went to visit Elizabeth?
MOM We’re not really told why. But if it
. were me going through all of that, it
. certainly would help to see another miracle.
. And it’s always a comfort to be with someone
. else who is going through something similar.
. Elizabeth was pregnant with the one
. who would become John the Baptist.
CHILD Oh. So... was Mary hiding from Joseph? 7
MOM It doesn’t say. Maybe. The Bible only tells
. us that she stayed there for three months.
. By then, Mary’s tummy would have started
. to grow a bit. Maybe she was waiting
. as long as she could before telling Joseph,
. or maybe she could have told Joseph
. right away, and then he would have
. sent her away secretly - maybe to
. Elizabeth’s house – to have the baby there -
CHILD Huh? And what do you mean, put her away
. secretly?
MOM Like, send her far away to have the baby,
. so people would not have asked questions.
. Back then, it was law, that if someone was
. unfaithful, they would be stoned to death.
CHILD That is scary.
MOM And because Mary and Joseph were not
. married yet, but she was pregnant,
. people would see this and be very suspicious.
CHILD Joseph would have been ANGRY!
MOM I can only imagine.
CHILD So God sent Gabriel to Joseph then, right?
MOM It doesn’t give us a name, it just says
. “an angel,” but it could have been.
. We just don’t know. So now we go back
. to the book of Matthew chapter 1.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 2
(JOSEPH enters and busies himself with a carpentry
project. JOSEPH pauses and shakes his head.)
JOSEPH How could I be so stupid?
(JOSEPH goes back to work then stops again.) 8
JOSEPH How it must have hurt her when I refused
. to believe what she said. My intentions
. were never to hurt her. But then,
. how could anyone believe something like that?
. I mean, who in their right mind would
. ever believe such a thing? That is why
. I wasn’t going to make a public fiasco
. out of this. Even if she HAD been unfaithful,
. I would not have wanted to see her
. put to death. THAT is why I had decided
. to put her away secretly, and SPARE her
. from being publicly disgraced.
. (hangs head in shame)
. Perhaps - I also did not want to be scorned
. by society! Yet, I STILL cannot help
. but wonder what they will all say.
. The words spoken by the angel were comforting.
. And obviously more than just a dream.
(JOSEPH tries to go back to work. As the angel’s voice
is played or spoken, JOSEPH reacts mildly as if he is
replaying the message in his mind. The angel’s voice
can be whisper-like with sound effects such as reverb.)
ANGEL Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to
. take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has
. been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
JOSEPH I can still hear the angel’s words from
. last night- and even NOW they sound
. unbelievable. (quickly looks up)
. Of course I believe, Lord. NOW!
. Though, I am ashamed You had to send
. an angel to - convince me... But again,
. I have concerns. I have questions.
. How will people around us react?
. How am I supposed to react?
. What am I supposed to do? And -
ANGEL She will bear a Son; and you shall call
. His name Jesus, for He will save His people
. from their sins.
JOSEPH And what is HE supposed to do? What does 9
. that all MEAN for Him. Am I to worry?
. Of course, I should not worry.
. The scriptures are clear that we are
. NOT to fear or worry anything,
. but only fear You.
. (paces a bit and wrings his hands)
. But don’t all fathers usually– worry? I mean,
. care, and want to protect their families?
. If this Child is to one day grow up – and
. save people from their sins – who am I to
. protect HIM? HE will be saving ME. That
. thought alone – is very humbling to a man.
ANGEL All this is to happen - to fulfill what was
. spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
JOSEPH And am I, a humble carpenter, supposed to
. raise God’s Son!? Our lifestyle will be
. pretty much one of poverty. Again, a father
. wants to provide only the BEST for his family.
. (chuckling) I suppose You know that better
. than I do. You being our Heavenly Father,
. and me – not yet an earthly father.
(JOSEPH pauses to study his carpentry project.)
ANGEL “Behold, the virgin shall be with Child
. and bear a Son, and they shall call
. His name Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’”
JOSEPH And what? Will I teach Him how to build
. with His hands, the One who has created
. the universe with just His word? I am not
. worthy for this. I have nothing to offer Him.
