Church: Scene opens
with choir members coming into choir loft. Director talks to members after
casual discussions among the choir.
Tyler: Cam!
Alan: I went to
the creek last night and saw a deer crossing the road…
Destiny: (To
choir director) I think we oughta sing that first song we did last summer, you
know?
Bro Shannon: No,
we are going to do something else this week. We have to get ready for our
program and we only have a few more practices.
Joseph looks
distracted, quiet and off to himself on the side of the choir loft.
Bro. Shannon:
Listen up guys, we are going to the back for practice. Too many people come to
church early and I do not want you guys to be distracted. We have a lot of work
to do, so let’s go.
They file out through
the side door, chatting and talking. Joseph slides over behind the pulpit,
trying to stay out of view. He follows the movement of the choir, keeping
himself covered behind the pulpit as he does so. Once the choir has filed out,
Bro Shannon closes the door, and Joseph sits on the steps.
Joseph:
Christmas. Shoot. Dumb songs. Why did I have to come here? (Sings
sarcastically) O little town of Bethlehem, and I don’t get an X-box again this
year. (Frowns sadly and shakes his head)
In the background, and
from the door they exited, you can hear the choir begin to sing ‘O Little Town
of Bethlehem’ as they begin to practice.
Bro. B comes down the
aisle with his guitar, in an obvious hurry.
Bro. B: Hoo boy,
I’m late again! (He almost passes Joseph,
then stops when he notices Joseph sitting on the steps by the pulpit) Hey Joseph,
what’s up man? (Joseph kind of smiles,
but does not answer)
Bro. B: Is the
choir in the back? (Joseph nods his head)
Bro. B: Cool, I’m
late. But I love me some Christmas music! Heh-heh.
He walks toward the
door, but then stops as if he suddenly got a thought.
Bro B. Joseph?
Why aren’t you back there with the rest of the guys? What’s wrong?
Joseph: Oh
nothing. Just not into Christmas songs this year. Besides, I’m too old for that
kind of stuff.
Bro. B: (Shocked) Too old for Christmas songs and
the choir?
Joseph: (Looks
down) No, uh, not that. Just too old for Christmas stuff, you know, Santa Claus
and Reindeer, and toys and junk.
Bro. B: Joseph!
What do you mean????
Joseph: Well,
Christmas dinner is nice. I mean, you know I like to eat and stuff. And it’s
good to have family things, but as I get older Christmas just ain’t got no joy
left in it. You know what I mean?
Bro. B comes and sits
down by Joseph, leaving his guitar against the communion table. He gets a serious
look on his face, and pauses as if in reflection. He puts his arm on Joseph’s
shoulder.
Bro. B: Joseph, I
don’t know what to say. Let me think here a minute. Let’s see. (Hand under chin, thinking for several
seconds) Hmm.
Bro. B: So let me
see, too old for Santa and the reindeer, okay on the food and family, but don’t
want to sing Christmas songs or…
Joseph: What can
I say, Bro B? No Christmas Spirit this year.
Bro. B: I might
be sensing something else here? Be honest with me.
Joseph: Well, you
know, I really wanted the new X-box this year. My console is two years old now
and you gotta have the new one to play all the good games. Thought I’d get it
for Christmas, but it turns out from what I have found out, I’m getting mostly
clothes and junk. I guess my parents think I’m too old for that kind of stuff.
Bro B looks at him
incredulously
Joseph: I know
it’s silly, but it was important to me. (sigh) Guess I can always go over to
Alan’s and play with him on his console. Some people have all the luck. I’m
telling you, Christmas ain’t all it’s cracked up to be when you get older. It’s
just another day.
Bro. B shakes his head
slowly, taking it all in. Joseph stares out at the audience.
Bro. B: Well, Bro
Shannon and the kids are gonna have to wait on me or do without. Seems like I
have stumbled onto a Christmas emergency, and down here by the pulpit, no less.
Bro. B: Joseph?
Joseph: Yes sir?
Bro. B: Joseph,
have you ever thought about what Christmas is really all about?
Joseph: On sure,
you know ‘good saint Nick’ and Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer, and Santa Claus
is coming to town. Yeah, I get it. Or I used to anyway.
Bro. B: (Trying to hide his shock) Hold on, man!
No, no, no! Those are nice things and fun things, but there is a lot more to
Christmas than meets the eye, bro!
Joseph: Oh yeah,
well I forgot about that, the whole ‘away in a manger’ thing. What is a manger
anyway? Is it like a forest ranger, or forest manger? Something like that?
Bro. B: Oh my
word! Son, I don’t know where to start. Do you know about Bethlehem? The wise
men?
Joseph: Wise men?
Like some dudes that are really smart?
