12 minute read
This is What We Know About Christmas: A Christmas Play
(This play is designed to be read by two to 12 alternating speakers.)
What do we know about Christmas? Christmas is a happy time, a time for family and presents and special programs. Like this one. Most of us know Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. Christmas happens all over the world as a time of celebration for Christians and non-Christians alike. The traditions are different from country to country, but they nearly always include a big meal, giving gifts or cards, enjoying church, or singing Christmas songs. But is there more than that? What should we know and remember and celebrate about this worldwide party that happens every year?
The first people to know about Christmas lived long centuries ago before it even happened. They were called prophets. In Old Testament times, God picked out one or two people to tell what was coming; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and even Moses wrote prophecies about the birth of Jesus. But despite all that advanced warning, not many people living during the time Jesus was born were ready for him or even recognized him when he came. One young girl was given a special message from God that he was going to be born. She was given the amazing news that she was going to be the one to give birth to him. I wonder if she knew just how magnificent this baby was going to be.
Mary had a conversation with an angel. She learned from him Jesus would be sent by God to save his people. The angel told her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. You will give birth to a son, and name him Jesus. He will be a great man and will be called the Son of God. The Lord will give him the throne of his great, great-grandfather David. Your son will be a king forever, and his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:30–33, paraphrased). Yes, Mary and Joseph knew more than most people about this special child. Do you want to know more about him? If we could just travel with them to Bethlehem, experience the hustle and bustle, the uncertainty, and the miracle as God became a baby to live among us.
A little child, A shining star, A stable rude, The door ajar. Yet in that place, So crude, forlorn, The Hope of all The world was born.
What do I know about Christmas? Christmas is full of a lot of hurrying and secrets and too many relatives in the house and strange food. That food! Is there a law that says we can’t have regular food for Christmas dinner? And having to spend all day with my cousins! Awkward and weird. But I get it. Christmas is extra special even with the mayhem. It’s not about the food or the presents or us anyway, right? I mean, it’s about Jesus. And on the night Jesus was born, there was no decorated tree or special food. It was pretty simple in that stable: a few people, a baby, some animals. But sometimes, Christmas is not so stable.
Even that night, just outside of town, it was a RIOT! It wasn’t kids or church folks singing that night; it was angels! Yeah, it was crazy on that hillside. Startled sheep, screaming shepherds, and a glowing gazillion shouting angels! Man! That would have been something to see!
What did those angels know about Christmas? They knew this was no ordinary night and that it was no ordinary baby over there in Bethlehem. The angels got so excited they ran right out of heaven to tell it! “Angel” means messenger, you know. God sent them with an astounding message for the whole world! He himself was making the way for there to be peace and compassion from God to people and from people to other people. His plan was to change history.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. (Luke 2:8–14)
Yes. Those angels knew plenty. And what they knew caused them to praise God! They sang, “Glory to God in the highest!” That means they were praising God who lives in the highest place. I like to think it also means we should praise God in the biggest, most joyful way we can! Glory to God!
So, what did the shepherds know about Christmas? Well, they would have missed it if they had not listened to God’s messengers. But wow! What they heard let them know something life-changing—world-changing—had just happened. After all, angel choirs didn’t sing every time a baby was born.
Well, I’m sure my dad heard angels singing when I was born, but he’d not had much sleep. Anyway, now those shepherds knew what the angels knew! This was an extraordinary night, and there was an extraordinary baby over there in Bethlehem. They decided to run and see it for themselves!
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
(Luke 2:15–20)
Jesus spent his first night as a human in a stable, in the company of animals. I think it’s wonderful God included animals in the Christmas story. Even now, they’re everywhere at Christmas—camels and cows and donkeys and sheep—in outdoor plays, as decorations in our homes, on Christmas cards; even flying reindeer get to be part of Christmas stories.
What do the animals know about Christmas? Did those animals in the stable know the small human crying over there in the feed trough was the one who spoke the universe into existence? Did they know he watches every bird and tenderly cares for all of his creation? After all, he made them, and they belong to him. On the day God made the animals, the Bible tells us that he pronounced it good. Did you know God is concerned about the way we treat animals? In Proverbs 12:10, the Bible says, “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animals.”
