A Virtual Christmas Pageant

Have you tried to put together a Christmas pageant recently? Get the kids all in one place at one time for a performance? Maybe. But rehearsals? Costume fittings? Have you any idea what kids' schedules are like these days? And then there are the logistics of getting the kids where they need to be, not to mention both parents working different schedules, and the adult choir needing to practice in the sanctuary, and at 4:00 the sanctuary guild needs to set up the Chrismon tree . . .

This year, Memorial Presbyterian decided to present

The Virtual Christmas Pageant.

One advantage is that it can easily be adapted to websites, the Internet, copied and sent to Grandma on the coast, etc. We think it's pretty great, and we hope you do, too. Just don't take it too seriously, and remember - they're kids and they're having a wonderful time. Enjoy.

[Photos Used by permission. Photo copyright: Memorial Presbyterian Church, Phoenix. ]

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It came to pass,

in a city in the Holy Land, also known as Arizona, there was a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

The angel went to her and said,

"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and

wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

"Wouldn't you like a nice cup of coffee?" Mary asked the angel. "It might clear your head."

But the angel said to her, "I'm not kidding, Mary!

You are going to have a baby, right here in your womb!, and he will be a really cute little boy. You shall call his name Jesus and he shall be the son of the most high God! "

"Whatever," Mary answered. Then the angel left her.

Old Joe

Mary was pledged to be married to a carpenter named Joseph.

He wasn't a particularly good carpenter, probably because he spent too much time daydreaming about Mary.

But before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

At first he tried to get some work done, but he didn't get very far. So he decided to sleep on it. But he didn't sleep very well probably because it's tough to relax when angels creep up on you.

And the angel told Joseph in a dream that God was really pleased with Mary and the baby was God's son.

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Around this same time, far, far away,

There were tree wise guys - or, rather, Kings - who consulted with their trusted advisor, who told them that the King of Kings, the Son of David who would lead his people out of bondage, was about to be born in the Holy Land.

This trusted adviser told them they should follow the star, and they'd be famous.











So the Magi packed up their crowns and set out on their long, long journey.











Meanwhile,

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Phoenix in Arizona to another place, because he belonged to the house and line of David.




He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was very, very pregnant.









Bethlehem





They were exhausted from traveling so far, and really glad to finally find a decent motel.











Wouldn't you just know it! When they tried to register, there was no room for them in the inn.



Mary and Joseph didn't know what to do or where to go. Mary kept saying, "If only you had booked a room before we left!" Joseph only shook his head and tried to figure out what he would do.



But the kindly innkeeper knew of a church nearby with a big patio and a cozy breezeway where it was common knowledge that people often spent the night.



For some reason, the kindly innkeeper called this a stable.












While they were there, Mary looked at Joseph,
and said, "Honey, I think it's time."

Sure enough, this was the place where the Son of the Most High God was born. Out back, unexpected and unwanted, God came into the world while everyone was too busy to notice.


Mary wrapped her baby boy in cloths and placed him in a manger.

The kindly innkeeper's kids and their pet lamb were there, too.

The Shepherds and the Angels

And there were shepherds - tough, rough, manly shepherds - living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. Some of the shepherds were even sleeping on the cold, hard ground, but they were so tough, they didn't mind the cold.




An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,




and the shepherds said, "Hey! Look at that!"
The shepherds had never seen anything so beautiful.



The Angels, of course, were used to being called beautiful, so they fluffed up their wings, smiled brighter and sang louder.



Those rugged, manly shepherds had never seen nor heard anything like the angels, so they were really, really afraid - so afraid that one of them passed out!














And the shepherds were sore afraid.














Really, really sore afraid.







But the angels floated happily in the sky, and said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

They also told the shepherds, "Pay attention. Bethlehem is that way."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen the baby, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

The shepherds finally went back to their sheep in the field, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

They also made a lot of noise and woke up most everybody in Bethlehem, yelling and hollering about angels and a baby in a barn.

Meanwhile,

The Magi realized they were not making much progress.

So they sat down and took a break,and eventually figured out that they were headed the wrong way.

Because they were wise,

they turned around and tried again. After many wrong turns, and many unpleasant adventures, they made their way to the stable, also known as the church breezeway - in the Holy Land, also known as Arizona.

They saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.

Joseph noticed they were carrying a bunch of stuff, so then the wise guys - also known as Magi - opened their treasures and presented the baby with gifts of gold and incense and myrrh.

Then the beautiful angels appeared again, this time to the Wise Men in a dream. Those Magi might not have been very smart about getting from the East to the stable, but they knew enough to pay attention to angels. So instead of taking the risk of running into Herod, they told Joseph that they would go home by bus. It would be a lot easier.

Joseph recognized one of the angel from a dream of his own, so he took Mary and the baby and set off the next morning for Egypt.

As far as we know, those wise guys never did locate the bus station.

And that's only the beginning of the story.

AMEN!