pick n mix - christmas

Christmas

Photo by Leon Oblak on Unsplash

‘Pick n Mix’ sessions and resources for use on group Zoomcalls or in socially distanced group meetings

a) Advent - waitingb) Emmanuel - God with us

c) Additional ideas/resources for Christmas

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IntroductionHere are two sessions for Christmas plus some additional seasonal resources which didn’t quitefit in the sessions. We have included materials which can be used either on Zoom calls or wheregroups are beginning to meet (in a socially distanced way as the easing of lockdown regulationsin different nations of the UK allows). Please note there is absolutely no compulsion to rushback to face-to-face meetings. You will know best what is most appropriate for your group.NB. Please see https://www.urbansaints.org/leaders-area for nation-specific guidelines as theyapply to Urban Saints’ Groups.

We have also included material suitable for different age groups. Some of the activities can beeasily adapted while others are marked specifically for an age group. You don’t have to do allthe elements suggested, these are simply ideas to pick from. Activities tend to last a little bitlonger on Zoom than in real time, so we think it would be hard to get through all of these. Letus know what has worked well and what didn’t - we’d really find your feedback helpful. We’despecially like to hear which age group(s) you are using the materials with.You can email feedback to: [email protected]

Games ideasWe have been compiling a list of games ideas, so if you need more, you may want to lookhere: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uaI-6sZw0JikO1t5fRnBUAzFX__nouTe40_MrqQOUYI/edit?usp=sharing

Contents:Page 3 Advent - waitingPage 8 Emmanuel - God with usPage 12 Additional ideas/resources for Christmas

Next term we are planning a series between Christmas and Easter which goes through the life ofJesus under the title ‘The Journey.’ The first sessions of this series and publication dates are asfollows:

(18/12/20) a) 12 year old Jesus at the Temple - Luke 2:41-52 - Never too youngb) Jesus is tempted - Matt 4:1-11 - Temptation

c) 12 disciples follow Jesus - Matt 4:17-20 - Calling/Follow Jesus

(22/01/20) a) Jesus goes to a wedding - John 2:1-11 - Celebration - Jesus wants us to have fun!b) Jesus overturns the temple market - John 2:13-22 - Standing up for what is right

c) Nicodemus - John 3:1-21 - Life after death

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Main point of this session: Exploring waiting, looking forward toChristmas and what it means to prepare for Jesus

Key to suggested suitability markers:11+ This material is generally suited to secondary age groupsO This material is designed/suitable for older/more mature young peopleU11 This material is particularly suitable for use with under 11’sZ Can be used on ZoomSD Can be used in a socially distanced group meeting

Opener - Looking forward (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Ask the group:● Who can tell us how many days/hours/minutes until Christmas? The person whose guess

is closest wins.● What are you looking forward to most about Christmas?● What would you most like this Christmas?

Now ask if anyone in the group knows what the word ‘advent’ means. Many people think ofadvent calendars, but do not truly appreciate the significance of this season. Advent is the timeof waiting and preparation for Jesus. We focus a lot on the waiting part, counting down toChristmas day, but how can we prepare for it?

With older groups, watch this video for some ideas (please note, there are references to churchtraditions which not all young people will understand, and may need explaining).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC0FGQLBp7w&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=ChristianBrothersoftheMidwest

Game: Gargling Christmas music (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Have a list of well known Christmas carols/songs. Ask for a volunteer and give/send them onecarol. They should take a good swig of water and then gargle the carol/song. The rest of thegroup have to guess what it is. Whoever guesses takes the next turn! NB. If you are meetingsocially distanced, the person gargling needs to be at least 4m from the nearest person whilethey are gargling. An alternative way of playing this would be using comb and paper - forinstructions see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkGwVO6KuMI

Game: Recorder Christmas carol/song (11+, U11, Z,)

This is a more extreme version of the gargling game. Many households (some would say ‘toomany’) will still have the primary school recorder hanging about somewhere. Challenge thegroup to find it and then assign a volunteer a carol/song to play. HOWEVER, just as they areabout to start, explain that they can’t put the recorder in their mouth, only up their nose.

