Notivity(?)

Ok, so this isn’t particularly software related but I didn’t have anywhere else to put this. 🤷‍♂️

A script for a three-person presentation of the nativity story–use at your own discretion.

                               HOST/LEADER
We're very lucky today as we have two special guests to help tell us 
the story of the nativity. These people know the story very well. Please 
welcome Matthew and Luke.

[Hold for applause]

                               HOST/LEADER (cont'd)
I love the story of the nativity. We hear it every year and I can't wait 
to hear again about the angels, shepherds, and kings all in a stable.

[Luke and Matthew turn to each other and start talking]

                               HOST/LEADER (cont'd)
Is everything alright?

                               MATTHEW
It's just about those things you said.

                               HOST/LEADER (cont'd)
Yes, the angels and the shepherds and the kings?

                               MATTHEW
Yes.
                               HOST/LEADER
All in a stable?

                               MATTHEW
Yes. Well, no.

                               LUKE
You see, I know about some angels and shepherds, but not any kings 
or a stable.

                               MATTHEW
And I have four angels. and only one at a time. But that's all.

                               HOST/LEADER
No kings?

                               LUKE & MATTHEW
No.

                               HOST/LEADER
And no stable?

                               LUKE & MATTHEW
No.

                               HOST/LEADER
Not even for the donkey?

                               MATTHEW
What donkey?

                               LUKE
What is this story you think you know?

                               HOST/LEADER
The nativity.

                               MATTHEW
Are you sure?
You seem to be mentioning lots of things we don't know or have 
written about?

                               HOST/LEADER
Look, I've been hearing this story my whole life. I think I know 
it pretty well.

                               LUKE
Better than us?

                               HOST/LEADER
Well

                               MATTHEW
I knew these people

                               HOST/LEADER
You _knew_ them?

                               LUKE
And I researched this thoroughly. I asked the people involved.

                               HOST/LEADER
You asked them?

                               LUKE
Yes. How else do you think I knew what they thought and said?
Actually, it's pretty lucky that Mary kept a diary. It made some 
parts much easier.

                               HOST/LEADER
Oh.
Well.
Let's say I don't know the story as well as you.

                               LUKE & MATTHEW
Yes.

                               HOST/LEADER
Will you tell us?

                               LUKE & MATTHEW
Of course

                               HOST/LEADER
Great.
So where do we start? is it with the parents?

                               LUKE
Actually, we need to start a little further back.

                               MATTHEW
Yes, so Abraham was the father of Isaac.

                               LUKE (interrupting)
Woah, not that far back.
I was thinking we start with Elizabeth and Zechariah

                               HOST/LEADER
Ok. Tell us more.

                               LUKE
So, Zechariah and ELizabeth were very old and didn't have 
any children.

                               MATTHEW (interrupting)
Reminds me of Abraham and Sarah.

                               LUKE
Hold on.
Yes, they were very old and didn't have any children, even 
though they really want to be parents. They regularly prayed 
to God asking for a child.

                               HOST/LEADER
Did they consider fostering or adoption?

                               LUKE
That wasn't really a thing back then.
Now, Zechariah had a very important job working at the temple.
The temple was like a very big and special church.

                               HOST/LEADER
Like a cathedral?

                               LUKE
Like the best and most special cathedral.
And one day, while working in the temple, Zechariah had to light 
the special incense in the center of the temple.
Now, some of you may have helped light an advent candle in the church.
Some of you may have even helped light the special central candle 
on christmas day.
Now imagine that you were lighting the special central candle on 
Christmas day, at Saint Paul's cathedral and the king was there and 
they were filming it all on TV. NOw wouldn't that be special?
Well, Zechariah's job was ten times more important than that!
But there were no TV cameras.
There wasn't even anyone else with him.
The place he went was so special that no one else was allowed in.
So, he went in all by himself.
The other priests waited outside for him.
Zechariah was taking his time but they weren't allowed to go in and 
check on him.
So they waited.