. (thinking) I can only offer Him what
. You provide to me. Hmph. So I know
. there will be love, plenty of love.
. (paces a bit) Yet, how much will we
. go through? What is to come?
. What does this future LOOK like?
. We could be in danger as soon as Mary starts
. to show, which will be - very soon now.
(JOSEPH stops pacing and shakes his head.)
. 10
JOSEPH If only the ground could swallow us up, or -
. we could somehow disappear for a time.
ANGEL Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid-
JOSEPH (sighing) I do not have to be afraid.
. I am sure – that You have a perfect plan.
. Why WOULDN’T You? You have even laid out
. Your plan in the scriptures.
ANGEL -do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife-
(JOSEPH finalizes his thinking and is determined to
do the right thing.)
JOSEPH I NEED to find Mary!
ANGEL -who has been conceived in her is of
. the Holy Spirit.
(JOSEPH paces faster.)
JOSEPH She needs to know that I WILL carry out
. our plans to be married - after –
. after she gives birth to God’s Son.
. She needs to know – that together –
. (stops, speaking firmly with more resolve)
. -TOGETHER - we will carry out YOUR plan.
. And You will help, and guide –
. and protect us – to see us through this.
(JOSEPH exits.)
. STAGE RIGHT
CHILD So how did God work it out? Did people
. get suspicious?
MOM No, because God did find a way for them to
. disappear. At that time, a very interesting
. thing happened. This is found in Luke
. chapter 2. Caesar Augustus made a decree
. that a world-wide census be taken.
CHILD What’s a “decree”? 11
MOM It is an “order” - an official order.
. And a “census” is where the government counts
. all the people living in particular areas.
. But for THIS census, everyone was supposed
. to travel to their own city, where they
. originally came from. So Joseph had to go
. to Bethlehem. And he took Mary with him.
CHILD So this saved Mary and Jesus from being killed.
MOM That would be correct. As they went to
. Bethlehem, the people around them there
. would not have known anything about them.
CHILD Was it a long trip?
MOM They left the city of Nazareth, in Galilee,
. and traveled to Bethlehem, in Judaea.
. It’s around 70 miles one way.
CHILD You can do that EASY! Right? That’s like
. driving to Gran and Grandpa’s house.
. It’s like – 2 hours.
MOM In a car! But Mary rode on a donkey,
. and Joseph had to walk.
CHILD Donkeys are not very fast, are they?
MOM Not at all. Even when they are NOT stubborn.
. But, I suppose if you didn’t stop for
. long lunches and suppers, and walked all day,
. every day, you could do that in about
. a week or two. But Mary would have been
. fairly big by then. This would not have
. been very comfortable for her. Not at all.
CHILD But they got there?
MOM Yes, only to find out there was no room
. at the inn.
CHILD Was it tourist season?
. 12
MOM No, remember, lots of people had to
. travel back to the places where they
. originally came from.
CHILD They didn’t have relatives there?
MOM Probably not anyone that they knew, anyway.
CHILD Was it snowing?
MOM Probably not snowing, but for that time
. of year, it can get pretty cold.
. Not freezing, but close. And at that time,
. it can be rainy.
CHILD Brrr. Cold and rainy?
MOM I suppose maybe the innkeeper had some
. compassion on them, and helped them out
. as much as possible.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 3
(INNKEEPER’S WIFE washes dishes in a basin at the table
when INNKEEPER enters and sits down.)
WIFE What was that all about?
KEEPER This poor couple came by looking for a room -
WIFE You told them we were completely filled up,
. right? I can’t keep up with all the work as
. it is. I mean, I’m very happy about all the
. extra money we’re making, but – I’m so tired!
KEEPER Don’t worry –
WIFE So you sent them away?
KEEPER Not exactly.
WIFE (hands on hips) What? What are you talking
. about? Ira, what did you do now?
. 13
KEEPER Don’t worry –
WIFE You tell me I should not worry? Any time
. you get a bright idea, I KNOW I should worry.
KEEPER I told them that they could stay in
. the stable, in the back.
