(Inside
Zechariah and Elizabeth’s home)
Zechariah: Shalom, dear Elizabeth
Elizabeth: Shalom, Zechariah. Are you ready for today? You may
be chosen to burn the incense of the Lord. Are you afraid?
Zechariah: Oh no, Elizabeth. I am not frightened. I may be a
little nervous. But I’ve been preparing
for this day my whole life. If it’s the Lord’s will for me to serve today, He
will give me strength. And perhaps he will answer our prayers for a child as
well!
____________________________________
(Zechariah and other priests standing
together)
Head
Priest: Priest of the Lord, I have in
my hand a selection of lots. Whoever picks the shortest lot will serve in the
temple today. (He reaches forward and
they each take one lot. Each man looks at his lot in either disappointment or
surprise). (Looking towards Zechariah): The Lord has chosen Zechariah!
(Elizabeth
rushes forward and gives him a hug. Head Priest hands him the incense.
Zechariah walks into temple).
Zechariah
(inside
the temple): Blessed are You, Oh Lord
our God, God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob . . .
(He
is cut off when an Angel appears. He is terrified.)
Angel: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and
your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at
his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he
must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy
Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And
he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn
the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of
the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:13-17)
Zechariah: Whoa! How is this possible? I am really old, and so
is my wife, Elizabeth!
Angel: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I
was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and
unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not
believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” (Luke 1:19-20)
Priests (outside):
What is taking Zechariah so long? I hope he’s okay.
(Zechariah stumbles out of the temple, gripping at his
throat and motioning with his hands).
Head Priest: He must have seen a vision!
____________________________________
Anna: Mary, Mary! Come in here. Your Abba and I have
something we would like to tell you.
Mary: I’ll coming, Ima and Abba!
(Mary
runs in. Her parents are standing with Joseph).
Joachim: Mary, you remember Joseph. (Mary bashfully smiles at
him). Well, we have talked it over, and we have decided that Joseph is to be
your husband. You will be betrothed for a year and then you will get married.
(Joachim
places Mary’s hands in Joseph’s. Mary looks up in surprise, and then lowers he
eyes).
Mary: Yes, Abba.
_____________________________________
(Mary
is sweeping at her home when an Angel appears. Surprised, she drops her broom
and stumbles backwards).
Angel: “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord
is with you!” (Mary doesn’t know what to
do . . . looks around worried). “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your
womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name 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 father David,
and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his
kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:28-33)
Mary: What? How can this be? I’m a virgin!
Angel: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will
be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age
has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called
barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke
1:35-37)
Mary: I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according
to your word. (Angel leaves). Wow. What am I supposed to do now? What will
Abba and Ima say? What will Joseph
say?
________________________________________
(In
Mary’s home with her mother, Anna).
Anna: Mary, this is not the best time to be visiting your
cousin, Elizabeth. Why don’t you wait until after the harvest, when there is less
work to be done?
Mary: I must go now. You wouldn’t understand . . . but I’m
certain Elizabeth needs me with her now.
Anna: Alright. We will arrange for you to travel with a
caravan in the morning.
_________________________________________
(Mary
approaches Elizabeth’s house. Elizabeth runs out to greet her).
Mary: Elizabeth, I’m here!
Elizabeth: Oh! Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Why should the
mother of my Lord should come to me? For when the sound
of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who believed that there would be a
fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. (Luke 1: 42-45)
_______________________________________
[SONG] O Come O Come
Emmanuel (Oniawa)
_________________________________________
Mary: Zechariah, Zechariah! Come quick. The baby has been
born. You have a son! (Zechariah comes
running, his face joyful). Isn’t that wonderful news? What will you call
him, Zechariah?
(Zechariah comes into the room.)
Zechariah: His name shall be John.
(Elizabeth and Mary look up in surprise).
Mary: John?
Elizabeth (at the same
time): He speaks! Praise the Lord! Come here, Zechariah. Hold your son.
Zechariah (holding the
baby up in the air): And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most
High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of
salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the
tender mercy of our God (Luke 1:76-78).
_________________________________________
Joseph: Mary! You’ve returned. It is so good to see you . .
. (Joseph looks down and sees Mary’s swollen
belly.) Oh Mary. What has happened? What have you done? (He storms away. Mary crumples into a chair,
dejected.)
_________________________________________
(Joseph is sleeping, tossing and mumbling in his
sleep. An angel appears before him.)
Angel: “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as
your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall
call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew
1:20-21)
_________________________________________
Joseph: Mary, Mary! Will you forgive me? How could I have
known? I was so scared. When I saw you like that, all I wanted to do was end
our betrothal. But I didn’t feel right about it. And then last night while I
was sleeping an angel appeared to me. He told me everything.
Mary: Oh Joseph! An angel came to me too. I was so scared
at first, but then he told me about God’s plan. How could I say no?
Joseph: Mary, I still want you to be my wife. But we have to
leave Nazareth. Caesar Augustus is issuing a census. We must travel to
Bethlehem, the city of my ancestor David. Will you go with me?
Mary: Yes, of course I will go with you. The Lord will
keep our baby safe on the journey.
__________________________________________
(Walking)
Mary: Are we there yet? I can tell this baby isn’t going
to wait much longer.
Joseph: We’re almost there. Hold on for just a little
longer. The Lord has brought us this far! (Joseph
and Mary approach the door of an Inn. Joseph knocks on the door.) Hello?
Does anyone have a room where we can stay?
Inn Keeper (Jacob): Hold your horses. I’m coming. I’m coming. (He opens the door). It’s a room you
want? Can’t you see this whole town is full of weary travelers? I don’t have
any empty rooms. I am sorry. Good bye . . . (and he begins to close the door. His wife is standing behind him with
her arms crossed and an irritated look on her face).
Inn Keeper’s Wife (Ruth): Jacob! How rude of you. Can’t you
see this woman is expecting a child. Have some compassion!
Jacob: But we don’t have any rooms, Ruth.
Ruth (to Jacob): I know, I know. But I have an idea. (To Mary and Joseph): Please excuse my
husband. This census has all of us stretched thin. We don’t have any rooms
inside, but I have an idea. Follow me around the back. (She leads them to a animal stall.) It’s not very clean, but it’s
warm and dry. Will this do?
Mary: Yes, it’s perfect. May the Lord bless you for your
kindness!
_____________________________________________
[SONG: Oh Little Town
of Bethlehem]
_______________________________________________
Shepherd 1: I wish these sheep would find some place warmer to
graze.
Shepherd 2: I wish this was more exciting. Sheep are boring.
Shepherd 3: Quit complaining. At least we have work. (He is cut short when an Angel appears, with
a host of other angels. The shepherds are terrified.)
Angel: “Fear not, for
behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And
this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12)
Lots of Angels: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth
peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14)
Shepherd 4: Whoa! Let’s go see this baby!
Shepherd 5: He must be pretty special if the Lord sent a whole
host of angels to tell us about him.
____________________________________________
[SONG: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks]
(The shepherds find Mary and Joseph and the baby
Jesus, and gather around them).
___________________________________________
[SONG] Away in a Manger
____________________________________________
The End
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