Bench is set at front center of stage. Broom house left. Manger with baby Jesus house right. Shepherd's angel's candle lights house right.

Transcription

1 Bench is set at front center of stage. Broom house left. Manger with baby Jesus house right. Shepherd's angel's candle lights house right. Speaking roles (including Joseph but not Herald Angel) assemble downstairs and then file into Paca Hall to line up for procession. Animals, shepherd's, Herald's Angel and shepherd's angels in children's chapel, with sound piped in. Page 1 Processional Hymn 83 (O Come All Ye Faithful) Readers, Prologue readers, Isaiah, Mary, Gabriel, Elizabeth, Joseph, Joseph s 3 angels, and Innkeeper process in, reverence altar, and then move to places: Readers and prologue readers chairs / kneelers on house right Isaiah goes down side aisle and is ready at the back of the church Mary, Gabriel, Elizabeth, Joseph, Joseph s 3 angels, and Innkeeper in acolyte chairs on house left side of altar. (Extra chairs will need to be placed.) Clergy and chalice bearers first pew on house left Shepherd's, shepherd's angels and animals do not process but go directly to chapel. Rector s Welcome Isaiah delivers lines while walking down center aisle to the front of the church. Isaiah: A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all the people shall see it together, Mary enters and sits on bench, Isaiah says towards Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Gabriel exits house left. Reader 1 goes to lectern. Gabriel enters as reader begins. Reader 1: The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin s name was Mary.

2 Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. What kind of greeting is this? Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him 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 ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. How can this be, since I am a virgin? The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child born to you will be holy. He will be called the Son of God. And now your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing is impossible for God. Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. Page 2 As Reader 1 continues, Gabriel leaves and returns to seat. Mary rises, Elizabeth enters, and Mary moves to greet her. Reader 1: Elizabeth: The angel departed from her. In those days Mary arose and went with haste to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. As soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Mary moves to front center stage and delivers the Magnificat to congregation. My soul magnifies the lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Hymn 66, first and last verses (Come Thou Long Expected Jesus) During hymn, Reader 1 sits down and Reader 2 goes to lectern. Mary and Elizabeth leave and return to their seats; Joseph enters and lies down on bench. Now the birth of the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary has been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with

3 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. Joseph s 3 angels enter and stand behind Joseph. Angel 1: Angel 2: Angel 3: But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. 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 to you a son. And you are to name him Jesus, for he will save the people from their sins. Page 3 Angels return to their seats. Joseph wakes. When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife. Hymn 79, verse 1 (O Little Town of Bethlehem) During hymn, Reader 2 sits down and Reader 3 goes to lectern. Joseph leaves stage, returns to seat, and goes with Mary down the side aisle to the back of the church. Innkeeper goes to center of stage with broom and is busy sweeping. As Reader 3 begins, Mary and Joseph slowly make their way down the center aisle until they are in front of the Innkeeper. Herald Angel and Shepherd's angels process quietly from the chapel, downstairs, past the classrooms and up the stairs to the choir loft. They assemble, smaller ones at the front, larger ones behind ready for the pop-up. Mary and Joseph slowly make way down center aisle. Reader 3: In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was... Innkeeper blocks the way with broom.

4 Innkeeper: No place at the inn! Hymn 101, verses 1 and 2 (Away in a Manger) During hymn, Innkeeper leaves and returns to seat. Reader 3 sits down and Reader 4 goes to lectern. Manger with Jesus placed in front of bench. Animals (not sheep) come down center aisle and gather around the manger scene. Angels and prologue readers take places in loft. Page 4 As hymn ends and Reader 4 begins, shepherds and sheep come halfway down aisle, stopping at short pew midway. In that region there were shepherds living in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. Herald Angel stands up in the loft. And the glory of the LORD shone around them, and they were terrified. Shepherds all yell in fear. Herald Angel: Do not be afraid! For see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people. To you is both this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find the child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Shepherds Angels: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors! (Sung) Shepherd 1: Shepherd 2: Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king! Let us now go to Bethlehem And see this thing that has taken place! Shepherds 1 and 2 run down the aisle to the manger scene. Rest of shepherds and sheep follow. Angels come down from loft and surround the manger scene. Hymn 96, verses 1 and 2 (Angels We Have Heard on High) During hymn, Angels come down from loft, get a candle light and surround manger scene. Reader 4 returns to pew. All except readers, Isaiah, and Prologue should now be standing on stage surrounding manger scene. Children in the congregation will be invited by note in

5 bulletin to raise the stars included with their bulletin at this point. Once the hymn has finished, the lights will dim. Prologue readers silhouetted in the choir loft read words underlined together. Prologue 1: Prologue 2: Prologue 3: Prologue 4: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What was come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father s only son, full of grace and truth. From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only son, who is close to the Father s heart, who has made him known. Page 5 Hymn 100 (Joy to the World) Lights come back on. Cast remains in place during first stanza, then processes out straight down center aisle downstairs to take off costumes, then wait for a signal from a parent helper to rejoin their families in the congregation. During second and third stanzas, bench and extra chairs are removed.