[pause]

and they waited

[pause]

and they waited some more

[pause]

Eventually, Zechariah came out.
All the other priests were shocked,
They could see, just by looking at his face that something special, 
something weird, had happened to him.
So they asked him what had happened.
And, do you know what he said?

                               HOST/LEADER
What?

                               LUKE
Nothing.

                               HOST/LEADER
What? Nothing?

                               LUKE
Not one thing.
He gestured wildly. But couldn't say a thing.

                               HOST/LEADER
Why?

                               LUKE
Well, while he was in the special room, lighting the incense, 
an angel appeared.

                               HOST/LEADER
I knew there were angels

                               LUKE
[pauses to give the host a look and then continues]
The angel told Zechariah that even though they were very old, they 
were going to have a baby. Elizabeth was going to give birth to a son.

                               MATTHEW
See, just like Abraham and Sarah.

                               LUKE
Yes, a bit like Abraham and Sarah.
Elizabeth and zechariah were going to have a son. ANd they were told 
they should call him John.
But Zechariah didn't believe this.
So the angel was like, if you're not going to believe it when God 
sends one of his angels with a personal message just for you and 
that's an answer to your biggest prayer then there are going to 
be consequences.
And the consequence is that you're not going to be able to speak 
until John is born.
At the end of the day, Zechariah went home and told Elizabeth what 
had happened. It probably involved lots of arm waving.

                               HOST/LEADER
What?
He didn't go home straight away?

                               LUKE
No.

                               HOST/LEADER
Why?

                               LUKE
I'm not sure. I didn't ask.
So, Zechariah went home and shortly afterwards, Elizabeth became pregnant.
Ask your parents if you want to know more about this.

                               HOST/LEADER (to the audience)
Don't.

                               LUKE
Ok.
Now, our story jumps forward six months.
Gabriel, who was the angel who appeared to Zechariah, came back.
This time he appeared to a relative of Elizabeth. To Mary.
Gabriel told Mary that she was special and highly favoured.
Now Mary was smart. She knew that if someone starts with an unexpected 
compliment, they often follow it up by asking for something. So she was 
concerned about what this angel was going to say next.
The angel said "don't be afraid. God has chosen you. You  have found 
favour in his eyes. You are going to have a baby, a son, and you are to 
call him."

[slight pause]

                               HOST/LEADER
Jesus?

                               LUKE
Yes, Jesus.
Well done. You got that bit right.
Now you are looking happy, but Mary was looking scared.
The angel said that Jesus will be the son of the most high. That he will 
sit on David's throne, and that he will rule forever.
Mary was concerned.
She asked the angel, "how can this be? I'm just a young maiden and I'm not 
even married yet?"

                               MATTHEW (interrupting)
Yes, plus her fiance was a carpenter, so the chances of her child being 
a ruler, or sitting on a throne, or being the son of someone else would 
be a big shock.

                               LUKE
The angel replied that "the Holy Spirit will make this happen so that 
you will give birth to the son of God".
"You're not the only one. Elizabeth is going to have a baby too. Yes, 
even though she's old, she's already in her sixth month, for nothing 
is impossible for God and what he says never fails."
Mary, still a bit shocked, said she was the Lord's servant and would do
 what he said.
So, Mary went off to visit Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary arrive, the baby leapt inside her and the 
Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth and let her know what was happening with 
Mary and about the special baby she was carrying.
And while Mary was staying with Elizabeth she wrote a magnificent song 
that people still sing today.

                               MATTHEW
But it wasn't all straight forward.
While Mary was away, rumors about her pregnancy spread back home. 
Joseph, Mary's fiance, didn't like this. He didn't want a wife with 
someone else's baby. But he loved Mary and didn't want to make a big 
spectacle of her. He planned to break off their engagement quietly.
But then.

                               HOST/LEADER
An angel?

                               MATTHEW
Yes, an angel showed up. God wasn't about to let Joseph mess up his 
plan and so sent an angel to Joseph in a dream.
The angel told Joseph that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit 
and he should take Mary as his bride. She will give birth to a son and 
they should call him Jesus.
This shouldn't be a total surprise. The prophet Isaiah wrote that God 
said "the maiden will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel."