WIFE Now I KNOW I should worry! What if
. they steal our guests’ horses.
. Or eat all our chickens?
KEEPER Don’t worry. They seem like a very
. nice couple -
WIFE You are not always the best judge of
. character, my dear. Remember last year when –
KEEPER Aaaand she is ready to deliver.
. (sees WIFE’S look of confusion go to concern)
. The young lady is ready - to - have a baby.
WIFE Oh! The poor dear! Why didn’t you
. say that in the first place.
. Having a baby outside, in this weather?
. I should see if they’re okay. I should
. bring them some food. Maybe a blanket.
KEEPER We’re out of blankets.
WIFE Yes, of course, we cannot take blankets
. away from our paying customers.
. But what will they sleep on?
KEEPER I did put some hay on the floor.
WIFE Is it fresh? I hope you gave them fresh hay!
. Where will the baby sleep when it comes?
KEEPER Don’t worry, I thought of that –
WIFE Another bright idea?
KEEPER I put fresh hay – in one of the troughs.
. 14
WIFE I must say, not bad. But, STILL,
. the baby will get cold. At least,
. the baby needs a blanket!
. (looks down at her wash cloth)
. I may have some more rags that they can use.
. I will bring them some food, and some rags.
. That just doesn’t seem like enough, though.
KEEPER But it is all that we can do.
WIFE Yes, I suppose you’re right. Except,
. it is very dark out there. We can
. let them use our lantern.
(As WIFE grabs the lantern that sits on the table,
a very bright light suddenly fades up and shines down –
more from “outside”. WIFE looks eerily at KEEPER.
She opens her mouth as if to say something, but shuts it
and looks outside again. WIFE turns again and tries
to say something, but is speechless. KEEPER puts
his hand on WIFE’S shoulder.)
KEEPER Look at that star. And it’s right over
. the stable.
(WIFE tries to speak again, but can’t.)
KEEPER I told you there was something special.
(WIFE and KEEPER exit and the lights dim.)
. STAGE RIGHT
CHILD So they stayed in a barn?
MOM Yes. Some describe it more like a cave,
. but it was to a place to keep animals.
CHILD That would have been very smelly.
MOM Not to mention dirty, cold, damp,
. uncomfortable. I complained when I was
. in a nice, clean hospital.
CHILD I know, that’s always part of Dad’s story 15
. about when I was born.
MOM Yes-yes, let’s continue, shall we?
CHILD So what comes next?
MOM Let’s see... the shepherds. This is still
. in Luke chapter 2.
CHILD So they got to see the star AND the angels.
. They must have been very special.
MOM Well, shepherds were NOT considered special
. by other people. They were social outcasts.
CHILD You mean, people didn’t like them very much?
. Then why did THEY get this special message?
MOM God loves everyone, and this was kind of a way
. to prove that. And maybe if God had not sent
. the angels to the shepherds, people would
. not have let the shepherds visit Jesus.
. I don’t know.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 4
(WOMEN 1 & 2 enter carrying a basket and a water jug.
SHEPHERDS bound onto the stage and see them.)
SHEP 1 Wonderful news, people! We have seen
. the Christ-child!
WOMAN 1 Get away from me, you smelly shepherd!
SHEP 2 But we have seen Him – and His name
. is Jesus.
WOMAN 2 (mocking) What? So you were just
. walking along in the field, and
. you stumbled over the Messiah!?
(WOMEN 1 & 2 laugh at the thought.)
SHEP 1 We WERE in the fields. Some of us were 16
. sleeping, and a few of us were watching
. the sheep, when angels appeared –
WOMAN 1 Angels came to YOU? Why would angels
. appear to some reeking animal watcher?
SHEP 2 That was PART of the good news!
. The angels came to deliver the message –
. for US – the common man -
WOMAN 1 Common! Me? Are you saying I am common?
. YOU are the lowlifes of society! In fact,
. you are even lower than that.
WOMAN 2 Let him finish, dear.
SHEP 2 The Christ-child, whose name is Jesus,
. is the Lord and Savior for ALL people.
. For everybody! Including us shepherds.
