Saint John’s Anglican Parish

Pageant Script

23 December 2007
 Saint John’s Anglican Parish

© Not for Distribution

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The Three Drovers
Across the plains one Christmas night,
Three drovers riding blithe and gay,
Looked up and saw a starry light,
More radiant than the Milky Way;
And on their hearts such wonder fell,
They say with joy "Noel! Noel!"
"Noel! Noel! Noel!"

The air was dry with Summer heat,

and smoke was on the yellow Moon;
But from the Heavens, faint and sweet,
came floating down a wond'rous tune;
And, as they heard, they sang full well,
those drovers three - "Noel! Noel!"

The black swans flew across the sky,

the wild dog called across the plain,
The starry lustre blazed on high,
still echoed on the Heavenly strain;
And still they sang "Noel! Noel!"
those drovers three. "Noel! Noel!"

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Scene 1: Mary and Gabriel
Mary enters and stands centre-stage at a sink doing the dishes. She could speak either
directly to the audience or a second narrator might read her words from the Lectern.
Gabriel enters from a different direction, either the Sanctuary, through the South
entrance, or from the rear of the Church. When Gabriel begins to speak, Mary could
either interact directly with him or both could simply act out the part if Gabriel’s
words are read from the Lectern. The indoor backdrop is placed centre stage behind
the actors.

Narrator: (Speaking from the pulpit)

This is the story of what happened
in the days before Jesus was born.
In the town of Nazareth,
there was a young woman whose name was Mary.

Mary: (Speaking directly to the audience)

I was washing the dishes at the time.
I was bending over the sink,
with my back turned away from the kitchen door –
not that I heard anyone open it.
I just remember hearing my name being called.

Gabriel: Mary.

Mary: That's me
but who are you?
And what are you doing in my kitchen?

Gabriel: It's all right.

I'm Gabriel.

Mary: But I don't know anyone called Gabriel.

Gabriel: I'm not a ‘one’.

I'm an angel.

Mary: You don't look much like an angel to me.

Gabriel: Have you ever seen an angel before?

Mary: No,
but have wings, don’t they?
So where are your wings?

Gabriel: I don't need wings.

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Mary: (Brief pause)
But what are you doing in my kitchen?

Gabriel: I have a message for you.

Mary: You must be joking!

Gabriel: I'm not.

I've come to tell you that God has chosen you
to bring His Word to birth.

Mary: To what?

Gabriel: God is coming to live among you – here.

Mary: Gabriel, what are you on about?

Gabriel: You're going to become pregnant.

Mary: Not with you, I'm not.

And not here.
Who do you think I am?

Gabriel: Mary, it's all right.

God has chosen you
to become the mother of his son.

Mary: Me?… I'm not even married.

Gabriel: (Speaking calmly)

Mary, the Holy Spirit will descend on you,
and you will conceive a child,
and call him Jesus.
That means 'saviour.'
Out of all the women in history, Mary,
God has chosen you.

Mary: (Almost speechless)

...but what will my parents say?

Gabriel: They'll be all right.

Mary: What will Joseph say?

Gabriel: Don't worry.

I'll have a word with him too.

Timing: 1 minute 40 seconds

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 O Come, All Ye Faithful
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him born the king of angels:
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

See how the shepherds summoned to his cradle,

leaving their flocks, draw nigh with holy fear;
we too will thither bend our joyful footsteps:
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

Lo, star led chieftans, wise men, Christ adoring,

offer him incense, gold and myrrh;
we to the Christ-child bring our hearts' oblations:
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,

sing all ye citizens of heaven above,
'Glory to God, glory in the highest':
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

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Scene 2: Mary and Lizzie
Two seats are placed slightly apart for the two women. Lizzie comes on stage and is
seated by the beginning of the fourth verse of ‘O come all ye faithful.’ Mary begins
speaking while off stage as she approaches Lizzie, who is doing something with her
hands like sorting through baby clothes and folding them. As she sorts through they
clothes, she takes them from a basket on her left, folds them and then places them in a
basket of the right. Again, the parts can either be spoken by Mary and Lizzie
themselves or could be read from separate Lecterns. The part where Lizzie speaks of
Zechariah ‘plonking himself down by the fire’ could be acted out silently, if desired.
The indoor backdrop is placed centre stage behind the actors.

