The Nativity

1 female and 6 males. About 25 min.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

MARY, JOSEPH, BALTHASAR, THE SHEPHERD,
MELCHIOR, CASPAR, GABRIEL

Excerpt:
MARY
I heard something.
JOSEPH
One of the animals?
MARY
No. I don’t think so.
JOSEPH
I will check.
He gets up and crosses to the edge of the stable
JOSEPH
Hello? Is someone there?
The shepherd enters.
SHEPHERD
Hello. May I see Him?
JOSEPH
Come.
The shepherd crosses to the manger and he looks at Mary.
SHEPHERD
Hello.
MARY
Hello.
SHEPHERD
There He is.
The shepherd bows down low before the manger and prays silently. Mary and Joseph just look at each other, very puzzled at this. Finally, the shepherd raises his head and smiles at them.
JOSEPH
How did you know?
SHEPHERD
An angel. Just tonight…there was an angel in the sky. We were on the hillside out of town watching our sheep. Suddenly, there was this bright light and we saw this man… this being….an angel. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen! Then he spoke to us. He told us that tonight the Christ Child had been born.
JOSEPH
But how did you find us? Did he tell you that we were here?
SHEPHERD
Only that you were in Bethlehem. But then I noticed that star.
JOSEPH
Star?
SHEPHERD
You didn’t see it? There is a very bright star in the sky tonight. I don’t think it has ever been there before. The beam from the star seems to be shining right on this spot. I just kept walking toward the light.
JOSEPH
This night is becoming more and more amazing.
MARY
We saw an angel, too.
SHEPHERD
Tonight? He appeared to you, too?
MARY
No. Not tonight. Nine months past. He appeared to me to let me know that I was to give birth to the Son of God. He said that his name was Gabriel.
JOSEPH
And then he appeared to me in a dream. That is how we knew what was to happen.
SHEPHERD
I don’t know if this was the same angel or not…but it was pretty spectacular what we saw on the hillside tonight.
JOSEPH
Why would he appear to you?
SHEPHERD
Why indeed! We are mere shepherds! It was quite frightening, really. Although, it did not spook the sheep, now that I think about it. I wonder if they could not see it. All those angels!
JOSEPH
Wait…there was more than one?
SHEPHERD
Oh yes! The sky was filled with angels! They were all singing or chanting or something. I can remember what they were saying…it was “glory to God in the highest! Peace on earth and good will to all men.” Something like that. It seemed that God was pleased with man, at any case. Pleased with us so much that He would send this marvelous gift to us. And what an announcement!
JOSEPH
How many angels were there?
SHEPHERD
I don’t know! Countless! Thousands maybe! Maybe thousands upon thousands! I could not have possibly counted them. The sky was full! It must have been all of the heavenly host!
MARY
Another miracle.
SHEPHERD
Yes. I believe so. That is why I had to come. After seeing all of that, I had to see this for myself. As great as that was… the brightness and the spectacle…looking into the eyes of the Christ Child is so much more amazing! I just had to come and worship the Son of God.
MARY
And here we thought that no one knew He had come.
SHEPHERD
A few shepherds know. You would think that they would announce it to the whole world. To all the kings and the leaders. To the men in the synagogues. But they came and told some lowly shepherds.
MARY
Perhaps God sent the angel to you, because He knew that you would come and worship the child. God wants us to worship His Son, I believe.
SHEPHERD
What is His name?
MARY
Jesus. Because He will save His people from their sins.
Mary bows her head in worship and then Joseph goes down on his knee to do the same and the shepherd bows again. As they bow… this might be a good place for a song.