Bro. B puts his head
in his hands, then shakes his head.
Bro. B: Oh Joseph,
you might as well get comfortable. Have I got a story for you. Christmas is not
about Santa Claus, elves, or reindeer. Yes, more than likely you have outgrown that stuff.
But the real meaning of Christmas, well, you will never grow too old for that.
Joseph: What are
you talking about?
Bro. B: Well it
all started back a long time ago in a country called Israel, see they had this
king who was not doing very good. He was very sick and asked G_d for a sign on
whether or not he was going to make it. He was really sick! Here, let me get my Bible and show you what happened.
Gets Bible and begins
flipping pages
Bro. B: Let’s see
now, here we go, listen: Isaiah 7: 14
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Bro. B: The king
was told that the baby would be called ‘Immanuel’. Do you know that that means
in Hebrew, Joseph?
Joseph: Uh, no
sir, we don’t actually have a Hebrew class at PRC. But what does it mean?
Bro. B: That’s the
good part. It means ‘G_d WITH us’ bro! You see, He loved us so much that He
became one of us. Yes, that’s right, the G_d of Heaven and Earth became a baby
just like you and I were a long time ago. Ha!
Joseph: Okay. If
you say so.
Bro. B: Not
because I say so, the Bible says so, Joseph. See Israel was waiting for a messiah
or deliverer
to come—had been doing so for many years. This prophecy was just the start of
it. I guess it kinda went something like this: (Darken lights to church)
From a side door, Kim
comes in carrying a candle. She sings (Acapella) “O Come O Come Immanuel” First
verse only –softly, but amplified with mic, and song builds.
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive IsraelThat mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine
advent hereDisperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Following last note, Kim
exits back through the door, spotlight back on Bro B and Joseph as lights go
back up.
Joseph: So did the
Immanuel come like the prophet said He would?
Bro. B: You
betcha. It was many years later, but an angel visited a young girl named Mary.
She lived in this place called Galilee. Anyway, the angel told her that she
would have a baby and would call his name Jesus. But here’s the catch, Mary was a virgin and
wasn’t married or anything yet.
Joseph: Whoa! Bad
news!
Bro. B: Yes, especially
back in those days. But see, G_d had already prophesied that it would happen
just that way. Still, Joseph, her fiancée was kinda freaked out about it, I
mean, come on, that’s a hard story to believe. But an angel visited him in a
dream and told him it was all okay, and Joseph believed and all was good.
Joseph: So then
they got married and had the baby and everything was good, huh? I mean, I know
about Jesus and all from Bro. Joey’s Sunday School class.
Bro. B: Hold on a
minute, it wasn’t that easy!
Joseph: Well it had
been prophesied back in Isaiah, and Mary got visited by and angel, then Joseph
also in a dream, that kind of makes it all legit, huh?
Bro. B: (Puts hand on Joseph’s shoulder again)
Hold on a minute, we’re getting to that.
Bro. B: See, the
problem was the Romans were in charge in Mary and Joseph’s day, and they
decided that they needed to take a census of all the people. Now back then they
didn’t have email or the Internet, or even regular old mail. So everybody had
to go to their hometown. Let’s see (flips
through Bible)
Bro. B: Here we
go in Luke 2: And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree
from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was
first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed,
every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the
city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with
Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Joseph: So how
long a trip was it for them?
Bro. B: Probably,
they say, around 80 miles.
Joseph: Hmm. Not
far enough to catch a flight. So they went by school bus? Car, train? What?
Bro. B: Joseph,
c’mon, Those things weren’t even invented yet. They went by donkey!
Joseph: That’s
bad, and she was ‘great with child’ according to those verses. Must have been
rough, huh?
Bro. B: And it
got worse. When they got to town, there were so many people there that there
were no hotel or motel rooms available.
Joseph: Wait a
minute! No flights, cars and busses were not invented yet, but they had hotels?
Bro. B: Well, not
exactly. They were simply called ‘Inns’ back then. But the principle was sorta
the same.
Joseph: So
couldn’t they stay with friends or family?
Bro. B: Nope.
Joseph: So what
did they do?
Bro. B: Well, the
innkeeper had no room, but he made them a place to stay in the stable.
Joseph: No way!
How cruel! She was pregnant, and didn’t the innkeeper know that she was carrying
the Immanuel in her belly???? Unreal!!
Bro. B: We don’t
know the how or why of the Innkeeper, but let me show you what happened: And so
it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should
be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them
in the inn.
Joseph: Man,
that’s sad. She had the baby right there in a stable. So that’s what a manger
is, huh?
Bro. B: Not
exactly, the manger was kinda like a feed-trough. And swaddling clothes were
just rags they used to wipe their hands when they milked the cows or goats.