Mary: Hello, Lizzie, are you there?

Narrator: Not long after Mary was told by Gabriel

that God had chosen her to mother his son,
Mary went to see her cousin, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was an older woman,
well past the age someone would normally have a child.
But she and her husband, Zechariah,
had also been blessed by God,
and their long-forgotten prayers for a child
were being answered.
They were to become the parents
of John the Baptist.

Lizzie: Is that you, Mary?

Come in.
I'm desperate for a bit of company.

Mary: (Coming in and sitting down)

Why?
No one got time to visit you?

Lizzie: Well, I've noticed that several people

who I thought were friends,
are now carefully avoiding me,
on account of my 'condition'.

Mary: That's terrible.

Lizzie: Listen, Mary,

I'm the talk of the neighbourhood.
and all the women are keeping their distance
in case they catch the same disease.

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Mary: That's a lot of nonsense, Lizzie.
But what about your husband?
How’s he coping with it all?

Lizzie: He hasn't said a word since

I told him the 'good news'.

Mary: Men, my goodness!

Lizzie: Yes, but wait till I tell you this.

Last night, he plonked himself down by the fire
and took out a pencil and wrote:
'Don't tell a soul, Lizzie.
The baby is to be called John.'
So I said, 'That's a funny name for a girl,'
and his eyes nearly popped out his head.

Mary: What did he say to that?

Lizzie: Mary, he’s not speaking remember?

What could he say?
He just kept pointing
to what he had written and shaking.
I thought he was going to have a fit.

Mary: And you Lizzie,

how are you coping with all of this?

Lizzie: Well actually, I'm quite amazed how well I am Mary.

Just occasionally, though, I have these strange cravings
for pickled gherkins
and things that I’d never normally eat in a pink fit.

Mary: Oh, you have to expect that, Lizzie.

Some women have been known
to eat vegemite and marshmallows with cream.
There's no end to the weird things that
some women eat when they’re pregnant.

Lizzie: Mary, how come you know so much about it?

(Silence)
Mary?

Mary: Lizzie, can you keep a secret?

I think we've got something in common!

Timing: 2 minute 20 seconds

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 Incidental Christmas Music

To be performed either on piano or guitar or via recording.

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Scene 3: The Village Gossips
Three seats are placed slightly apart for the three women, who are doing things with
their hands, like knitting, or sewing, or sorting wool. They come on stage once the
chairs are in place, with the music still playing. If not spoken from the Lecterns, the
three central characters in this script must be able to interject in each other's
sentences freely, as people do who are engaged in a highly participative
conversation. The indoor backdrop is placed centre stage behind the actors.

Narrator: In any small village, news travels quickly.

Therefore it is only to be expected
that the strange changes in the lives
of Mary and Elizabeth
might have been food for other
people's thought.

Mrs Matthew: Well, ladies,

you know I'm not one for gossip,
but wait till I tell you this.
You know that old woman Elizabeth
with the man who's not spoken for nine months.

Mrs Mark: Yes, what about her.

Mrs Matthew: They say she's had a little boy.

Mrs Luke: At her age?

She's eighty-four if she's a day!

Mrs Matthew: Well, that's what I heard,

...and it’s on very good authority!

Mrs Luke: Are you sure you've got the right woman?
You're not mixing her up with her cousin?

Mrs Mark: Who? Mary?

Mrs Luke: That's right.

Now, I'm not one to say things about others,
but you know she's pregnant?

Mrs Mark: Never!

How do you know?

Mrs Luke: You can tell.

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Mrs Matthew: Yeh, you can tell all right…
And I heard her in a clothes shop last week
asking for a dress eight sizes too big for her.

Mrs Luke: There you are.

Draw your own conclusions.
(pause)
Now, I don’t want this to go any further,
but I heard someone say that she and a certain young man
are about to leave the district.

Mrs Matthew: Who's the young man?

Mrs Luke: The carpenter’s son… Joseph.

Mrs Mark: Never!

Mrs Luke: Well, that's what they say,

and I'm not one for gossip.
(pause)

Mrs Mark: So, have you heard what they're saying

about this so-called 'census'?

Mrs Matthew: No. what?

Mrs Mark: Well, I hear its not because

the Romans want to send us birthday cards.

Mrs Luke: Well, why are they having a census?

