Description
Drama for 3 speaking and 2 silent actors. Set in the present day, this piece intersperses the conversation of two middle-aged women shoppers with New Testament texts that reveal the purpose and destiny of the one laid in a manger and wrapped in swaddling bands. It may be used in an Advent or Christmas act of worship or event or, perhaps better, in the days immediately following. This sketch reminds us that Jesus is not just a baby in a manger in a Christmas card scene but the Son of God come to seek and save the lost through life, ministry, death and resurrection.
Premise: ‘Christmas is a time for children…’ We’ve all heard it, we may even have said it, but Christmas is not just for children, nor is the coming of Christ solely about the birth of a baby in a barn. This piece intersperses the conversation of two middle-aged women shoppers with other New Testament texts that reveal the purpose and destiny of the one laid in a manger and wrapped in swaddling bands. It may be used in an Advent or Christmas act of worship or event. Better perhaps it may be used in the days immediately following. Like ‘Take Your Saviour With You…’ a major aspect of its purpose is to challenge people to treat the account of Christ’s coming with respect, with maturity and understanding. This sketch is to remind us that Jesus is not just a baby in a manger in a Christmas card scene but the Son of God come to seek and save the lost through life, ministry, death and resurrection…
Lectionary Link: Christmas, Christmas 1
Personnel: MARY, JOSEPH (non-speaking), ELSIE, MABEL, JOHN
Set: A typical nativity scene: stable, manger, Mary & Joseph posing appropriately. They remain static throughout until just before the end of the sketch. It is as though the scene were on display in a shop window…
Performance: ELSIE & MABEL, two caricatures of gossiping shoppers, enter with full shopping baskets. Lots of oohs and aahs interpserse their speech. MABEL habitually speaks the last word or two of ELSIE’s sentences with her - this is indicated by an asterisk (*) in the text. JOHN enters behind them and takes up position in one corner of the stage, with his back towards them – he is reading.
MABEL: They’re only forty-six pence a pound in Morrison’s, Elsie.
ELSIE: I shall still get mine in Safeway’s, Mabel. Always have done and always will. You can’t change the habit of (*) a lifetime.
MABEL: (seeing the Nativity Scene) Ooh, look, Else, it’s one of them maternity scenes. You know, like on the Christmas cards.
ELSIE: (correcting her – it’s a familiar habit) Nativity scenes, Mabel.
MABEL: Oh, yeah. But look, Else, innit nice? Look, can you see the mother Mary? Don’t she look contentified?
ELSIE: Yes. Don’t she look (*) loverly.
ELSIE & MABEL: (together) Oh, yes.
MABEL: And look at Joseph. Just standing there. So dignitified.
ELSIE: Yes. (A pause) Actually, he looks a bit fed up to me.
MABEL: Well, ’e don’t get much of a look in, does ’e?
Continues ...