WOMAN 1 Not only are you disgusting,
. you’re crazy!
(WOMAN 1 tries to walk around the SHEPHERDS without
touching them. WOMAN 2 puts a hand on WOMAN 1’S arm
to get her full attention.)
WOMAN 2 I don’t know. My husband has studied
. the scriptures and he has been talking about
. the Messiah and His imminent coming.
. (turning back to the SHEPHERDS)
. Tell me more, and start from the beginning.
SHEP 1 We were in the fields, and a big host of angels
. filled the sky with praises to God,
. and wishing peace to all men.
SHEP 2 Well, to start, there was just ONE angel.
. And when that first angel appeared –
. I have to be honest – we were terrified.
. But the angel told us not to be afraid -
. then gave us the good news, which will mean
. great joy for everyone.
SHEP 1 The message was: our Savior, our Messiah, 17
. Christ the Lord, was born today. And we
. were told that we’d find Him in Bethlehem,
. in a feeding trough of a stable.
WOMAN 2 You mean, one of those caves for animals?
WOMAN 1 Now really! This is too much. Why would
. our great Messiah be found in some barn?!
. If He came, it would certainly be in a palace!
. Right? After all, He would be our King.
SHEP 1 Well, we saw it for ourselves.
. We went right away and found the Baby.
. It was just like the angel told us.
WOMAN 1 This is just all too much.
. I’m sorry. It just sounds crazy!
. (to WOMAN 2) And you’re crazy for
. believing this.
(WOMAN 1 waves them off and walks away.)
WOMAN 2 Well I want to get my husband and go
. see Jesus. Will you take us there?
SHEP 1 Sure, then you can see for yourselves.
SHEP 2 Seeing angels was amazing, but it was
. NOTHING like seeing Jesus personally.
. It’s truly life-changing.
(SHEPHERDS and WOMAN 2 walk off stage while still
talking.)
. STAGE RIGHT
CHILD So some people didn’t believe? Even after
. seeing the star?
MOM Some people only see with their eyes,
. but they do not see with their hearts.
CHILD But the three wise men saw the star
. and believed.
. 18
MOM That part is found in Matthew chapter 2.
. But we don’t know how many wise men there were.
. Because the Bible mentions three gifts,
. we always assume there were three magi.
. But it doesn’t really matter. The magi saw
. the star and knew that it signified
. the birth of a great King. So they followed
. the star into Israel. As they went
. through Jerusalem, which is the capital city,
. they stopped in at the palace.
CHILD Did they think Jesus was born in
. the palace too?
MOM I don’t know. Maybe it was more to let
. the king of Israel know that they had
. entered his country, and that they did
. not mean any harm. When strangers enter
. a country, the government wants to know why
. they are visiting, so they know that
. they are not there to start a war,
or do something bad. Herod was the king
. at that time.
CHILD So what did the wise men tell King Herod?
MOM That they were there to worship the King
. of the Jews, who had just been born.
. This would have made King Herod very angry,
. because he considered himself the Jewish king-
. so anyone other king would have been
. competition. King Herod would not
. have wanted to lose any of his power.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 5
(As KING HEROD enters, CHIEF PRIEST bows and
backs away.)
PRIEST King Herod. I have gathered all
the chief priests and scribes
. as you requested.
(PRIEST waves his arm across the congregation 19
as if they are involved. HEROD addresses
the congregation and the PRIEST.)
HEROD A caravan of magi from the east arrived
. here in Jerusalem. They came directly
. to my palace asking to see the King of Jews.
. They have come bearing many gifts and
. wish to worship said king.
PRIEST Is this not good? Perhaps it is
. an opportunity to strengthen your realm?
HEROD They were not referring to ME. According
. to some star in the sky which they have
. been following for some time now,
. they are under the impression that some
. Jewish King has just been born.
PRIEST Is the queen soon to deliver a son to you?
HEROD No! Now, I want you to tell me if there
. is anything to this. The scriptures
. do tell us that the Messiah will be born
. at some point, do they not?
PRIEST Y – yes. And according to the prophecies
. in the scriptures of Daniel, this should
. be taking place – at – about this time...