Mrs Mark: To make us pay a new tax.

Mrs Luke: Yeh, that’d be right. Darn Romans!

Mrs Mark: Well, I'm just warning you.

Mind you, I'm not one for gossip.

Mrs Luke: Nor me.

Mrs Matthew: Nor me.

Timing: 1 minute 40 seconds

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 A Bush Carol

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Scene 4: The Census
An ornate chair is placed in the centre of the sanctuary. Herod is seated on the chair.
The guards, Anthony and Brutus stand either side. They enter once the chair is in
place and while the Bush Carol is still being sung. Again, the parts can either be
spoken by the actors themselves or read for two Lecterns. The backdrop is turned
around to its outdoor mode but is still placed centre stage behind the actors.

Narrator: After Mary had become pregnant,

the Emperor Augustus ordered a census to be taken
throughout the Roman Empire.
All the men had to go to register
in the town where they were born.
This happened when the King in Judaea
was called Herod.

Herod: That's me.

Narrator: Herod needed to organize the census.

So he called a meeting of his generals.

Anthony &
Brutus: That's us.

Herod: So, the word has come from Rome

that everybody has to be registered.

Anthony: Why?

Herod: So that we can collect a new tax.

Brutus: What kind of tax?

Is it an income tax, a road tax, or what?

Herod: No.
It's a Poll Tax.

Anthony: A Poll Tax? What’s that?

Can’t you give it a better name?

Brutus: What about ‘A Community Charge’?

That sounds better.

Herod: All right.

We'll call it a Community Charge.

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Anthony: So what do we do?
Do we have to go round door to door
asking people's names?

Herod: Oh no.
They have to come to us.
We'll set up a stall
in the middle of every town
and people will come to sign on.

Anthony: All the mums and dads and kids?

Herod: Not quite.

We'll get the head of every household
to return to the place where he or she was born.

Anthony: But that means that if you were

born in Bethlehem,
but live in Nazareth,
you'd have to travel seventy miles to register.

Herod: Exactly.

Brutus: Or if you were born in East Malvern

but lived in Sydney
you'd have to get a plane or a bus or something
to get back there to sign in.

Herod: No.
Not in this census.
In this census,
everybody has to walk to where they were born.

Anthony: They’ll be chaos.

Brutus: And they’ll all have to book a hotel

and there’s not many hotels in Bethlehem or East Malvern.

Herod: That's their problem.

Not ours.

Timing: 1 minute 35 seconds

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 Incidental Christmas Music

To be performed either on piano or guitar or via recording.

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Scene 5: Mary’s Journey
Mary and Joseph take their positions while music is playing. The donkey leads Mary
and Joseph into the Church. They either enter through the front door facing on to
Finch Street or through one of the two side doors. A handler will lead the donkey.
Again, Mary either speaks the part herself or her words are spoken from the Lectern.
The backdrop remains in its outdoor mode but is placed centre stage behind the
actors.

Mary: Oh this donkey!

I'm eight-and-a-half months pregnant
and how did Joseph ever think
I’d be able to swing my leg over its back?

If I sat side-saddle, I'd probably fall off,

and if I stayed on,
the baby might come in a minute,
with the bumps on this road.

Now if Joseph could have afforded a camel…

– but Joseph can't afford a camel,
and so I have to walk...

eighty miles...

eighty pregnant miles just to register to pay tax...

And Bethlehem…
What will Bethlehem be like?
Joseph can’t remember.
He was just a boy when he left...

I ask you
who would want to walk eighty miles
in my condition?

I tell you, if I give birth before we get there…

or I get home…

(speaking to her tummy)

My goodness, little one,
you’ve already caused a trouble or two
to your parents before the birth…

and I doubt this is the last of it too…

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 And it’s no joke…
except the jokes now on me…

Considering all the mess that Joseph and I are in,

I think God has some sense of humour.

Timing: 1 minute 10 seconds

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 Unto Us A Child

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Scene 6: The Bethel Inn
This scene requires five people. All are in position before the end of ‘Unto Us A
Child.’ Deborah should speak from off to the side or from around the front of the
pews, as if she had just been talking to people at the door. The others are positioned
centre stage. The Innkeeper could be seated at a desk writing in a register, as if doing
bookkeeping or checking the details of bookings. The backdrop is turned to its indoor
mode and is still placed centre stage behind the actors.