                               HOST/LEADER
But you just said he'd be called Jesus, not Immanuel.

                               MATTHEW
Good spot. 'Immanuel' is a title, it means 'God with us'. It's common 
to be called by more than one thing.

                               HOST/LEADER
I guess so. I mean I call you Matthew but your children call you 'Daddy'. 
If you had staff they may call you 'boss' or 'sir'. Or your friends may 
have a nickname for you. I can only guess what that might be.

                               MATTHEW
Hmm. Yes. A bit like that.
Any way, after the angel had spoken to Joseph, he didn't break up with Mary. 
They got married and she gave birth.

                               LUKE
Hang on.
You skipped over a lot of details there and made it seem a lot simpler 
than it was.

                               HOST/LEADER
Yes, and what about Elizabeth's baby?

                               LUKE
Elizabeth gave birth to her son.
And through all the time of her pregnancy Zechariah couldn't speak.

                               HOST/LEADER
Imagine a husband who couldn't speak, or answer back, for nine 
whole months.
I imagine for some that would be quite appealing.

                               LUKE
But also with it's challenges.

                               HOST/LEADER
Quite.

                               LUKE
But it didn't stay that way. When they came to circumcise and name 
the boy, everyone assumed that they would name him after his father. 
Because that was the tradition.
But Zechariah held up a sign saying he was to be called John.
And at that point he was able to speak again.

                               HOST/LEADER
Wow.

                               LUKE
Yes. it was a shock. And people talked about it.
"Did you hear about the man who couldn't talk while his wife was pregnant?"

                               HOST/LEADER
It sounds like a channel 5 documentary.

                               LUKE
They didn't have those back then but word still spread. And not just 
about Zechariah. Everyone realized this was a sign that the baby was 
very special.
And the baby, John, was very special.

But let's get back to Mary and Joseph. John doesn't come back into the story 
for many years.

Caesar had requested a census of all the people in the entire Roman world. 
As Mary was engaged to Joseph, they went together to Joseph's home town to 
be registered in the census.

                               HOST/LEADER
That was Bethlehem, right?

                               LUKE
Yes, they went to Bethlehem. And while they were there Mary had the baby.

                               HOST/LEADER
In the stable?

                               LUKE
No. What stable?

                               HOST/LEADER
The one with the manger.
The one the inn keeper let them stay in.

                               LUKE
No.
The manger in their home.

                               HOST/LEADER
But isn't a manger where animals eat?

                               LUKE
Yes

                               HOST/LEADER
So, in a stable. Or in a barn?

                               LUKE
No the manger for the animals in their home.

                               HOST/LEADER
You what?

                               LUKE
The animals in the home.
Look, I don't know what your home is like but for most ordinary people 
living in that part of the world, at that time, a home had three parts. 
The area where the animals stayed, the main living area and an upper room.

                               HOST/LEADER
Like the upper room from the last supper?

                               LUKE
Yes, but that's from later in Jesus's story.
He's only just been born.

                               HOST/LEADER
But in a crowded house full of animals?

                               LUKE
Yes. Mary and Joseph were ordinary people in an ordinary house that was 
full of visiting relatives for the census.

                               HOST/LEADER
But what about privacy?

                               LUKE
What do you mean privacy?
These were ordinary people. They weren't in some palace. The point, at 
least in part, was that God came down to earth as an ordinary person. 
Not as an earthly prince, but that he knew life for regular people.

                               HOST/LEADER
But, you're saying Mary gave birth in a crowded house full of people 
and animals?

                               LUKE
Yes.

                               HOST/LEADER
But... I mean...giving birth?
That's an intimate and private thing.

                               LUKE
I think you're forgetting that this was over two thousand years ago. The 
way people lived then was quite different.
It was normal for everyone to live together in one or two rooms. And with 
animals too.
It wasn't just about sharing and preserving heat. It was about what people 
could afford.
You can't project what you know and experience now and assume that things 
have always been the same. Some aspects of human nature don't change but 
the way we live isn't always the same and unchanging.
The levels of privacy you know and expect aren't something most people in 
all of history would have known or even been able to imagine.