Christmas Songs Quiz (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Arrange your group into teams and give/send out the Christmas Songs Quiz on page 7. Identifythe song from the first line of the second verse - it’s harder than you might think!Continued overleaf…

Continued…There may be carols/songs which the group haven’t heard, so why not use this as anopportunity for them to hear them and look at the lyrics? Have a vote on which ‘new’ one istheir favourite.Answers:1. Away in a Manger, 2. The First Noel, 3. Hark the Herald Angels Sing, 4. All I Want for Christmasis You, 5. Joy to the World, 6. O Little Town of Bethlehem 7. Santa Claus is Coming to Town, 8.Ding Dong Merrily on High, 9. O Come all ye Faithful, 10. Merry Xmas Everybody, 11. O Holy Night,12. We Three Kings, 13. Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, 14. O Come all Ye Faithful, 15. Walkingin a Winter Wonderland

Waiting games:Point out to the group that the following games require waiting for the right moment to act,and to stay alert, not passive, during the waiting time.

Grandmother’s footsteps (11+, U11, SD)

One person is ‘grandmother’ and stands with their back to the group, by one wall. The rest ofthe group lines up (socially distanced) the other end of the room and tries to creep up behindgrandmother. Grandmother can turn around at any moment and anyone caught moving issent back to the start. The winner is the person who touches the wall without grandmotherseeing them.

Wink Murder (11+, U11, SD)

Have the group sit (socially distanced) in a circle. One person is a detective and walksaway/closes their eyes and ears while the group decides who the ‘murderer’ is. The murdererwinks at their victims and the victims dramatically ‘die’ one by one. The detective stands in themiddle of the circle and turns around trying to catch the murderer in the act. They have threeguesses or a time limit to catch the murderer before the game restarts with different characters.In a large group you may want more than one detective and murderers.

Film suggestion (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Watch: The Nativity Story (PG)It is easy to skip to the well known part of the Christmas story, where the baby Jesus is born;this week we are looking at Advent, the preparation for the coming King. This film is a retellingof the story, and may help the group consider what Mary and Joseph faced while waiting forthe birth of Jesus.

Craft (11+, U11, Z, SD)

These paper angels can be used in telling theChristmas story, and are easy (with a practice run!)with children. Pop some string on them to makelovely tree decorations, and print the template onto different coloured paper for variety. The angelsonly require paper and scissors.https://www.thecrafttrain.com/mini-paper-angels/

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Bible Study - Luke 2:25-38 (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Read the passage and explore with the group how both Simeon & Anna were waiting for theMessiah - this was the day God had spoken to them about. We don’t know how long both ofthem had been waiting for, but it’s likely to have been years. Their waiting wasn’t passive - theylived their lives and focused on serving God. God prompted Simeon to go to the temple andalso Anna “happened” to come along. Sometimes we may feel like we will miss what God hasplanned for us, but if we continue to stay connected with him we won’t (though it may lookdifferent to what we would have expected).Questions:■ Can you think of a time when you ended up at the right place at the right time?■ What does ‘actively waiting’ look like for you?■ Are there any opportunities that you feel like had been taken from you because of the

Covid-19 pandemic?

You might want to challenge your young people:God has a purpose and calling over your life but experiencing it means them engaging withhim. You might also want to read Jeremiah 29:11.If they would like to connect with him - explain how.

Going Deeper (O, Z, SD)

Advent is a time of waiting. There are two types of waiting; passive waiting and active waiting.Active waiting involves using the time to reflect and grow. Here are some examples:In Luke 1 we see two stories of people being visited by the Angel Gabriel, and told they havebeen chosen to have special children.1. The angel told Zechariah that even though he and his wife were naturally too old, his prayers

for a child had been heard. He would have a son who would be great in the eyes of many.Zechariah was confused and didn’t believe the angel so he lost the ability to speak. Imaginemeeting an angel and then not being able to talk about it or tell anyone!

2. Six months later, the Angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her she had been chosen to give birthto Jesus. This was another ‘impossible’ situation, but Mary’s response was one of faith andcourage.