. if indeed this will happen at all.
HEROD Do we want to take that chance?
. Is there anything in the scriptures
. that say WHERE this Messiah is to be born?
PRIEST The Christ is to be born in Bethlehem of Judea,
. as it has been written by the prophet, Micah.
HEROD What does it say exactly?
PRIEST (looks into a scroll) It says, “And you,
. Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means
. least among the leaders of Judah;
. for out of you shall come forth a Ruler,
. who will shepherd My people Israel.”
. 20
HEROD I do not like this. We do not know how
. this could affect my kingdom and authority.
. The entire city of Jerusalem is very upset.
. We need to do something in order to maintain
. the balance of power.
PRIEST I quite agree.
(HEROD turns to speak to the PRIEST, as if in private.)
HEROD I will talk to these magi privately,
. and try to figure out exactly when this star
. appeared. That will determine the age
. of the Child. Then I will tell them that
. after they find Him, they should come back
. to me and let me know exactly where I might
. find Him – so I too may go worship this Child.
PRIEST (confused) You will go to worship Him?
HEROD Of course not! I want to know where we
. can find this Baby so we can kill Him.
. I want Him dead! This so-called MESSIAH
. must die!
(HEROD and PRIEST storm off the stage with purpose.)
. STAGE RIGHT
CHILD So Baby Jesus was in danger of being
. killed again?
MOM Yes, He was. But first the magi followed
. the star, and found Jesus who was almost
. two years old by now.
CHILD They lived in a stable for almost
. two years?
MOM Actually, verse 11 tells us that by now
. they were living in a house.
CHILD A big house?
MOM I don’t know, but probably not. Joseph 21
. was a carpenter, and they don’t make all
. that much money. At least, not back then.
CHILD Maybe Joseph built the house.
MOM Yes, perhaps. But the star was still
. in the sky for the magi to follow.
. When they arrived, they worshiped Jesus
. and gave Him their gifts of gold,
. frankincense and myrrh.
. CENTER STAGE
. VIGNETTE 6
(MAGI enter and talk amongst each other. They are
still in awe from seeing Jesus.)
MAGI 1 I have seen the King of kings. I have
. beheld His glory.
MAGI 2 We could have brought ALL our treasures
. and given it to the Christ-child, and it
. still would not have been enough.
MAGI 1 This Child is very great, and I believe
. He will do something very important
. which will change the world in some way.
MAGI 2 Many rulers will not appreciate this.
MAGI 1 This is why we must return home
. by another way.
MAGI 2 We were to report back to king Herod.
MAGI 1 I had a dream last night. God warned me
. in this dream not to return to Herod.
. I believe this man intends to harm this Child.
. I am sure Herod sees the Child as a threat
. to his kingdom.
MAGI 2 I fear this Child’s life will meet with
. an untimely death.
MAGI 1 Perhaps, but if so, there will be 22
. purpose. The mystery of Jesus’s birth
. will most likely be revealed at His death.
(The MAGI nod solemnly and exit.)
. STAGE RIGHT
CHILD Of course Baby Jesus was safe?
MOM Yes, because His time had not yet come,
. because Jesus was born with a great purpose.
. The magi went back to their own country,
. and Joseph was told in a dream to escape
. to Egypt. Meanwhile, when King Herod
. realized that the magi had no intentions
. of reporting back to him, Herod sent
. his army into the Bethlehem area to kill
. all boy babies under the age of two.
CHILD So God saved Jesus’s life again.
MOM Once king Herod had died, Joseph was told
. in yet another dream that it was now safe
. to return to Israel, to live in the city
. of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up.
CHILD So if God kept saving Jesus’ life,
. why did Jesus have to die?
MOM Jesus was born into this world, so that
. He could die for our sins –
. at the proper time.
CHILD That’s so sad.
MOM But Jesus rose again, conquering death,
. so when we choose to believe in Him,
. we can have eternal life with Him in heaven.
CHILD I see. That is why His birth is so important.
MOM And that is why we celebrate it.
(LIGHTS fade.)