Joseph: Unreal!!
Bro. B: Yes, Joseph,
can you imagine… well, close your eyes and think about what it would have been
like to be there at that very moment in time: (Darken lights to church)
Up center aisle comes
Mary and Joeseph (Tyler and Hannah), Tyler helping her down the aisle. She is
in great pain. They are met at the front of the church by Alan, who shakes his
head sorrowfully. Hannah is crying.
Alan: Sorry guys,
there’s really nothing I can do.
Tyler: Please
mister, she’s due any moment!
Alan shakes his head,
but then appears to be thinking hard about it. Tyler and Hannah turn and start
to go off toward the side.
Alan: Hey, wait a
minute guys.
They both turn, and
Tyler looks at him hopefully.
Alan: It’s not
much, and I feel bad even offering it to you, but I have a stable, and if you
can’t find anywhere else to go, I will do my best to make it as comfortable as
possible for you.
Tyler: We’ll take
it, mister. Please hurry!
They walk over to a
prepared area with hay and a manger. Hannah and Tyler have their back turned to
audience while Alan retrieves a blanket from behind a bench. He spreads it over
Hannah. The lights in choir loft dim (Alan can do this subtly) Wait a few
seconds, Tyler and Hannah trade places behind the manger, Tyler with his arm
around her, and Alan turns the choir loft lights back on.
From a side door,
Destiny comes in carrying a candle. She sings (Acapella) “Away in a manger”
First verse only –softly, but amplified with mic, and song builds.
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet
headThe stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay
Following last note, Destiny
exits back through the door, spotlight back on Bro B and Joseph as lights go
back up.
Joseph: That’s a
cool story, but I gotta be honest with you, Bro. B. It seems a little
far-fetched to me. I mean, G_d as a baby in a nasty old manger, and innkeepers
with no rooms to stay in. IS that all we have to go on, was there any more
witnesses besides Mary and Joseph and the innkeeper?
Bro. B: I was
just getting to that, son, just getting to that. Be patient. G_d always
provides a witness when He does great things, heh heh. You bet there were
witnesses, check this out: And there were in the same country shepherds abiding
in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of
the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and
they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them:
Naomi, hidden in
baptistry, wearing a white robe, pops up. Lights in church are dim, but
spotlight in baptistry is lit
Naomi: Fear not:
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Lights come back up
and Naomi sneaks out to join the choir for the appearance later on
Joseph: Wow!
Bro. B: I know,
right? So imagine you are sitting there, minding your own business out there
camping out in the fields with the sheep, hanging out with your bros, and all
of a sudden this angel appears out of nowhere and tells you all this stuff?
Joseph: Probably
scared ‘em pretty good.
Bro. B: Well, the
verse says they were ‘sore afraid’ heh, heh. And you wanted witnesses!
Joseph: Yeah,
well go on, and then what happened?
Bro. B: Well
then, just about the time they were getting settled and not scared out of their
gourd anymore, all of a sudden, a buncha angels appeared. (Goes back to Bible) And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Bro. B: Imagine
what that was like: (Darken church lights)
From the front door,
and going down all three aisles, the choir comes in wearing white robes and
carrying candles, they sing (acapella) Angels We Have Heard on High:
Angels we have on heard high
Sweetly singing ore the plainsAnd the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria in excelsis Deo Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ whose birth the angels sing
Come adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord the newborn King
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria in excelsis Deo See him in a manger laid
Whom the choirs of angels praise
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid
While our hearts in love we raise
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Choir stays up on the
stage as the lights come back on. Bro. B and Joseph are still by the steps.
Choir sings “O Little Town of Bethlehem” First verse only, acapella.
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lieAbove thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
Joseph: I gotta
admit, that story is pretty legit!
Bro. B: You see, Joseph,
Christmas is so much more than just toys, food, friends and family. It’s even
more than the newest X-box game console. It’s about the greatest gift ever
given – G_d came down and joined us. And not like some creator G_d up
in Heaven that just watches over things, He actually became a man and dwelt
among us, and gave us all a chance to be saved by His infinite grace!
Joseph: Yeah, I
guess that is a notch or three or four, or a million better than an X-box! So
what does it all mean for us now? What should we really do at Christmas???
Bro. B: Well, it
means we should share His story with everybody! You know, like…
Grabs guitar as a prop,
begins singing acapella ‘Go tell it on the Mountain” Choir joins in.
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over
the hills and everywhere;Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.
Down in a lowly manger
Our humble Christ was bornAnd God send us salvation,
That blessed Christmas morn:
While shepherds kept their watching
Over
silent flocks by night,Behold throughout the heavens,
There shone a holy light:
Go,
Tell It On The Mountain,
Over
the hills and everywhere;Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.