Zechariah’s wife gave birth as the angel had said, and when challenged on obeying God, thistime he instantly responds with faith, and his speech is returned. Luke 1:64 says that the firstthing he did once he was able to speak again was to praise God.During those silent months, we don’t have a record of what Zechariah did, but his first wordsseem to indicate that he used the time to reflect, and was active in his waiting. And in his activewaiting his attitude changed, he was changed. This time, he did not make the mistake of havingtoo little faith in God’s ability to do the impossible.We know that Mary continued to trust in what God had promised through the angel.In these two stories, we see that God can do things beyond our imagination - a virgin and anold couple both being chosen to have children!Questions:■ Have you ever had to wait for an answer to prayer?■ Do you think you would react like Zechariah or Mary if an angel appeared and told you that

something seemingly impossible would happen?■ How can we use times of waiting for answers to prayer, as times to learn and grow?

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Closing Activity - light in the darkness (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Listen to the song “Way Maker” covered by Leeland (the original version by Sinach has differentlyrics). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29IxnsqOkmQ&ab_channel=IntegrityMusic

Invite the group to focus on the lyrics, especially the line, “Even when I don't see it, you'reworking. Even when I don't feel it, you're working”.Discuss how God sees the bigger picture, and can work during our time of waiting, even if wedon’t fully see it.

If you’re together, light candles to illustrate the line ‘light in the darkness’ and wait for the roomto light up. You can still do this on Zoom but just with a leader showing this to the group.Remind them that Jesus describes himself as “the light of the world.”

Challenge of the week (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Every time you have to wait this week - in a queue, for slow internet etc., take a moment toreflect and ask God if he is saying anything to you in the waiting time.

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Main point of this session: Exploring the fact that Jesus’ birth meansthat God is with us

Key to suggested suitability markers:11+ This material is generally suited to secondary age groupsO This material is designed/suitable for older/more mature young peopleU11 This material is particularly suitable for use with under 11’sZ Can be used on ZoomSD Can be used in a socially distanced group meeting

Opener - video (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Christmas in a Nutshell tells us the reason for the season.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXgH8ZIz9jQ&ab_channel=KnowingGod

Game - Christmas Dingbats (11+, Z, SD)

Arrange your group into teams, and give/send out the quiz on page 11.Answers:1. Midnight mass, 2. Rocking around the Christmas tree, 3. Snowball, 4. Mincepies, 5. Turkeyleftovers, 6. Frankincense, 7. Festive season, 8. White Christmas, 9. Peace on earth, 10. Season’sgreetings, 11. Reindeer, 12. Kisses under the mistletoe, 13. Opening presents, 14. Wrapping paper,15. Noel noel

Game - The price is right - Christmas presents (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Have the young people guess prices for the items below (prices from Argos website November2020). The closest guess gets 10 points, the second closest 5, and third closest 1 point. Checkthe group aren’t looking it up on their phones. Use the powerpoint available with this pack.■ Kindle Wi-Fi 4GB E-Reader - With Special Offers - Black (£49.99)■ TRESemme Keratin Smooth Control Hair Straightener (£29.99)■ Hover-1 Rival Black Hoverboard with LED Wheels (£249.99)■ RockJam SingCube Bluetooth Karaoke Machine - Black (£30)■ SIM Free iPhone SE 64GB Mobile Phone - Black (£399)■ Sony Playstation 5 Console (£449.99)■ Martin Smith Full Size Acoustic Guitar and Accessories (£60)■ Beatrix Potter Giant 50xm My First Petter Rabbit Soft Toy (£30)

Feel free to add more items.

Game - Fastest sprout peel (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Divide the group into teams. For the first part of the game, each team must peel off all theleaves of their sprouts as quickly as possible and collect them in a bowl. Set a timer and recordthe finishing time of each team. The team with the fastest time wins!

Game - Sprout Pictionary (11+, U11, Z, SD)

For this part of the game, the teams must play a version of Pictionary using their sprout peelingsto create the pictures. Members of the teams take it in turns to visit a leader, who will tell themContinued overleaf…

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Continued…what to 'draw'. They then must create the picture by arranging the sprout peel/leaves on a flatsurface. The team who completes the list of pictures first (with the rest of their team guessingthe pictures correctly) is the winner. You could pick words to draw from the nativity story. Ifyou’re playing on Zoom, the leader can send the words to each person ‘drawing’ via the chatfunction.

