We decided that we would act out the Christmas story once again. We used to do it when the bigger kids were little and now Mindy's girls were just the right age to do it again!
Jill was the Director, and she assigned the parts.
She also was a Roman guard/Herod. Papa was the narrator, reading the story of Christ's birth from the books of Matthew and Luke.
Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem.
There was no room in the kataluma which means guest room of the house where they were staying - possibly other extended family were staying there. So they would have cleaned out the basement-cave of the house for them. This is where animals are kept at night.
I grew up thinking they knocked on the door of an inn or hotel and the innkeeper said "No room! We're full" but the word for inn is pandocheion, like is used in the story of the Good Samaritan. So no innkeeper in our play!
Mary delivers the Babe.
There were shepherds and sheep out in the field.
Probably sheep being raised for the temple sacrifice.
The angels appear to the shepherds and tell them the Good News!
The Lamb of God has been born!
Why not announce to the Levites and Priests? Who better to announce the birth of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world than to the very ones shepherding the sacrificial lambs. Like these sheep, Jesus too was born in Bethlehem and was sacrificed in Jerusalem.
Can you imagine? I bet every angel wanted to be there! The Bible says there was a great multitude of heavenly hosts - thousands upon thousands, many ranks of angels, a military array, from here to infinity! Horizon to horizon! Not just the 4 we had in the play!
The wisemen arrive at Jerusalem and ask where the One who has been born King of the Jews is. Herod's hair was standing on end, terrified that there was One coming to usurp his throne! He killed at least 3 of his own sons out of paranoia!
They bring Him gifts. By this time, Jesus would have been maybe almost 2 and He would not have been in a manger, but we just did it this way. Maybe next time, I'll have a toddler baby doll ready.
You can watch our little skit here.
Every year since our kids were little, we have had Santa hand out the stockings.
But this year, we could not locate the Santa suit! So the wisemen handed out the stockings instead.
Everyone gets a pair of socks.
That's tradition.
I like how one author describes Christ's birth: "He conceived the most daring of plans. Under cover of the night, He stole into the enemy's camp incognito, the Ancient of Days disguised as a newborn. The Incarnation was a daring raid into enemy territory. God risked it all to rescue us."
"This is love; not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10
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