the Rev Ruth Lumax of First United Church in Wetaskiwin AB.
News and Announcements:
* Singing: #5VU “All Earth is Waiting” (v1-3)
Pat and Chris wander in from the back
Pat: G’day eh?
Chris: G’day. We’re here for the Christmas story.
Pat: Yah, the Christmas story. We get to be the readers. Got my part right here! (pulls out a pile of paper)
Chris: It looks kinds long, eh?
Pat: Well, there’s a lotta instructions, eh? Like when to stand and sit and sing and all that.
Chris: We’re gonna sing?
Pat: Well sure. This is church isn’t it? Ya gotta sing in church, it’s like a rule or something.
Chris: Really? I didn’t know that.
Pat: There’s lots of things you don’t know.
Chris: Like what do you know that I don’t know?
Pat goes up to pulpit.
Pat: Like... like...like... oh, just take off eh? I think we’re getting a little off topic here. This is supposed to be the Christmas story. So, here we go. (shuffles papers) Matthew, chapter one “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac…”
Chris: (interrupting) Excuse me.
Pat: Shut up, can’t ya see I’m reading my part, eh? “Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and…”
Chris: (interrupting) Excuse me.
Pat: Leave me alone! I’m reading my part, eh?
Chris: But it’s not your turn.
Pat: It’s not?
Chris: No! (holds up bulletin) This paper says we gotta do a bunch of other stuff first.
Pat: Really? Like what?
Chris: Like some words to call us together, and a prayer, and we’re gonna light some candles. I thought you said you knew stuff about church.
Pat: Candles? I like candles. Especially the smelly kind. Makes for a real festive kinda atmosphere.
Chris: Yah, and they cover the smell of your dirty socks!
Pat: Hey, my socks aren’t… dirty!
Chris: Oh yah? When was the last time you washed them?
Pat: That is none of your business. And, we’re getting of topic again. If it’s not our turn maybe we should just sit down and get started.
Chris: Sorry about that. You’re right. We’ll be back when we get to the Christmas story part.
Pat and Chris sit.
The Advent Wreath: #7VU (v1-3)
Coming Together:
Come join in the journey.
We’re on a journey into JOY!
Come to the place where God comes close to us.
We’re on a journey into JOY!
Come ready to wonder.
We’re on a journey into JOY!
Come with thankful hearts.
We’re on a journey into JOY!
Come and worship: in song, in prayer, in community.
We’re on a journey into JOY!
(Prayer together) Creator God, you call us to this time and place. You show us the Way to live. You wait for us to say “yes” to you. You bring good news to the least and lonely, to those who wait in the dark, searching for the light. As your people, may we be the good news for others. Help us in this time of worship, to come close to the mystery of your love. Amen.
Dress Rehearsal:
Pat and Chris stand up.
Pat: Okay, I’m ready now. Matthew, chapter one: “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David …”
Chris: (interrupting) Excuse me.
Pat: Not again. What now? I’m readin’ my part here!
Chris: You’re still early, eh?
Pat: Still early?
Chris: Yah, we’re not quite ready to start yet. We’ve gotta make sure everybody’s ready first.
Pat: I can do that. (to the congregation) IS EVERYBODY READY?!!
Chris: (interrupting) No, no, no. They need costumes and parts.
Pat: Yay, we get costumes.
Chris: Nah, not us; we’re the Narrators. (points to congregation) Them! (to the congregation) Okay, did everyone get a costume when you came in? We got some kids out there who’ll bring you a costume, if you didn’t, ‘cause we need some help with our story.
Pat: (to the congregation) Yah, there’s only so much we can do on our own, eh?
Chris: But don’t worry. Your part’s not hard. We’re gonna go over it right now.
Pat: Yah, like we’ll be right here showing ya what to do the whole time. We’ll go through your lines once everyone has their costume on. (to Chris) So, I’ve been looking at my part, eh, and there’s some big words in here. What if I don’t say ‘em right?
Chris: You’re the one who wanted to do this!
Pat: I know. But there’s some really, REALLY big words. I wasn’t expecting that, eh?
Chris: There’s always big words in the Bible. Didn’t you know that?
Pat: Well sure, what if you don’t say ‘em right?