Illustration - Just what we need! (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Before the session, find a very large cardboard box and a brand new pair of socks. Wrap up thesocks in wrapping paper and put them in the box. Then wrap the box and put a label on it sayingthat it’s your Christmas present from an elderly relative - maybe gran.

In the session, tell the group that you have just received this present from (read the label) andare wondering what it might be. They could help you guess - come up with some expensiveoptions of things that you’d really like which would fit in such a large box - be excited!Finally, tell them that the sender wouldn’t mind if you opened it early. Slowly open the box andpull out the small parcel within. Then open this to reveal the socks. Hopefully, the disappointmentwill be expressed by all. Say that it’s not what you wanted.Then, after a pause, point out that you really needed some new socks and they will come in veryhandy. Say something like, “that’s just like (gran) - doesn’t get me what I would have chosen butalways gives me what I really need.”

Explain how this is like Christmas - the people in Israel were waiting for a king who would kickout the Romans and make Israel great again. They waited patiently and prayed for years andGod sent them a…..baby! Jesus wasn’t even born in a palace like a prince. This baby was theSaviour of the world, God himself. He went on to overcome not only the unjust Romanoccupation but all wrongdoing. God didn’t give what people wanted but, in coming to earth asa human being, he did give exactly what we needed.

Bible Study - Matthew 1:18-25 & Hebrews 2:17-18 (11+, U11, Z, SD)

First read Matthew 1:18-25. Joseph and Mary were told to call the boy ‘Jesus’ to fulfil the prophecy(a word of what is going to happen in the future). Jesus was God with us. God was not just ‘with’us by being nearby, he actually became one of us. As one of us, he faced all the emotions,challenges and temptations we face. He truly knows what it is like to be human. Together readHebrews 2:17-18 (we like the Message version for these verses):

“That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before Godas high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all

himself—all the pain, all the testing—and would be able to help where help was needed.”

In the Christmas story, we see God making himself vulnerable by coming to earth as a helplessbaby, and growing up as we do. God did not come as a full-grown superhero-saviour, he choseto truly become human. This means that all our struggles, ups and downs, and our day-to-daylives, are things that God himself has experienced.Questions:■ Can you think of a time when it made a massive difference that someone supported you or

was with you in person rather than just a phone call or text?Continued overleaf…

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Continued…■ What does it say about God that he chose to limit himself to being human so we could know

him like he knows us?■ How does God stepping into our humanity (even just for a few years) make you feel?■ Jesus is no longer here in flesh and blood so how can we be certain that God is still with us?

Going Deeper (O, Z, SD)

This video tells the story of a man who, through watching some birds in need, discovers whatEmmanuel - God with us - really means. It explores why Jesus needed to come to earth as oneof us, to tell us how we could enter into relationship with him and have eternal life.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2KDypTywTk&ab_channel=ShelterCoveCommunityChurchQuestions:■ What do you think the man in the story realised at the end?■ Have you ever thought about why God needed to become human?■ How does the idea of God limiting and confining himself to a human body, make you feel

about his care for you?

Closing Activity - blessing (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Each person will need something which smells nice (spice jar, scented candle, bath products),some cloth (can be clothing, blanket etc), cotton wool and a party popper/party hat/party blower.You as the leader will need a candle and a match.Have the group remain quiet while you read this Christmas blessing (adapted from the Churchof England) and invite the group to follow the actions. It would be good to go through this onceto show the actions and then once without explanation.

May the joy of the angels (use your party accessories to show joy)the eagerness of the shepherds (hold the cotton wool, reminding us that God chooses to sharehis Good News with shepherds, not just VIPs. They spent most of their time around sheep, notaround ‘important’ people).the perseverance of the wise men (smell the scent, representing the incense and spices theybrought as gifts)the obedience of Joseph and Mary (wrap the fabric around you, symbolising these young parentsswaddling their new child in cloths)and the peace of the Christ-child be yours this Christmas; (light the candle for all to see,representing Jesus as the Light of the World)and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among us andremain with us always. Amen.