Narrator: Because of the census,

which required the head of every household
to take their family to their birthplace,
Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem,
a small town
which now could not cope
with all the people returning.

Innkeeper: This is the busiest we've ever been…

– and the shortest-staffed I've ever been.
Where's Jeremiah?

Miriam: He had to go to register for the tax in Cana.

Innkeeper: What about Martha?

Miriam: She had to go to register at Capernaum

with her husband,

Innkeeper: So how's the kitchen, Michael?

Michael: We're OK,

except I keep on getting requests for funny food.
One bloke wanted sheep’s eyes,
and there's an old man from the Jordan Valley
who keeps asking for locusts and wild honey.

Innkeeper: So what did you do?

Michael: I just pretend I don’t hear

and give everybody a plate of porridge.

Deborah: Excuse me, are we fully booked?

Innkeeper: Absolutely, Deb. Standing room only! Why do you ask?

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Deborah: It's just that we've got a couple at the door,
who are desperate for somewhere to stay,
and I don't have the heart to turn them away.

Innkeeper: Well I'll tell them.

Deborah: But she’s about to have a baby,

and by the look of her I think she could have it any time!

Innkeeper: Deborah, we're fully booked!

Deborah: But surely there's somewhere we can put them.

Innkeeper: Where?

Timing: 1 minute 12 seconds

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 Incidental Christmas Music

To be performed either on piano or guitar or via recording.

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Scene 7: Clothe for the Cradle
This is a simple liturgical activity where people in the congregation help to build the
crib for the baby Jesus. Wooden fruit boxes, a feed trough, or something similar
forms the crib. It is placed in the centre of the sanctuary. Strips of cloth are either
given out to participants when they enter the Church, or alternatively, are placed over
chairs or in baskets nearby. As many bright colours as possible should be used when
choosing the cloth. The strips need not be more than 50 centimetres wide and 75-100
long. The following words are then used to invite all who wish to come forward and
help prepare the crib for Jesus, after which we sing the song, Cloth for the Cradle.
Once the crib is prepared, Mary and Joseph come on stage and place the child on the
blanket. Mary then sits and Joseph kneels by her side. The backdrop remains in its
indoor mode and is still centre stage behind the actors.

Leader: One thing we do in preparation for Christmas

is to buy or make presents to give our family and friends.
But in the excitement of Christmas Day,
it’s easy to forget the one whose birth we celebrate at this time
– Jesus, the baby of Bethlehem.

Today, though, we are going to make him a gift too

– a present to welcome the child Jesus.

We are going prepare a crib for the baby to sleep in.

In the baskets just here (pointing)

there are strips of cloth which
if we lay them on top of each other,
will make a patchwork quilt
for the baby to lie on.

So, all of you can come forward

and help make our crib for the baby,
as together we sing Clothe for the Cradle.

Timing: Words = 33 seconds. Music = 3 minutes 33 seconds

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 Cloth for the Cradle
CLOTH FOR THE CRADLE, CRADLE FOR THE CHILD,
THE CHILD FOR OUR EVERY JOY AND SORROW:
FIND HIM A SHAWL THAT'S WOVEN BY US ALL
TO WELCOME THE LORD OF EACH TOMORROW.
Darkness and light and all that's known by sight,
silence and echo fading,
weave into one a welcome for the Son.
set earth its own maker serenading.
Hungry and poor, the sick and the unsure,
wealthy whose needs are stranger,
weave into one a welcome for the Son,
leave excess and want beneath the manger.
Claimant and queen, wage earners in between,
trader and travelling preacher,
weave into one a welcome for the Son,
whose word brings new life to every creature.
Wrinkled or fair, carefree or full of care,
searchers of all the ages,
weave into one a welcome for the Son,
the Saviour of shepherds and of sages.

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Scene 8: The Shepherd
The Shepherd and Mr. Cohen come into position during the second last verse of
’Clothe for the Cradle.’ The scene should be acted as though the Shepherd is
speaking on a telephone to someone. Alternatively, Mr. Cohen could be standing a
distance away simply shaking his head and rubbing his chin in disbelief. It can either
be read by the Shepherd himself or by a second Narrator at the Lectern. The
backdrop is removed from stage area and taken over adjacent to the organ. The
interior view could be placed behind Mr. Cohen. At the end of this scene, the
Shepherd should move to the area around the crib, gazing on Mary and Joseph. If
desire, two additional Shepherds could also could him or her.