Chris: I dunno. Maybe you should just say ‘em real loud, like you know how they’re s’posed to be said. And everyone will think you’re real smart. It’s not like anyone else how to say’ em either.
Pat: D’ya think that’ll work?
Chris: Sure! Why not? That’s what Rev. Gregg does all the time.
Pat: (looking over his part, speaking loudly) Aminadab… Nashon… Rehoboam… Jehoshaphat… Salathiel…Zerubbabel… Jeconiah… (repeat names until everyone is ready)
Chris: Okay, okay, they’re ready. It’s time to practice the lines.
Pat: But, I’m not ready!
Chris: Don’t worry about it. (to congregation) Now, you out there! With the tin foil on your heads…
Pat: (to Chris) That’s not tin foil. It’s tinsel. And those are ‘halos’, eh?
Chris: (to Pat) Yah, yah whatever. (to congregation) You with the… halos. You’re angels. When we hold up a cue card, you just repeat what it says. Easy, right?
Pat: Right.
Chris: (to congregational angels) All ya gotta say is… (to Chris) um, what do they say?
Pat: (flips through his papers) (to congregational angels) Okay, you got two different lines, but they’re easy, ‘cause you just gotta follow the cue cards: “don’t be afraid” and “glory to God in the highest”.
Chris: (to congregation) You think you can do that? We’ll show ya. (to Pat) I’ll be the angels and you be (points to congregation) them. “Don’t be afraid”
Pat: Don’t be afraid!
Chris: Glory to God in the highest.
Pat: Glory to God in the highest.
Pat: Don’t be afraid!
Chris: Okay, I think they got it. (to congregation) Anyone out there got a towel on your head? Well get ‘em on now. You’re shepherds; that’s your headscarf. All you’ve got to say is: “Let’s go to Bethlehem.” Let’s try that. “Let’s go to Bethlehem.”
ALL: Let’s go to Bethlehem!
Chris: (to congregational shepherds) Remember to look excited, eh? It’s an important part.
Pat: That’s right. So, who’s left? (looks through papers) Oh yah, the animals: sheep, cows, goats, donkey, pigs… whatever you find in a stable. (to congregation) We’ve got ears for you to where.
Chris: Oh, oh, oh. Can I be a pig?
Pat: Are you serious? No! (Chris looks disappointed) You’ve already got a part. (to congregation) Okay, you animals, whenever you hear the word “stable” make your animal noise. Now, let’s try this. Stable. (do it again to encourage people to be loud) Stable. Excellent!
Chris: Okay. I’m ready. You’re ready. They LOOK ready. Let’s sit down until it’s time to start.
Pat: It’s still not time!
Chris: We’ve got one more thing to do first.
Giving Our Offerings: see announcement for info
* Offering Song (#541VU) and Prayer:
* Singing: #64VU “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (v1-2)
Reading from Scripture:
Chris: You ready?
Pat: I’ve been ready since we got here.
Chris: (pause) So… go then!
Pat: What? Now? Are you sure?
Chris: Yah, now!
Pat: (opens Bible, clears throat) Ahem. Matthew, chapter one: “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon…”
Chris: (interrupts anytime during reading) So, like are you almost done?
Pat: What? No! There a whole long list here.
Chris: No offence, but it’s kinda boring. Who are all those people?
Pat: I dunno. Bunch of guys, I guess. They all seem to be related to each other.
Chris: You don’t know any of them?
Pat: I think I heard of the first couple, but after that, nah. D’you know any of them?
Chris: Not really. (to congregation) Anybody out there know these guys?
Pat: (to Chris) Maybe we should just skip over this part. Do you think it’s against the rules?
Chris: (looking at the congregation) I don’t they’ll mind, eh?
Pat: (to congregation) Okay, so, I’ll just skip to the end of the list. You can read it for yourself later, if you really want. (looking at Bible) Let’s see: “and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.”
Chris: Wow! That’s a lot of fourteens.
Pat: Fourteens always make me tired. I think we should sing for a bit so I can catch my breath.
Chris: Let’s sing the rest of the last song. I think there were some verses we missed.
* Singing: #64VU “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (v3-4)
Mary and Joseph with baby come sit by the manger
Reading from Scripture:
Reader: Matthew, chapter one, verses eighteen to twenty-one: “Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’”
Pat: (to Chris) That’s gotta be tough.