Challenge of the week/season (11+, U11, Z, SD)

As we celebrate Jesus' presence as Emmanuel, let's use this time as an opportunity to be fullypresent with our families.Try and check in with your family about how you can best support them in the run up toChristmas. Can you improve your Christmas present wrapping skills and offer to wrap somepresents for your parents or siblings? How about finding that top notch Christmas puddingrecipe and offering to make that for Christmas day? Could you help writing some Christmascards? Try and find a way to help make Christmas a little less stressful.

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Zoom NativityThis nativity play (see page 14) allows the whole group to join in. With narration and readings, itmeans no one has to learn lines or even practise! Just turn up dressed as one of the charactersand act along! This would work with a church on Zoom as well.

Secret SantaMessage everyone in the group with the name of someone else. They have to make a smallinexpensive gift for that person, wrap it up and return it to one of the leaders. The leaders thendeliver them. Open together on Zoom or in your group face to face meeting.

Reflection/prayer activity on the starGive your group a glow in the dark star each. Read the reflection on page 17 and use the starsas a visual aid to Christmas prayers.

ChristingleWhy not make a Christingle with your group (you can drop kits off at each young person’s housebefore meeting on Zoom)?Here is a great video to explain it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYtuwrYGV5s

Small Christmas treeGo to the beach or woods and find a small block of wood and 20 small dry sticks, put themsomewhere warm to dry.Find an old camping metal, peg and anchor it in your block of wood.When the sticks are dry, put some holes in them.Now attach them to your camping metal peg, arranging them from largest to smallest.You have made a lovely handmade Christmas tree which can be used all year round!

Christmas decorationsHomemade Christmas decorations are great. Try this one:■ Find an old plastic bottle■ Cut off the bottom, wash and dry the bottom which should have a star shape on it.■ Cut the star out■ Cover it with PVA glue and then go crazy with the GLITTER!!!!■ To finish, cut a little hole at the top and add a ribbon or piece of string so that you can hang

it up.Alternatively, you can find pine cones instead of plastic bottles and decorate them with glitter.

Christmas craftThis paper/felt wreath can be made while together or assembled after members send theirhandprint to you. It would make a nice addition to your church/venue. Point out that theMessage version of John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into theneighborhood”. Jesus became human, with real hands and a unique handprint, and joined acommunity like yours.https://www.mynameissnickerdoodle.com/kids-hand-print-christmas-wrea/

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Gingerbread housesYou can buy ready-made kits or put some together yourself using biscuits, icing tubes, sprinklesetc. If you’re on Zoom, you’ll need to distribute them beforehand. Give your group a set amountof time to make them before giving everyone a chance to show what they’ve done and theneat them. NB. If you are meeting face to face, there should be no sharing of equipment oringredients.

Improvised treesChallenge your group to find an everyday object (coat stand, chair, ironing board) in their houseand then, in 5 minutes, decorate it so it looks like a Christmas tree. They should decorate it usingonly everyday items (socks, scarves, jumpers). If the object can’t be moved to where their Zoomcamera is, they can take a photo to share.

Christmas movieIn advance, assign small parts of the Christmas story to a number of group members. Ask themto dramatise and film their little episode. They can involve other members of their household.Either watch these in order on Zoom or, if some of the group might struggle with thetechnology/internet to screen share their part, have them send it to you beforehand and edit ittogether into one video to show. Make sure you have parental consent for the videos.

Sock puppet nativityA variation on a theme - you could use socks as puppets to act out the nativity story with differentgroup members playing different parts. You could use the script on page 14 or come up withyour own. As an added idea, how about providing/sending googly eyes to your group membersfor this?

Cracker jokesHave a joke competition BUT explain in advance that the only entries allowed are those theyhave heard from Christmas crackers. Hopefully this will keep it clean!

Advent decorationsAn activity for younger ones. Print the templates from page 19 onwards double-sided onto A4card and encourage the group to complete this each day in the run up to Christmas.