Narrator: At the time of Jesus' birth,

being a shepherd was not the pleasant job
that some might think.
It meant staying awake at night
to scare off wolves or thieves,
and it also meant not having time to play much,
or to go to school.
So what did a shepherd do when an emergency happened
and she or he needed to be somewhere else?

Shepherd: It's kind of difficult to explain, Mr...

and I can understand why you're angry...
I mean to say...
I would be angry too if I were in your position.

I know I've only been working with you for a little while,
but honestly it's not the kind of thing I usually do.
I’m usually very reliable on the job.

But what I said really happened...

you can ask the other ones who were there...

I know it sounds unbelievable...

I mean there were noises in the sky...

lovely musical noises…
singing about a baby in the village…
and we did go to see who it was...

...and there was a baby...

a boy...
and we hadn’t been drinking...
we were just a bit emotional.

OK... I know that doesn't explain where the sheep got to…

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 And yes it’s true that it's unusual for the butcher
to be selling lamb so cheaply…

But Mr,
there are some things in life more important than sheep...

No, I don't want to go into the priesthood,

I want to be a shepherd.

But shepherds can believe in miracles too, can't they?

Timing: 1 minutes 22 seconds

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 We Three Kings
We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain

Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign. R.

Frankincense to offer have I;

Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, gladly raising,
Worship Him, God Most high. R.

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume

Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb. R.

Glorious now behold Him arise;

King and God and sacrifice;
Heaven sings Alleluia,
Alleluia the earth replies. R.

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Scene 9: The Gatekeeper
This scene is staged at the front of the raised platform, off to the left, as the Holy
Family and others are seated centre stage. Whoever reads this must sound like a 'bit
of a lad'. He is a guard who, in the gatehouse, is talking to a colleague who is about
to fall asleep. If the reading is done in full view of the audience or congregation, the
Gatekeeper could be seated with a newspaper in front of him. The Wise Men enter
from the rear of the Church, preferably with a camel, and act out giving the gifts to
the child while the gatekeeper stand off to one side and either acts the part himself or
it is read from the Lectern. The backdrop is returned to the stage area in its exterior
mode but off to one side, as the cradle and Holy Family are still centre stage. A non-
speaking role, Marco, is a also needed.

Narrator: Jerusalem was the city in which the Royal Palace was located.
It was the place you would go to
if you were hoping to see a 'new-born king.'

Gatekeeper: So here’s a laugh Marco...

These three guys came to the gatehouse last night..

dressed as if they were going to a fancy-dress party.
One starts yapping away…

'Non compredez mate…

says I, in my best Hebrew.

Then another one starts up in our lingo.

He says they are interested in stars...
'Astrology or Astronomy?'…
says I, like I’d know the difference.
'No, just stars,'… says he
'in fact, just one star.'

'Well you've got a lot to choose from on a night like this,' I said.

Then he changes his tune

and starts asking about a new addition to the royal family.

So I mentioned
how Herod's wife had died fifteen years ago
and how Herod, being more than just a bit old,
was unlikely to be the father of
a ‘new little baby’.

Well, they looked quite peeved.

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 They kept on looking at the sky
and then looking to the palace
and then looking back to the sky.

So, to save them getting dizzy, I said,

'Well, if it's not the royal house,
why don’t you try the pub.'

And do you know, mate...

…..are you listening, mate?

Do you know...

I think they took me seriously!

Timing: 1 minutes 30 seconds

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 Away in a Manger
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;
the stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,

but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love you, Lord Jesus; look down from on high,
and stay by my side until morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask you to stay

close by me for ever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care,
and fit us for heaven to live with you there.

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Closing Reflection
The closing reflection is lead by Fr. John Baldock, focusing on the theme of preparing
a place for Jesus to be born. The backdrop remains in its indoor mode and is still in
place centre stage.

Closing Reflection
Here is a place for you, Lord Jesus.
Just as our hands have made it ready,
make our hearts ready to love and welcome you.
Make us your Bethlehem.
May your Spirit be born in us,
and all people be made new.

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Mary’s Boy Child

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