MP: There will be children watching this movie. I want this to be PG, PG13 at the most. So no Boom-Chicka-Wow-Wow. The opposite of that. Suddenly, so it surprises the screenwriter Taxes! I hate taxes! SW: Animals? You mean, like a dog or a cat? I know… a talking pet who rescues the baby. We need exotic visitors from another land! With fancy gifts! You know this budget will be through the roof, right? SW: Nothing sir.
If I can get all of this to make sense in the same story. SW: Yes! His eyes get big, like the greatest idea of all time has hit him, then he speaks softly and deliberately Listen to this… It. The Movie Producer is in his office, talking on his phone again. He is now behaving rationally. MP: Thanks Doc. This is my first day back in the office since my…episode. I think I scared her a little last week and I need to apologize. MP: Into the phone Oh, here she is. Gotta go. Thanks Doc.
He ends the call and turns his attention to the screenwriter. Hello, miss… You know I never did get your name as he reaches out to shake her hand. She hands him the piece of paper. MP: Looking at the page, turning it over to see it has writing on both sides You mean this… this… single piece of paper is a screenplay?
SW: Everything we talked about! MP: Uh huh… Pulls out his phone, turns his back to her and speaks quietly into it Security, I have a code red. SW: Oh, no sir. You were crazy. Please sir, I know this sounds…. But for now I have a couple friends here who are going to take you to see another friend of mine, OK?
SW: Wait a minute! Oh, I get it. Read it! This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, 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 expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And he gave him the name Jesus.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 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. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
When they had seen him, 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. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. If you like it, print it and use it. Solution: Consider puppets. Many teens lose their stage fright behind a puppet stage. Kids aged who are willing to work hard may do well at puppets too.
The smallest of churches can often have an effective puppet team. In New Zealand, puppets are a bit of a novelty, and some of our programs that have been received the best have been those that featured puppets. A glockenspiel or xylophone adds a bell-like quality to a simple song.
Young children can easily be taught to play a triangle, shake a shaker, beat a toy drum, or ring jingle bells. My program Sounds of Christmas uses rhythm instruments. Another solution: Use a program that has few memorized lines, but dress the kids in interesting costumes. The kids will be so happy wearing a cool costume that they will often be unaware that their part is actually quite small. Solution: Sometimes kids need to just get used to costumes.
Or they may be jealous of a kid who gets to wear a better costume. Occasionally, however, in spite of your best efforts to reassure them, you find real resistance. As much as possible, avoid making kids wear costumes they really hate.
You may have designed a great hat for a wise man, but if the performer really hates it, it may spoil the whole program for him. If younger kids really resist wearing a star shape round their face, have them hold a gold star instead. Take pity on the kid who has been a shepherd or an angel year after year, and give them a different costume this year. If you find strong resistance to costumes, make a mental note to choose a program without them next year.
Please feel free to leave comments or ideas below. We like to involve as many ages of people as possible. Here are the groups of people we used. Saturday, November 7th, Is your church in need of an easy Christmas program? I just found one tonight while surfing the web.
Go to the following link to see and hear the music and to view the narration script. The easy two part choir arrangements are beautiful!
This would be an excellent program for any size church! Title of the program: The Story of the Carols. Search Site. Search for:.
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