Zoom Nativity IntroductionThis nativity script is designed for use on Zoom. The purpose is to have narrators/readersspeak the lines, while actors who are dressed up in costume act out the roles - those notspeaking can be muted. This minimises confusion over who is speaking, but we have tried toinclude as many speaking parts as possible. If you would prefer to have one narrator readthe whole script, then please feel free. As the actors are not learning lines, rehearsals are notneeded – sometimes this can make for more humorous performances!Stage directions are given in blue, so the actors know when to react/act out particular lines.This is intended to be a bit of fun, so please adapt any or all of it where necessary. Be ascreative with props and costumes as you would like! Throw in some jokes, and between thescenes you could add in a pause for singing carols.It may be a good idea for some of the actors, such as Mary and Joseph, to be in onehousehold so they can interact, but this is not essential. If you have permission, it could befun to record the Zoom call.

Zoom Nativity Script

Speaking parts: Narrator x2, Bible readers x7Cast List: Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Gabriel, Innkeeper, animals, angels, shepherds, wise men,HerodProp list (optional): Donkey to carry Mary, farm animals (could be soft toys), baby Jesus,manger, Innkeeper’s ‘no rooms available’ sign, wise men’s gifts

Stage directions = blueReaders = red

SCENE ONEACTORS: Mary, Gabriel, Joseph, donkeyNarrator 1: God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin who wasengaged to be married to a man called Joseph. The virgin’s name was Mary.

Narrator 2: The angel said to her:“Greetings, you who are highly favoured!The Lord is with you.”

Narrator 1: Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting thismight be.

Narrator 2: But the angel said to her:

Reader 1:Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,And he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end.

Narrator 1: An angel of the Lord also appeared to Joseph in a dream *Joseph snores* andsaid:

Reader 2:Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. The baby she iscarrying is from the Holy Spirit.She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will save his peoplefrom their sins.

Narrator 2: All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virginwill be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means,‘God with Us’”.

Narrator 1: When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded himand took Mary home to be his wife.

Narrator 2: At that time, Caesar sent an order to all people in the countries that were underRoman rule. The order said that they must list their names in a register, and everyone went totheir own towns to be registered.

Narrator 1: So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He went to the town of Bethlehem inJudea. This town was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was fromthe family of David. Joseph registered Mary with him because she was engaged to marry him.Mary was pregnant with the baby that God had promised.

Joseph and Mary journey to Bethlehem

(Optional break for Christmas carols)

SCENE TWOACTORS: Mary, Joseph & Innkeeper with sign, shepherds (and sheep?), angels, baby Jesus

Narrator 2: When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem there were no rooms left in the inn*Innkeeper holds up sign*.

Narrator 1: While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have thebaby. She gave birth to her first son. She wrapped the baby in cloths and laid him in amanger.

Narrator 2: That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. Anangel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, andsuddenly they became afraid. The angel said to them:

Reader 3:Don’t be afraid, because I am bringing you good news. Today your Saviour was born inDavid’s town; he is Christ, the Lord.This is how you will know him: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Narrator 1: Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel. All theangels were praising God, saying:

Reader 4:Give glory to God in Heaven, and on earth let there be peace!

Narrator 2: Then the angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds saidto each other:

Reader 5:Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.We will see this thing the Lord has told us about

Narrator 1: So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in amanger.

(Optional break for Christmas carols)

SCENE THREEACTORS: Wise men, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, Herod

Narrator 2: After Jesus was born, some wise men from the East came to Jerusalem. Theyasked:

Reader 6:Where is the baby who was born to be the king of the Jews?We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.

Narrator 1: When King Herod heard about this new king of the Jews, he was troubled. Hecalled a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of the law and asked where the Christwould be born. They answered, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea. The prophets wrote aboutthis in the scriptures”.

Narrator 2: Then Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem.

Reader 7:He said: “Go and look carefully to find the child. When you find him, come and tell me. Then Ican go and worship him too”.

Narrator 1: The wise men heard the king and then left. They saw the same star they had seenin the east. It went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. Whenthe wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy.

Narrator 2 : They went to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary.They bowed down and worshipped the child. They opened the gifts they had brought for him.They gave him treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Narrator 1: God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they went hometo their own country by a different route.

pick n mix - christmas

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