There’s even a funny, kind of silly myth about animals at Christmastime. Do you know about this? At the stroke of midnight on Christmas eve, animals TALK! Can you imagine? If the myth were true, at the stroke of midnight, maybe you would hear your cat singing: “Oh, Christmas tree! Oh, Christmas tree! Your ornaments are history.” Maybe the dogs would talk among themselves: “Yeah, they call it a Christmas tree. I call it my very own, festively decorated indoor bathroom!” Maybe our pets would just address us directly: “Who knocked down the tree? Not me. It fainted.” The cat would definitely say something like, “Why are you in my house so much these days?” Or “Don’t blame the holidays; you were fat in August.” Well, let’s hope the animals continue to use nonverbal communication. I don’t think we want to know what they’re thinking. Let’s just keep the night silent.
We all know this about Christmas: There’s usually lots of visitors! Many people spend the Christmas season visiting neighbors and friends and family. They eat and sing loud and laugh. Baby Jesus had lots of visitors. On the night he was born, a group of noisy, excited shepherds came to see him, remember? Sometime later, several astronomers from another country showed up. Yep. Really. We hear them called wise men, magi. They weren’t your average working men.
What did they know? A lot. See, these guys were like the college professors or scientists of their day. They studied and read, and then they talked among themselves about all the stuff they had studied and read. They understood astrology and astronomy, and everyone knew they were the smartest guys around.
They discovered a new, unusual star—St. Matthew’s account makes it sound like it was a comet. Those scientists knew the glowing object in the sky meant something, and they headed out to see what. Yeah, they knew a lot—about where they were going and what they were looking for—but they didn’t know every detail. So, being of superior intellect, they asked for directions. My mom says she knows a woman invented GPS because men think they have no need to ask for directions. Boom.
But these guys were not ordinary men. They asked. And WA LA! They found the house! They found Jesus! Sometimes you have to ask questions to find Jesus. And they were prepared to find him because they brought gifts. Expensive gifts: gold, incense, and a precious herb called myrrh—presents fit for a king.
“Heavenly Father, guide us, too. We need your light to shine and show us the way. Like those wise men, we need to find you. Like the shepherds, we want to listen for your message to us. Lord, what are you saying this Christmas, right now, to us? Help us to hear. Like Mary, we will respond, ‘Whatever you say, Lord, we will do.’ And we will keep all the things you say and ponder them in our hearts. Amen.”
Jesus Christ was born, and he is still alive! He lived, died, and rose again to conquer every obstacle between us and God. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” on the cross, he meant he had accomplished what he came to do—what he was born to do. Christmas is so much more than a day on the calendar. It was the beginning of a life lived to show us the way to love, to serve, and to really live the best life we can live.
So, what do we know about Christmas? A young girl said “yes” to God’s will for her life. Shepherds heard God’s messengers on a hillside and ran to see for themselves. The wise men launched out on a journey in search of Jesus and were rewarded with finding him. And the angels worshiped God and proclaimed his message of peace between God and mankind. Christmas brought joy to the world!
There is so much to know about Christmas. It is more than traditions, more than gifts and music. It is an annual invitation to learn more about Jesus. God did so much more when he sent Jesus than anyone expected. Jesus came to be Savior, Healer, Friend, Helper, Comforter. God with us. And even though they had heard he was coming for thousands of years, God still managed to do it so differently from what anyone expected—so differently, they didn’t even recognize it. A virgin had a baby. Joseph was asked to believe the impossible. Shepherds saw things they had never imagined. The wise men left their country not even knowing where they would end up. And the infinite, all-powerful God became a tiny, helpless baby. Yes, indeed, it was much more than anyone could have known. And even after all this time, Christmas is still more than we can fully know! The wonder of it moves us to think about it, talk about it, sing about it, and learn more about it every year. What do you know about Christmas? The real question is, what do you know about Jesus? He didn’t just come to lay in a manger; he came to live in your heart.
“Loving Father, we want to know Jesus. When this season is over, when the music is silent and the star has gone out, when the visitors are home and life returns to its ordinary rhythm, let what we have experienced and know about Jesus compel us to live the life he lived: to find the lost, heal the wounded, feed the hungry, release the captives, rebuild broken places, and make peace. Let us live forgiven and forgiving. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.” This is what we know about Christmas!
