Stories of the First Christmas

Stories of the First Christmas:

Five Short Plays for Children with Characters Involved In the First Christmas Dramatizing What Happened that Wonderful Night

by


Delvyn C. Case, Jr.

 TALES OF THE FIRST CHRISTMAS
Copyright ©2017 by Delvyn C. Case, Jr.
All Rights Reserved
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Table of Contents

The Tale of the Innkeeper’s Wife  …………………………………………..1
(After the birth of Jesus, the innkeeper’s wife returns to the stable
to feed the animals and reflects upon what has happened.)

The Shepherd’s Story …………………………………………………………….6
(A shepherd tells the amazing story of Jesus’ birth and how angels
appeared to the shepherds on a hillside outside Bethlehem.)

Joseph’s Journey …………………………………………………………………11
(Joseph tells about his incredible journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem on a donkey with his wife Mary and the birth of Jesus in a stable.)

Mary’s Song………………………………………………………………………..15
(Mary, the mother of Jesus, tells her story of Jesus’ birth)

Wisdom from a Wise Man……………………………………………………19
(One of the Wise Men shares what he has learned from following
the star and finding Jesus in a stable.)


PRODUCTION NOTE:  For each play, the children of the congregation can be invited to come up to the front of the church/platform/stage and sit in the middle of the action with the character in the play.



The Tale of the Innkeeper’s

Characters

MIRIAM, an innkeeper’s wife, age 35-55

Voice in SFX

Time:  Late Christmas Eve after Jesus was born

Place:  The stable of an inn in Bethlehem where Jesus was born


Set/Costumes/Props

A manger filled with straw at center stage.  MIRIAM is dressed in a colorful Bible robe with an apron with pockets, a head covering over her shoulders, and sandals.


The Tale of the Innkeeper’s Wife

[SFX (as the lights fade to black)]
Sound of cows
Sound of sheep
“The Son of God’s been born this day”
“He’s come to save the world from sin”
Sound of chickens
“To open Heaven for all mankind”
“Glory to God in the highest, and peace, good will toward men”
Sound of dogs

(As the lights come up, MIRIAM enters from stage left and
crosses to center stage.  She is amazed at what she has heard)

MIRIAM
It couldn’t have been talking.  NO!  ‘COURSE NOT!  Not from the stable.  Not from…

[SFX:  Sound of cows, sheep, and chickens]

(MIRIAM nods)

MIRIAM (cont’d)
That’s more like it.  (scratching head)  The talking must have come from the inn.

(MIRIAM raises her arms in excitement and looks off center stage)

MIRIAM (cont’d)
WHAT A NIGHT!  WHAT AN AMAZING NIGHT!  It started out like any other night.  (motioning off center stage)  You were fed.  (pointing toward stage left)  The guests in the inn were fed. (with a sigh) And everybody was getting ready for bed.  THEN, (pointing toward stage right) that couple from Nazareth arrived, and the young woman started delivering a BABY in our yard!  Why would she travel here to Bethlehem, ONE HUNDRED MILES, in that condition?  The young woman, Mary was her name, said:  TO PAY TAXES!

(MIRIAM puts her hands on her hips)

MIRIAM (cont’d)
Couldn’t she’ve stayed at home till the baby was born?  Joseph, Mary’s husband, said, they HAD to come here BECAUSE IT WAS GOD’S WILL!  God’s will’s something written in the Bible that happens ’cause God said so.

(MIRIAM is puzzled.  She takes her hands off her hips)

MIRIAM (cont’d)
How could anyone believe something written in the Bible tells where MARY’S BABY would be born?   It took an ANGEL to explain!  Mary said an angel appeared to her AND to Joseph, and told them Mary’s baby was the SON OF GOD, the Savior of the world, the Christ.  Because Bethlehem’s where the Bible said Christ would be born, he had to be born here.  

(MIRIAM points toward stage left and shakes her head)

MIRIAM (cont’d)
Not in the inn  ’cause there was no room.  

(MIRIAM motions to where she is standing)

MIRIAM (cont’d)
But in the stable…(pointing off center stage) with all of you.  I asked Joseph what was his name.  JESUS, Joseph said.  (hands up)  Of course,  Jesus means “Savior.”  It was still hard for me to believe that this cute baby, (pointing to the manger) lying in your feeding trough, your manger, WAS THE CHRIST.  BUT THEN…

(MIRIAM points stage right)

MIRIAM (cont’d)
SHEPHERDS, your shepherds, CAME…(making pumping motions with her arms) RUNNING IN to see…(pointing toward the manger) JESUS!

(MIRIAM looks ahead)

MIRIAM (cont’d)
You know your shepherds.  They don’t get excited about ANYTHING.  BUT THEY WERE EXCITED ABOUT THIS BABY…because they also saw angels who told them this baby was the Son of God!  How many?  The shepherds said THOUSANDS of angels.  And they were saying, “GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, AND PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN.”

(MIRIAM puts hand to her chin)

MIRIAM (cont’d)
That’s what I also heard coming from here.  (waving off) But, of course, animals can’t talk.  Or can they tonight?
        
(MIRIAM takes two steps downstage)

MIRIAM (cont’d)
It’s true.  The Son of God, Jesus Christ, has come into the world.  He’s come to save the world from sin, to open Heaven for all mankind.  Since this day’s so special, I’m sure it’ll be celebrated every year at this time.  Because it’s the day of Christ’s coming, it’ll be called…(slowly) CHRIST…MAS.  Christmas!
Merry Christmas, to all you animals!
 
(MIRIAM turns, crosses to stage left exit, and exits stage left)

[SFX (as MIRIAM exits and the lights fade to black):
Sound of cows
Sound of sheep
“The Son of God’s been born this day”
“He’s come to save the world from sin”
Sound of chickens
“To open Heaven to all mankind”
“Glory to God in the highest, and peace, good will toward men”
Sound of dogs]

(black out)


END OF PLAY


To see more, please order the script.     

Stories of the First Christmas

Author: Delvyn Case
Delvyn served as Director of Drama at First Baptist Church in Portland, Maine for 20 years, and is now Director of Drama at First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs, Florida. At the churches he has written and directed a large number of his one-act and full-length plays developed in connection with the church services and holidays. Delvyn is also passionate about international social justice. Several of his plays concerning the Rwandan genocide have been commissioned by Central Africa Vision U.S.A. and have been performed under Delvyn’s direction in Rwanda and Burundi. Delvyn’s plays have been performed in a number of churches and festivals including The Maine Playwrights Festival, Karitos Conference, Art of the Play Festival, Northern Writes, Crowbait Club, Snowlion Repertory Company Playlab, Maine Restaurant Week, Boston Theater Marathon, Northport One-Act Play Festival, the Samuel French One-Act Play Festival, THE SEVEN One-Act Play Festival, and Stage It! 10-Minute Play Festival. He has won the Maine Literary Award for Drama, Writer’s Digest Writing Award (Drama), and the Christians in Theatre Arts Play Award. Most recently Delvyn has studied Drama and Literature in summers at the University of Oxford. Delvyn is a full member of the Dramatists Guild of America and Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC). He has been designated as an Emerging Artist by the SDC. Delvyn is published by Drama Source.

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