                               HOST/LEADER
I guess.
So a stable with a cow reverently mooing quietly in the corner isn't how 
it happened?

                               LUKE
No.

                               HOST/LEADER
But there was a manger?

                               LUKE
Yes, you've got that bit right.
Because they were so poor, all they could do for the baby was to wrap him 
in strips of cloth and place him in the only space available, in the manger.

                               HOST/LEADER
And that wasn't normal?

                               LUKE
No.
But it turned out to be a useful and distinguishing action.

                               HOST/LEADER
For the shepherds?

                               LUKE
Yes, for the shepherds.

On the hills around Bethlehem, there were some shepherds, watching over 
their sheep. Coz, that's what shepherds do.
After Jesus had been born, an angel appeared to the shepherds. The angel shone 
with the glory of God and the shepherds were rightly scared,
But the angel told them "don't be afraid. I bring good news, of great joy, for 
all people. Today, in Bethlehem, the savior, the anointed one, has been born. 
Here's how you'll know it's him: You'll see the baby wrapped in cloth and lying 
in a manger."

Then.

Suddenly.

The whole sky was filled with angels, all singing and praising God.

When the angels had left, the shepherds rushed into Bethlehem to see what the 
angels had told them.
They left the sheep, because they knew that wht the angel had told them was 
more important.

                               HOST/LEADER
More important than what?

                               LUKE
More important than looking after the sheep.

                               HOST/LEADER
But they're only sheep.

                               LUKE
But these sheep were the livelihood of the families that owned them. They were 
out in the fields to keep them frm being attacked by other animals. If they lost 
their sheep they'd have nothing left.
But they went to see what the angels had told them because they knew this was 
more important.

                               HOST/LEADER
More important than the family farm? than the family business?

                               LUKE
Yes, meeting Jesus is the most important thing anyone can do. It was true for 
the first people to meet him and it's true for everyone. Even now.

So, the shepherds hurried off and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby as the angel 
had described.
When they left, they went and told everyone they could what had happened and 
what they had heard and seen.
Everyone they told was amazed.

Eight days after Jesus had been born, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple 
in Jerusalem to dedicate him to the the Lord and offer the appropriate sacrifices.
And while they were in the temple, a righteous man named Simeon held the baby 
Jesus. The Holy Spirit had previously told Simeon that he would not die before 
he saw the messiah. As soon as he saw the baby Jesus, Simeon recognised who and 
what he was. He saw Jesus as God's plan for the salvation of all nations, a 
light to the Gentiles and the glory of the Jews.
There was also a prophet called Anna who lived in the temple and when she saw 
Jesus she gave thanks to God and started telling everyone about the baby.

                               HOST/LEADER
It seems that everyone who encountered Jesus saw he was special and wanted to 
tell other people about him.

                               LUKE
Yes, right from his birth, Jesus became a talking point for everyone who met 
or heard about him.

Then, after leaving the temple, Mary and Joseph went to live in Nazareth.

                               MATTHEW
Hang on a moment.
What was it you said earlier? You've skipped over some details and made it 
seem simpler than it was.

                               HOST/LEADER
Go on.

                               MATTHEW
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, some wise men from the east arrived in 
Jerusalem asking to see the new king who had just been born.

                               HOST/LEADER
Wise me?

                               MATTHEW
Yes.

                               HOST/LEADER
Not kings?

                               MATTHEW
No. Why would they be kings? They were Magi.
These were people who studied the stars and the sky.
They'd seen a new light in the sky.

                               HOST/LEADER
A star?

                               MATTHEW
Maybe.
They'd seen a new light, a star, appear in the sky and they had interpreted 
it to mean a new king of the Jews was to be born.
Then this star started moving.

                               HOST/LEADER
Do stars not move?