Chris: What?
Pat: Bein’ engaged to a girl and getting her pregnant and all that before the wedding happened.
Chris: The same thing happened to my cousin.
Pat: It happens all the time, dude. Don’t you pay attention in ‘health’ class. (slight pause) I wonder what was different about Mary.
Chris: Dunno. She must have been really scared. Joseph probably thought she was crazy.
Pat: Ya got that right! (looks at the kids at the back) Oh, they’re getting restless, we better let them sing something.
* Singing: #69VU “Away in a Manger” (children v1; all v2-3)
Shepherds:
shepherds and sheep come down front
Shepherd 1: It was just like any other night. Minding our own business, eh?
Shepherd 2: Yah, just keepin’ watch o’er our flocks by night, like the song says. And suddenly, there was this bright light!
Shepherd 1: Wow. It was amazing. Just like the time when the cops came…
Shepherd 2: (interrupting) Not now! And then we heard voices.
Shepherd 1: Not just any voices. Angel voices!
Angel Cue: Don’t be afraid.
ANGELS: Don’t be afraid.
Shepherd 1: As if we were afraid.
Shepherd 2: Yah, as if… Okay, we were terrified. But that wasn’t all they said.
Angel: We bring tidings of great joy. Peace and goodwill to everyone. A child was born. Go, hurry, run to Bethlehem to see the child who will change everything.
Angel Cue: Glory to God in the highest.
ANGELS: Glory to God in the highest.
Shepherd Cue: Let’s go to Bethlehem!
SHEPHERDS: Let’s go to Bethlehem.
Reading from Scripture:
Reader: Luke, chapter two, verses sixteen to twenty: “So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
* Singing: #38VU “Angels We Have Heard on High”
Storyteller: Look, there is something different about this candle. It is the colour of roses. It is to remind us of the great joy the angels sang of. It reminds us of the celebration of the shepherds. Even in our serious work of getting ready for the mystery of Christmas, we celebrate!
Angels:
Pat: So, is that it?
Chris: Isn’t that enough?
Pat: Yah, I s’ppose, but what happened next?
Chris: Whaddaya mean?
Pat: Well, like does the kid ever leave the ‘stable’? (wait for animal noises, remind them if they forgot)
Chris: Duh! Whoever grew up in a ‘stable’? (animal noises)
Pat: But, after the ‘stable’ (wait for animal noises), does the kid go to school? Do the angels keep hanging around?
Angel Cue: Glory to God in the highest.
ANGELS: Glory to God in the highest.
Chris: Yah, yah, we got it, angels. We’re running out of time here.
Pat: But, I wanna know what happens next. Did the shepherds tell anyone else what they saw in the ‘stable’? (animal noises)
Shepherd Cue: Let’s go to Bethlehem!
SHEPHERDS: Let’s go to Bethlehem.
Chris: Well, if I could get a word in here (pauses and glares at cast and congregation). That’s too much to tell you now. These people gotta go home. It’s almost lunch time. And they gotta come back for the concert this afternoon.
Pat: Will we learn at the concert what happens next to the kid?
Chris: Not really. But if you keep coming back to church, you’ll hear more.
Pat: What? Here?
Chris: Sure, they talk about Jesus at church all the time. If you wanna learn more, just come back another time. You’ll find out all kinds of stuff.
Pat: Really?
Chris: Would I lie to you? But, like, it’s time to go. We’re done.
Pat: Um, not quite. You forgot the last song, eh?
Chris: Oh yah, the song. And it’s a real good one. (to congregation) We’re gonna sing number fifty-nine in Voices United, “Joy to the World”. Oh… and have a Merry Christmas, eh?
Pat: Yah, have a Merry Christmas!
* Singing: #59VU “Joy to the World”
(Chris, Pat and rest of cast leave during singing)
* Changing the Light:
* Sending Out:
Go with joy.
ANIMALS: All creation sings God’s praise!
SHEPHERDS: We will share the good news!
ANGELS: Don’t be afraid.
May the love of God watch over you;
May the peace of Christ fill your heart;
May the peace presence of the Holy Spirit fill your life
and speak in your dreams. Amen.
* Sung Response: #19MV
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