                               MATTHEW
Not like this.
So these Magi followed the "star" to see where it went and what it did.
Figuring that as it was heading towards Israel, they assumed it was going 
towards teh new king,.
Now this wasn't what stars did and it's not what happens when other kings 
are born.
They interpreted that this wasn't a regular king, just like it wasn't a 
regular star.
They wanted to meet this new king, and like good guests when you go and 
visit someone, especially a new baby, they took gifts.
So there they were, arriving in Israel, looking for the new king, and they 
did what I'm sure you'd do if you were looking for a king, they went to 
the palace.
At the palace, they said that they'd seen a sign that the new king, the 
christ, the messiah, the saviour of the jews had been born and they wished 
to worship him.
The thing was, no new baby had bene born at the palace.
Herod was the king at the time.
He liked being king.
He didn't want to stop being king.
He was concerned.
If there was a new king coming or had just been born, he wanted to know 
about it,
All the people in Jerusalem, that's where the palace was, heard about this. 
They were scared too. Just like Herod.
What would it mean that a new king was coming?
They'd been waiting hundreds of years for the messiah. WHy was he coming now?
What would it mean?
What would happen when the messiah came?
This was going to be a big deal.
THis would mean a lot of change and just like now, people are often afraid of 
change and the unknown.

Herod wasn't a nice king and he also wasn't foolish.
What if, he thought, a baby has been born but somewhere else? This isn't the 
only place that babies are born.
So herod asked his advisors and the wise people in his court and the chief 
priests where the Christ was to be born.
And they said.

                               HOST/LEADER
Bethlehem.

                               MATTHEW
Precisely.
So Herod told the Magi and they went off to Bethlehem.
But Herod also asked them to come back and tell him when they found the baby.
He said he wanted to go and worship the baby king too. But he didn't really.
As the Magi got close to Bethlehem they saw the light.

                               HOST/LEADER
The star?

                               MATTHEW
Ok, the star they'd seen before and it was moving again and it came to stop 
over the place where Jesus was.
The magi went into the house and worshipped him.
THey also gave him gifts.

                               HOST/LEADER
Yes. Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

                               MATTHEW
That's right.

                               HOST/LEADER
Quite odd gifts for a baby.

                               MATTHEW
Yes, but these gifts were valuable and symbolic.

                               HOST/LEADER
Symbolic? How?

                               MATTHEW
Well, the gold was for royalty, as Jesus was to be a king.
The frankincense was an incense used in the temple as Jesus was the great 
high priest.

                               HOST/LEADER
And the myrrh?

                               MATTHEW
The myrrh was used in anointing oil. Christ, and Messiah, means "anointed one" 
but it was also an oil that was used to anoint dead bodies and so was pointing 
towards his death.

                               HOST/LEADER
But it's almost Christmas, so maybe wait until Easter to focus on that.

                               MATTHEW
So these gifts were quite different to the ones you might give to a baby or 
receive at Christmas.

                               HOST/LEADER
Yes, imagine if we only gave symbolic gifts.
Just think how different Christmas day would be then.

                               MATTHEW
Yes, but back to our story and God warned the magi in a dream not to go back 
to Herod and so they went back to their own country another way.
God also sent Joseph another message via an angel in a dream.
He told them it wasn't safe to stay there and they should go to Egypt until 
it was safe.
Back in Jerusalem, Herod was getting nervous. There was a potential new king 
coming and he hadn't heard back from the magi.
Once he realized they weren't coming he got really angry. He sent his soliders 
to Bethlehem and the areas around it and told them to kill all the baby boys 
that were there.
Herod wanted to stop anyone who might stop him being king.
But Jesus was safe in Egypt, with Mary and Joseph, ANd they stayed there until 
Herod died.
AN angel appeared to Joseph and told him it was safe to return to Israel and 
so they went to live in the region of Galilee.

                               HOST/LEADER
That's quite a story.
Lots of things I hadn't thought about before.
There's a lot more to it than a baby born in a stable.

                               LUKE
Quite.
And this is just the beginning.

                               MATTHEW
Yes. the nativity story is important but it's only the start.
The rest of the good news about Jesus is far more important.

                               HOST/LEADER
Yes. Perhaps this can be a prompting for us to go and look at the rest of the 
stories about Jesus and what they actually say.
Not just the bits we think we know or remember...